My Little Red Book

May 17, 2013 Leave a comment

A few months ago, I went over to Barnes & Noble and picked up a small red Moleskin notebook. The purpose of my purchase was to use it as a reflective journal for me to jot down thoughts & observations from each day. As a coach, I am in the business of constant improvement and a journal allows me to process and understand what I learned and did each day, so that I can be better the next day.

For the first two months, I left it on my bedside table with the intention of writing in it every night before I went to sleep. While this worked out well in the beginning, soon my recruiting schedule interrupted me. My observations became intermittent and I would write when I could – not the most productive use of my notebook.

For the last month, I have brought my notebook to my office. It sits right next to my mousepad and I write in it every night before I leave the office. As a way to direct my writing more effectively, I have taped a small piece of paper under my mousepad with three questions on it. These questions were pulled from an article about what the top CEO’s do to find continued success.

1. What three things did I do well today? 2. What is my number one most needed improvement for tomorrow? 3. What is the one thing I can do differently to help make the needed improvement?

After I answer these three questions, I write down general thoughts about my day. Finally, on the other side of the page I write down a phrase that I found to be inspiring or pointed towards my area of improvement. A quote, a word, a message, whatever I feel is something I need to remember.

My diligence in keeping this notebook has made me a better coach and a more effective recruiter. It has helped me to understand my strengths and weaknesses and evaluate them every day. The self-discipline and self-accountability it fosters will help me to continue to improve throughout my career.

IMG_20130517_091415_096

Filed under Coaching, Motivation Tagged with , , , ,

Wednesday Drill of the Week: 3v3 on Rim

May 15, 2013 Leave a comment

3v3 on Rim

 

This drill is a simple 3v3 Drill using one end of the ice. Everyone starts stationary. Offensive team starts with two forwards on the goal line and one in the high slot. Defensive team starts with two defensemen on top of the crease, one forward in the mid slot. The drill starts with a coach rimming a puck to either forward, and then plays out 3v3 from that point.

Why do 3v3 this way? It isolates position specific skills for teaching. First, it allows the forwards to retrieve the puck first, forcing them to work on playing the puck off the runner and working with a defender on their back. Second, it helps forwards to understand spacing, support options and release points when the puck is below the goal line. One the defensive side, it helps defenders work on closing down on attackers, taking away time and space, and anticipating the offensive play. As a team, the quicker you can anticipate what the offensive team will do, the quicker you can shut it down.

As a coach, you can work on individual skills this way, as well as basic down low defensive zone and offensive zone play.

Filed under Coaching, Drills, Hockey, Individual Skills, Position Play Tagged with , , , ,

The Value of Information

May 7, 2013 Leave a comment

We live in a world of imperfect information. What that means is that one party often knows something that others don’t. Whether it is a business deal, a debate or a personal discussion, there is always something that is unknown to someone.

How do you succeed in a world of imperfect information? Gather as much information from as many people as possible. Ask great questions and dig at the root of what you are trying to discover. Don’t be afraid to be direct – people don’t often volunteer valuable information. Talk to as many people as you can, try to get the bigger picture. The more sources you have, the better. I was taught in middle school to triple check every historical source to ensure its accuracy. Whether you’re researching a paper on the Civil War or trying to formulate a business contract, the lesson holds true.

In a world of imperfect information, the more information you have, the better your chances are of success.

Filed under Hockey, Coaching, Recruiting Tagged with , ,

Seth Godin: Avoiding Fear

May 7, 2013 Leave a comment

A fantastic post by Seth Godin. We hate fear so much that we avoid situations that will even trigger the thought of fear. Rather than avoid fear, attack it. I believe that we are more likely to be successful in these situations than we think we can be. Attacking fear will build confidence (success in the face of believed failure).

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/05/avoiding-fear.html

Filed under Coaching, Motivation Tagged with , ,

Gregg Popovich

May 6, 2013 Leave a comment

A great article on Gregg Popovich and a look inside his coaching style went up today on the SI Basketball Blog. The full profile of Popovich is in Sports Illustrated this week, but this article sheds some light on how he goes about his business and why he is one of the most successful coaches in the game.

http://nba.si.com/2013/04/25/gregg-popovich-spurs-sports-illustrated/

Filed under Coaching Tagged with , ,

Workout Mindset

May 6, 2013 Leave a comment

When you begin a workout, what is your mentality? What are you thinking about? What are you focusing on?

It’s easy to go through the motions in the gym. You walk in, loosen up, go through the lifts, add/subtract weight, do some abs, stretch and leave. But is that an effective workout? Is that a good use of your time?

When you’re in the gym, fuel yourself with thoughts of beating your opponents. Push yourself to go harder by thinking of your goals and what you will accomplish. Focus on the task ahead of you and use it as motivation to power through every exercise you do.

As coaches, we don’t allow our athletes to simply go through the motions on the ice during practice. Time in the gym is just as important – why should we allow our athletes to go through the motions there? Attack lifts like you would attack a game – squeeze every ounce of benefit out of time in the gym that you can.

Filed under Coaching, Motivation Tagged with , , ,

Wednesday Drill of the Week: Ducks Shooting

April 24, 2013 Leave a comment

Ducks Shooting

This week is a continuous shooting drill. Ducks Shooting is a good drill for getting the legs and hands moving, working on passing, working on timing, and letting the goaltenders see some shots.

Players line up on the goal lines. One player starts on each blue line. The drill begins with a whistle where the X on the near blue curls up near the red and presents himself for a pass. He receives a puck from the corner and then immediately passes to the X on the far blue who has timed the start of his loop so that he can catch a pass in sync from the near blue. He then goes in and takes a shot on net. Meanwhile, the player who made the first pass skates up to the near blue, the player who made the second pass skates up to the far blue and then each goes on a similar timing loop, passing and receiving, going in to shoot. The drill moves continuously, and runs out of both ends. After you pass, you take the place and the pattern of the person you passed the puck to. This drill flows nicely and can create a good pace to start a practice.

Filed under Coaching, Drills, Hockey Tagged with , , , , , , ,

The Three H’s of Goaltending

April 23, 2013 2 Comments

One of the backbones of my goaltending philosophy is the three H’s. When goaltenders move, they should follow the progression of Head, Hands, Hips.

First, a goaltender should track the puck with their eyes (head). The head snaps to the puck and allows the goaltender to see the play and react accordingly. Your body will always go where your eyes and head are going, so this should be the first reaction to any change in play.

Immediately following the head snapping to the puck should be a goaltender’s hands moving to the new position. It is imperative that the hands get there first. I have two reasons for this: 1. The hands will guide the body into the new position. 2. If the body is late, the hands will still have an opportunity to get there first and are the most reactionary/mobile part of the player to attempt to make a desperate save.

Finally, the hips need to open and move to the new position on the ice that the play dictates. The goaltenders lead hip should open and adjust to the new angle with a strong push coming from the trailing foot/leg to propel the goalie to the new position on the ice.

This progression is a critical habit for goaltenders and should happen almost instantaneously. It is taught slowly, but in game situations should happen instantly. Goaltenders need to be able to immediately get their Head on the puck, put their Hands in a position to get to the puck and use their Hips to propel their body to the new position on the ice.

Filed under Coaching, Hockey, Individual Skills, Position Play Tagged with , , , ,

Paradox of the Product Goal

April 22, 2013 Leave a comment

This is from an article by Jason Selk on Forbes.com:

Strategy number two is to help the CEO identify with the process, not the result.  Think about a baseball player in the batter’s box. If all he’s thinking about is, “I gotta get a hit,” he won’t. It’s what’s called the “paradox of the product goal.” What the batter needs to think about are the actions that will get him a hit – tracking the ball, the short swing, and the follow-through.

The same truths apply to CEOs. Instead of dwelling on meeting their numbers, they need to think about the process that will ensure that success. All they need to do is focus on the three most important tasks to get them to their goal. Science tells us that focusing on process is what brings results.

How many players get caught up in the paradox of the product goal? They think “I have to score” or “I have to make a play” and get so focused on doing that one thing that they forget the details that allow them to do that in the first place. They forget about moving their feet, seeing their options, skating hard, making the smart plays and instead try to force things and do it all themselves. Focusing on the process will ultimately lead to a successful result. Doing the little things right leads to big success.

Filed under Coaching, Hockey, Individual Skills, Motivation, Position Play Tagged with , ,

Time Management

April 22, 2013 2 Comments

Most people think that time management is about compartmentalization and making the most of the time that you have. I have a different argument to make today. I believe an important and overlooked part of time management is using the time of day when you are at your best to get the most done. This will maximize your ability to be productive and put you in a great mindset to continue to be productive for the duration of your day.

Personally, I am a morning person. I am at my best and sharpest first thing in the morning. I know many people that are afternoon or night people – they are at their best at those times of day. It doesn’t make a difference as to what part of the day you are most effective, it does matter what you do with that time. Making the most of the time that you are at your best will help you to be the very best you can be.

Filed under Coaching, Motivation Tagged with , ,

← Older posts

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,400 other followers