Grassroots: The Minor Hockey Show

Jim Haverstrom is USA Hockey's Coach-in-chief for Florida. Over 25 years as a coach and now coach developer, he's become an ardent advocate for the Constraints Led and an Ecological Dynamics approaches which he's successfully applied in his own coaching.The soccer study he refers to in the podcast is: “Train as you play”: Improving effectiveness of training in youth soccer playersContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

As minor hockey associations prepare for their AGMs, one key position needs consideration: someone to take charge of coach development. Richard and Dean discuss why this role is crucial, what this person should or should not be responsible for and where to find them.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comX (Twitter):Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

Some years ago, Brian Gillam began to adopt an ecological approach to coaching and teaching the game. Today he is immersed in it as a coach but especially as a "skills instructor." In this episode, he discusses what he does in special sessions, how he does it and why. Brian is the coaching development director for Hockey Eastern Ontario.His website: briangillamhockey.comContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

Access to rinks, ice time , and cost may be impediments to growing a program in a small hockey market. But not to Chris Benson who helps direct the fortunes of the Bristol youth program in England. Speaking from Riga, Latvia, where his son is attending a hockey camp, Chris passionately describes the challenges and the steps being taken to programming, one of which includes the "management" of parents.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

"We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience."Host Richard Bercuson spends this episode providing an overview of his season coaching 10 year olds in a unique house league-type environment. Dean Holden poses some pointed questions that has Richard using the "wayback machine" to reflect on the approaches he's used and why.--------------------------------------------In the introduction, Richard refers to his co-authored novel that was published last year through Amazon: The Burden of Guilt.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

How to get out of the "tick box" practice scenario. Richard and Dean discuss why coaches need to learn that players have to experience skill and tactical content in ways that are closer to competitive situations. This means moving away from the age-old and time worn approaches we've long accepted.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

Special guest Dr. Stephen Norris and Dean Holden discuss their recent trip to Kazakhstan as part of an IIHF initiative to grow the game in other parts of the world. What is the impact of this initiative on our own game's leadership? Where are we going? Is it the right direction? An in-depth look at those and other questions.https://www.iihf.com/en/news/64332/first_asian_general_secretary_summitContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

The modern lexicon of coaching includes terms like transformational and transactional to describe the approaches coaches use. What are their characteristics? In minor hockey, can someone be both?  Dean Holden delves into this topic, aided and abetted by host Richard Bercuson who tosses out questions and examples to investigate.Toward Understanding Youth Athletes' Fun Priorities: An Investigation of Sex, Age, and Levels of Play: Amanda Visek, Heather Mannix et alhttps://activeforlife.com/why-every-coach-needs-a-coaching-philosophy/Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

Greg Revak, an Ohio-based coach and USA Hockey coach developer, has unique and progressive ideas on coaching the game. His podcast and newsletter hit on various topics which are pertinent to coaches at every level. In this episode, he shares with Richard his personal bugaboos and annoyances about practice design and what we can do better.His website: https://hockeysarsenal.substack.com/The HockeyIQ Podcast: https://hockeysarsenal.com/podcastContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

However you define "new," Richard and Dean discuss what coaches need to consider at the start of a new adventure and the resources they should access.Books:How we learn to move by Rob GrayThe Coach's Guide to Teaching by Doug LemovTransforming Basketball by Alex SaramaThe Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay StanierPodcasts:This one, of course!The Talent Equation - Stuart ArmstrongThe Perception-Action Podcast - Rob GrayHEO Youtube channel - Brian Gillam (Hockey Eastern OntarioWeb sites:hockeycoachingabcs.com - Tom Molloyadmkids.com - USA HockeyContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

Season 5 begins with an important pre-season look at how contact and checking need to be taught to take it beyond the confines of the current checking clinic module. Richard and Dean examine an approach using spectrums of skill for different ages and levels of play, built within the current four-stage checking progression espoused by Hockey Canada.Those who'd like a copy of the spectrums diagram should email Richard: Richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

This episode is a unique collaboration with Stuart Armstrong whose podcast is The Talent Equation. His May 28, 2024, show was called "Coach Education is  broken." It struck a chord with Grassroots host Richard Bercuson who felt it reminded him of the famous Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch. He connected with Stuart and here's the result: a tripartite discussion with Stuart, Richard, and Dean Holden about coach education's demise.Stuart will simulcast the show on his own podcast soon, once he completes his multi-part analysis of the subject.Listener Advisory: Stuart's script read of the Dead Parrot sketch, portraying Michael Palin, is much better than Richard's feeble attempt with the John Cleese character. Dean plays the dead parrot.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean Holden: funlearnreturn@gmail.com

Modern coaching approaches include a litany of expressions, phrases, words and acronyms that are sometimes baffling in what they mean. In this episode, Richard and Dean delve into some of the more common ones and relate them to coaches need to understand about them and how to apply them in minor hockey.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

Brian Gillam, HEO's Coaching Coordinator and Gold Medal Pathways mentor, delves into the myriad of ways in which small or reduced space practice activities are central to how children will develop both their skills and ability to play games on similar sized areas. Gillam is a longtime proponent of ecological dynamics and constraints led approaches. He explains how important it is for children and teens to be trained in space consistent with their developmental stages and what they can learn from the approach.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

Matt Dumouchelle is a writer for The Coaches Site and assistant GM for a junior A team near Windsor. But he also authored a revelatory five-part series, "Hockey Factories" published last year on thecoachessite.com. A second series focusing on five different hockey organizations in Europe and North America will be out shortly. In this episode Matt shares what can be learned from these clubs, their programs and approaches. He also discusses his own journey in sports, with keen observations about our sporting culture, including now being a dad to a hockey-loving six year old.To get a copy of his series, visit:https://join.thecoachessite.com/hockey-factories-ebookContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

One of the more important publications in recent years is The Tyranny of Talent by Prof. Joe Baker. Baker is a professor of kinesiology and physical education at the University of Toronto and inaugural holder of the endowed Tanenbaum chair in sport science, data modelling and sport analytics at U of T's Tanenbaum Institute for Science in Sport (TISS). In this episode, he discusses some of the key points of this seminal work and how they relate to hockey and talent identification.The Tyranny of Talent  is available through Amazon.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

This first episode of 2024 features a discussion about the science that should inform  current coaching approaches and how coaches need to now examine the effects on their coaching art. Host Richard Bercuson discusses with Dean Holden and John "the Colombian" Castrillon who has spent decades using game-based approaches in soccer and hockey, even before he was aware of what the science showed.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

It didn't look like fun. So Kevin, dad of a little girl new to hockey, decided to "go his own way" by leaving the local "Timbits" program and adopting an ecological dynamics approach. He rented a small patch of ice, invited others to join in, and used play activities to turn the kids on to the game. Now he is on his own discovery path of how to properly introduce and teach the game to children.Kevin's Instagram: AthleticDevelopmentGamesKevin's web site: hockey training.comDropbox video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fswu6nzyqadr6q8iyjnph/Games-Based-Learning-8-weeks.MOV?rlkey=xypju1vdd810rnjs6f23dtrt3&dl=0Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

Kealy Lambert is a former college hockey player, now a mom, a coach, a lawyer and the president of Bow River Minor Hockey in Calgary. She's seen the game from just about every angle and now, as the head of an organization, she suspects Canadian minor hockey is heading...well...listen to find out where.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

Stephen Norris delves deeper into Canada's minor hockey world, finishing with the challenge: What would you do if declared King of Hockey Canada?Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

Stephen Norris,  one of Canada's pre-eminent sport scientists and performance experts, has worked with numerous sport organizations including Hockey Canada. He refers to himself as a "performance guide to a chosen few." In this first of a two-parter, we hear about how and why he started in the field and ends with his annual suggestion to a minor hockey organization that was voted down every time he brought it up.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

Podcast host Richard Bercuson has taken on coaching a U18AA team this season, a somewhat new experience for him even after coaching for decades. In this episode, Dean Holden poses some interesting questions for him to consider as he navigates these waters using a competition or game-based approach.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

Season 4 kicks off with Richard and Dean in a pretty deep discussion about the definition of coach development, professionalism in coaching and related topics. It all begins with Richard's follow-up presentation to Oshawa coaches in August when he asked participants to provide their definitions of coach development. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

For Canadian minor hockey to evolve and improve, solid visionary leadership is the key. Richard and Dean invite Rick Ladouceur to discuss what we have and where we can go. Ladouceur is the executive director of Prairie Storm Minor Hockey near Regina. In addition to an extensive coaching and teaching background, he's held key leadership positions in hockey and recreation/sport management. Thus he is able to offer some interesting perspectives.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

It took Brian Gillam nearly 20 years to realize that perhaps his coaching approach had room for adjustment. His epiphany came at a High Performance conference and, since then, his readings about leadership, ecological approaches, constraints, etc. have made him reconsider what coaching the game could be about. As Hockey Eastern Ontario's (HEO) coaching development coordinator, he's also in a position to influence others into seeing coaching in a different light. He has created a YouTube series for HEO about skill acquisition, interviews with some of the key figures in the field. All of which, however, leads to one key question: then what?HEO's YouTube channel - Click on The Skill Acquisition Serieshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIc6D9wLXpCkGsA2ETjpkhgA theory of change for Canadian Sport: Dorothy Paul on culture changehttps://sirc.ca/blog/dorothy-paul-on-culture-change/Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

S.E.E.P. - Six Elements for Effective Practices - is a presentation Richard created to educate, inform, and assist coaches in improving their approaches. In this episode, he describes how the first one went on April 18 in Oshawa, ON, attended by 27 competitive level coaches.The 2-2 1/2 hr presentation is available for any minor hockey organization to share with its coaches. It can be done via Zoom or preferably in person for those within reasonable driving distance from Whitby, ON. Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

There are questions we need to address in order for coaching and coach development to move forward, utilizing research evidence now available to us. Richard and Dean attempt to answer these questions, which were posed recently by Dr. Mark Williams, a research scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition and the University of Utah.Visit:Florida Institute for Human and Machine CognitionFIFA Training CentreContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

Dutch football (soccer) coach and coach developer Raymond Verheijen has developed a worldwide following through books and courses on how to coach, not just football but coaching in general. In this episode he explains the importance of using objective facts and logical reasoning to counter long-standing beliefs on coaching approaches, whether they be in his sport or hockey. Though Richard and Dean had first touched on his work in episodes 78 and 80,  hearing from him directly on various aspects of coaching provide a banquet of food for thought on what we do and why we do it.Visit Raymond's site: fcevolution.comContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

In recent years, coaching has taken on an entirely new lexicon thanks to research into coaching methods and approaches. Richard and Dean examine some of the key ones pertaining to hockey, ones they feel are essential for the modern coach to not only be aware of but also employ. These include: constraints (as in the Constraints Led Approach), ecological dynamics, TGfU, skill vs. technique, observation, variability, and small area games (aka. small sided games). Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

Wally Kozak is a resident of host Richard Bercuson's virtual Pantheon of Canadian hockey developers. Here, he begins by reflecting on his stint with Father David Bauer's national team and its influence on his future as a teacher and coach. Then comes the segue into the importance of creating a mission statement as most recently done with the parents of a U13 girls team. Along the journey, he shares stories of his experiences in developing the exercise. This includes one about how Hockey Canada's instructional DVD series, Goals 1 & 2,  once included a third DVD which featured the exercise but somehow never got published.To reach Wally about the mission statement exercise, email him: wallykozak@gmail.comHis weekly "Sharks" YouTube series with other hockey developers can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/user/wkozak2009/videosContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544

Organizing a practice is challenging enough. However, Richard and Dean contend that incorporating six key elements will make a practice hum and provide the players with all they need to experience success and enjoy themselves. The first element is Fun. After that comes...well, listen in and find out.Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean - @SportIQTraining

In the last few months, two Canadian research studies have concluded that bodychecking in hockey should not begin till age 18, when kids are out of minor hockey. One of those studies, headed by the renowned brain injury and concussion expert, Dr. Charles Tator, reached some startling conclusions about long term concussion symptoms. The other study was completed by researchers in Alberta with teenagers in various minor hockey organizations.  And so in this episode, Richard and Dean ask if it's time the question not just be posed but also answered: what are we doing?Links to the two studies:Persisting Concussion Symptoms from Bodychecking: Unrecognized Toll in Boys' Ice HockeyBodychecking experience and rates of injury among ice hockey players aged 15–17 yearsHockey Canada Checking ProgressionContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean - @SportIQTraining

A  departure from the normal content as this one scratches an itch: how to get adults who've never played hockey to give it a try.  Peter Munro has started a venture called "Beer League Hockey Practice" which invites adult learners in various Ontario municipalities to learn to play the game.  But will this also become a breeding ground for new coaches? According to one participant, a coach who's registered in the program, he's unearthed a whole new respect for what he asks his youngsters to experience. How did this get started and where is it heading? Richard discusses with Peter while co-host Dean takes a break to continue working on his PhD.Web site: Beer League Hockey PracticeContact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean - @SportIQTraining

The fascinating C-D-E-F approach taken by Dutch coach and coach developer Raymond Verheijen is the subject of this episode, a sequel to Episode 78 with Neil Sedgwick. Richard and Dean  adapt Verheijen's ideas that were designed for soccer coaches and re-package them for minor hockey. They base the discussion on Verheijen's recent guest appearance on the John O'Sullivan podcast "Way of Champions." Here's the link to Episode 294 of that show:https://wayofchampions.libsyn.com/294-raymond-verheijen-4x-world-cup-and-european-champion-coach-on-the-importance-of-fitness-training-within-sport-context-overuse-injuries-periodization-of-training-and-managing-load-when-athletes-play-up-an-ageVerheijen can also be seen on this YouTube podcast "The Magia Mindset" at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLLC_xoSDRI Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean - @SportIQTraining

"A Problem Well Stated is Half Solved," said the late Charles Kettering who headed the GM research department in the mid 20th century. How does this apply to the application of critical thought in coaching, especially in minor hockey? Dean Holden explains what it means and how it applies, referring as well to the work of Robert Ennis ("Critical Thinking Dispositions"). Also mentioned is the 2006 World Cup match between Argentina and Serbia/Montenegro in which the Argentines completed 26 consecutive passes before scoring. Here is the YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR3Om0WfErAThe Robert Ennis research document PDF can be found online.(Note: As Richard Bercuson reiterates in the podcast, there is not, nor has there ever been, research suggesting a link between being near plastic pylons and cancer.)Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.comTwitter:Richard - @berky544Dean - @SportIQTraining

Neil Sedgwick is the head coach of the Univ. of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) women's soccer team in Prince George, BC. His coaching approach has been radically changed by the teachings and courses offered by Dutch coach Raymond Verheijen who is transforming the coaching landscape. The long-accepted ways of looking at coaching invasion team sports like soccer using the technical-tactical-mental-physical-social criteria need to be re-examined. Since soccer and hockey have much in common, we can see through Sedgwick's experiences with Verheijen how the minor hockey coaching landscape should now also change.References:Raymond Verheijen: fcevolution.comNeil Sedgwick: epicsoccercoach.comDoug Lemov's book: The Coach's Guide to Teaching

Once a coach gets past the basic practice template, what are the myriad of priority considerations to have in a good practice? What to teach, when, and, most importantly, how are the key questions a coach should be answering. In this episode, Richard and Dean delve into how to shape practices while also dispensing with some of the myths about what we've long done.Dean refers to this research doc in the show:"Decision-making practice during coaching sessions in elite youth football across European countries"If you'd like a copy of the doc, email Richard: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com

This episode takes the listener from sewing quilts to line dancing to "Achy Break Heart" and finally a western bar in Houston. The journey is all about wondering why we've long accepted that deconstructing hockey skills in practice would actually produce improvement. We know now it doesn't. And Dean puts Richard on the hot seat with an important question. A  conversation rife with clever metaphors.

The first show of Season 3 features a discussion with soccer and hockey coach John "the Colombian" Castrillon on his observations of elite team practices. Are teams just recycling timeworn drills? Why? What's missing? He also comments on how goalies are used in practice, what guest host Dean Holden refers to as "punching bags."NOTES:Karl Marius Aksum's Twitter commentary for his PhD on the effectiveness (or not) of the Rondo in soccer is at (and you don't need a Twitter account to read it):https://twitter.com/aksumfootball/status/1555122997433774080The Sweden-Finland research on game formats:https://blob.iihf.com/iihf-media/iihfmvc/media/downloads/sport%20files/development-guide/player-development-guide/sag-study-fihaandsiha_growingthegame_2020_6_17.pdfProf. Rob Gray's podcast is mentioned however the particular podcast referred to was up then down. Check back in the near future to his podcast site for episode 417 and his interview with Karl Aksum: perceptionaction.com

In this final episode of the 2021-22 season, Richard and guest host Dean chat about the June 4-5 coach conference hosted by the Whitby Girls Association that Richard set up, its first ever such conference. The agenda was designed for coaches to reflect on their past approaches, by "opening their parachutes," so as to  improve their coaching methods through the latest research and knowledge on how children learn. The conference included presentations by Vic Chiasson and Jim Mercer who have developed a unique program to develop the culture on teams and in organizations. Former Olympic champion Jenn Wakefield also presented on developing proper fitness habits. The podcast includes commentary from Chiasson and Mercer on how they felt the conference went.Thanks to all the listeners. As we take a summer break, feel free to contact Richard:richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com

Rob Gray,  from Caledon, Ontario, is a professor at Arizona State University where he specializes in perceptual motor skill development. His recent book "How we learn to move," available on Amazon, may very well be what he wrote on the cover: A revolution in the way we coach & practice skills. While his work in Arizona has been primarily in soccer and baseball, in this podcast he seemed pleased to delve into hockey and the myriad of timeworn traditions about how we teach and practice the game he played so much himself growing up. His own podcast, The Perception and Action podcast, can be found at perceptionaction.com.  Warning: No pylons or plastic sticks died in the making of this episode, though they may be shoved into storage for a long while.

"How we learn to move" by Rob Gray, PhD, may be the game-changer minor sports, especially hockey, needs to shake up the coaching tree. If you like pylons, patterned drills, and specialty toys on the ice for kids to skate around, follow or go through, then this podcast will not be for you. Best to move on to a different episode right now!

Those who run Australian sports have concluded that the coaching of children has become too structured. Now they're doing something about it. The CEO of Water Polo Australia, Richard McInnes, explains what it is and how they're going about it. Interestingly, it involves many of the same approaches to coaching children as are being advocated in Canada. He also reveals their novel way to entice coaches to become better educated and trained. Here is the link to the cricket video he referenced in the podcast: vimeo.com/184622185.  It employs the same ideas USA Hockey used in 2014 when they placed adults on a frozen river to point out what kids see on a large rink. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXhxNq59pWg). Opening and closing guitar music for this episode is "Waltzing Matilda" as performed by Australia's brilliant guitarist Tommy Emmanuel.

"We take a  minor hockey coach off the ice, stand him at the glass, and we're going to ask him to watch his practice that the assistant coaches are going to run. What does he look for - and why?" So begins Part 2 with host Richard Bercuson posing the questions. Dean Holden and John Castrillon describe the importance of self-reflection in observations, beginning with, as Dean says, the constraints of what the coach even knows. So, even by posing the right kind of questions to the coach, the depth of knowledge to be able to properly and adequately answer is at the core of the issue.

"You can observe a lot by watching," said Yankees Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. He couldn't have known just important that statement would become for minor hockey coaches. The power of observation is indeed linked to critical thought, self awareness and self reflection, which is to say that all coaches would well to step back a moment and watch themselves. This is what mentors and coach developers do on a regular basis. In this first of a two-parter, host Richard Bercuson dives into a discussion with guest host Dean Holden and previous interviewee John Castrillon, a longtime soccer and hockey coach developer.

USA Hockey's American Development Model (ADM) has made huge strides since its 2009 inception. One of the program's original regional managers, Roger Grillo (www.admkids.com/rogergrillo), a successful college coach for 20 years before joining the ADM, provides a unique perspective on the ADM's successes and challenges. He also delves into practice and teaching approaches that are now tried and true, describing what he sees as the three key elements of a good practice. This episode harkens back to a Feb., 2015, version of Grassroots the minor hockey show on Ottawa's TSN 1200 radio, hosted by Richard Bercuson and Gregg Kennedy. In it, they interviewed another ADM regional manager, Bob Mancini, who discussed the cross and half ice hockey approach USA Hockey had been employing. It was another three years before the smaller ice was made a cornerstone of Hockey Canada's new pathways program. To listen to that 2015 interview, visit: https://autopod.isilive.ca/podcasts/chum/206/29446/grassroots-feb7.mp3.

What does Leonardo da Vinci have in common with three intrepid French inventors and Scottish whisky distiller Lord Thomas Dewar? It's all about first having a parachute and then opening it. Without it, the game will remain mired in its age-old traditions and conventions about how it should be taught.

Canadian minor hockey players mostly play within their municipalities or regions. It's only at the highest competitive levels where there is more freedom to move. However, each playing area or association is largely a collection of teams governed by a board. With few exceptions, teams and coaches are on their own with respect to development, training, and direction. In Europe, for instance, clubs have  more clearly defined top-down training and guidance with coaching experts and mentors directing every team. Should such an approach happen in Canada?

John Castrillon's father brought his family from Colombia to Montreal in the 1970s. There, young John, already a fine soccer player, fell in love with hockey (and the story of Maurice Richard whom he once met) after watching it on TV. He taught himself how to skate on outdoor rinks then, at age 14, began to play hockey. Eventually, he was good enough to make a midget team and then a junior squad. He maintained his soccer skills and still plays at a high level. Today, John is a sought-after coach developer in the two sports, having worked with elite teams in both as a coach, evaluator and keen observer of practice approaches and training methods. In this episode, he shares his thoughts on the similarities between the sports' coaching methods and what minor hockey coaches need to do better.

The new coach of the Montreal Canadiens, Martin St. Louis, stated in his initial press conference that he was about teaching concepts, not systems. Whether or not that works remains to be seen. However, the idea of presenting concepts to players directly impacts minor hockey in various ways. In Episode 38, host Richard Bercuson and his guest, Dean Holden, examined the teaching of principles of play vs. systems. Now, with St. Louis' statement as a backdrop, how do concepts come into play for coaches of kids?Two books referred to in the show:Slavomir Lener: Transition Defense to OffenseErkka Westerlund: Transition: From Game to Practice(NOTE: Neither is on the Hockey Canada site nor in Amazon. You'll need to hunt.)

For any coach, there should be a tacit understanding of the need to make practices as game-like as possible. The one possible exception might be the teaching of raw skills. That aside, in order to best teach the game, how many players should be involved in an activity, be it drill or small area game? Shouldn't that number replicate what happens in a game? What is that number? In 2009, Slovakian coach Igor Andrejkovic published a scientific paper based on his  breaking down 60 game videos of a U18 team. His conclusions about how many players are actively involved in hockey events or plays should directly impact how we teach in practice. Listeners wishing to read his original paper should email host Richard Bercuson at richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com