So as the great pessimist that I am, I typically don’t have any New Year resolutions, because I know they will be over within 24 hours (I love my Dr. Pepper). But, I think for myself, this year I can implement my own “Coaching Resolutions”, especially in areas I’m trying to get better at.
So without further ado, here are 2 things I plan on implementing in the year 2024 as a coach:
1) Let the players figure it out – See, this is one that I’ve been quite focused on in the last few months more than others, but I’m planning on making it one of my primary areas of focus to continue to use this year.
I truly believe that we have too many coaches who want to control every aspect of a game, and this is why we have so many players who without someone screaming from the bench at them, don’t have a clue on what to do. I’ve seen or heard about it for a long time, and these teams/players may have “success” on the scoreboard or in the standings for that particular season (typically doesn’t last long), their long-term success as players, especially moving up the “hockey pyramid” as they get older, stalls out or is stunted.
In a world full of helicopter parenting off the ice, where we no longer have unstructured play, I think it’s important to keep having the players “figure it out” for themselves.
Does this mean I’m going to cut them off and not teach them the game? Absolutely not.
What it means is that I’m going to continue to teach on the bench and when mistakes happen, have the players explain what happened, what they were thinking, and what they could have done differently. Hell, I’ll even give them the marker and whiteboard and have them draw it up. This way, they start to understand and can see it and think it for themselves.
Another area that this will enter is my practice sessions. I plan to try and implement more drills that don’t have a predetermined outcome (besides scoring haha). Try and use more drills that allow more freedom but within constraints. Hopefully, this is a topic I write more about later.
2) My Attitude/Confidence In Myself- As someone who has an anxiety disorder, it’s very easy to get stuck and caught in your head at times. Self-doubt and trying to mindread others have always been issues. It’s as if I’m sitting there as Dr. Strange in Avengers Infinity War, trying to figure out all 14,000,605 possible outcomes of any scenario.
This is not healthy for one’s brain.
I need to start believing in myself in certain moments and in what I am trying to do overall, and not give a shit about what others may think. I’ve already had plenty of training, education, and experience to be a decent coach, status quo, and go with my gut and brain. While I’m still learning and will never be a perfect coach, I need to be willing to fail or make mistakes while believing in my process and ability. This one is never easy, but I’ve built up a very strong support system amongst other coaches and mentors whom I can easily go to for ideas, suggestions, and most of all support.
Again, I don’t want to bombard myself as a coach as I already have enough on my plate, so I kept my two goals/resolutions simple.
I’d love to hear what you as a player, coach or parent have as yours so feel free to email or message us on Facebook or Twitter!!
