John Russo

Training “keys” to attaining the competitive edge

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Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31

In each of the past 23 years, I have selected a guest writer for my Coaches’ Corner column whom I consider to be exceptional in providing fresh insights to help coaches better prepare their teams in achieving personal bests.

This year’s Each year for the past 23 years, I have selected a guest writer for the Coaches’ Corner column. This provides a fresh view from an exceptional individual that may give coaches some tools to better coach their team.

This year’s guest writer is Greg Cylkowski, M.A., a well-known sports analyst who is based locally in the Twin Cities. For the past 25 years, Greg’s background in Sports Psychology and Motor Development has led Olympic, professional and amateur athletes alike to call upon his performance enhancement coaching. His unique concepts have also been published in many sports and hockey publications.  To learn more about Greg’s services, he may be contacted at (651) 484-8299. 

 This is the second week (of three) that I turn my column over to Greg Cylkowski.

By Greg Cylkowski

Each year hockey enthusiasts devote an increasing amount of personal time and financial investment in the form of training instruction, technologically advanced equipment and state-of-the-art facilities in the hope of improving individual skills. In spite of the emphasis placed upon them to improve and attain a level of peak performance, many times goals go unfulfilled, without definite answers. For many, the frustration is the direct result of critical issues in the enhancement of athletic abilities being unnoticed.

Successful performance in any sport is determined by a culmination of variables which not only include the development of muscular skills, but also an understanding of the mental behavioral skills.

Tough sport, by definition, is physical. The mental side that complements the sweat and strain is now being acknowledged by amateur associations and most NHL clubs as the critical link to maximizing over-all performance. 

Unfortunately, sports psychology has not always been viewed in its proper context as a training component to enhance the hockey experience. A general consensus envisions its function as merely a method of treating the stereotyped “problem players.”

Even though application of sports psychology concepts undoubtedly identify such concerns as coping with the stress and anxiety of competition, and dealing with parental pressure, its usage can be even more beneficial in developing the “complete” performance and assisting coaches to become more effective mentors.

To assist players, coaches, and parents in their pursuit of attaining hockey excellence, the focus of this article will be to address two vital issues in acquiring the competitive edge – one from a coach and one from a player.

Question: I currently coach my son’s traveling hockey team. Unfortunately, I never realized how uncomfortable I would be since I’m not sure if I’m handling him individually in a proper way. How do other coaches handle this?

Answer: The majority of coaches in today’s youth hockey program are parent-coaches. Though the intent of these individuals is to be commended, their efforts are many times clouded by their concern for their individual son or daughter. Like a doctor attempting to treat his own child, a parent-coach may also be too close to the situation to be effective, much less objective.

The following hints are questions that you may ask yourself if you are concerned about making your situation more productive and enjoyable for the team as a whole.

 • “Do I enjoy working with kids or do I simple enjoy coaching my child?” 

Unfortunately, many parents are forced into coaching because the team is on the verge of folding if a coach (or babysitter) is not found. If this is the case, have another experienced coach or another parent assist you in this learning process for not only the team, but in your coaching effectiveness as well. 

If, however, you are coaching because you feel it is necessary for your child to receive proper individual training, then it is better for you and the team to choose a sport where you and your child can work one-on-one (i.e. golf).

• “Would I coach a team if my child was not on it but for the sake of helping kids?” 

If your answer is no, then you better seriously consider not coaching or have an assistant or staff that will keep your actions in perspective. Remember that this is a team experience, not a father-son outing.

• “Am I too hard or too easy on my child and how do I know if I am being objective? 

Ask your child if he/she would prefer to be on another team. Keep in mind that is isn’t always healthy to coach your son/daughter all the way through high school since invariably you could be holding back his/her development. As far as keeping team decisions in perspective, a system of checks and balances by another coach or parent whom you trust may provide you with the necessary data. Have them deal with decisions involving your youngster.

• “Should I even be coaching the age group of level of play my son or daughter competes in?” 

For many coaches, the difference between a positive experience or a near disaster depends on the kids he/she is comfortable with. Some coaches prefer working with girls, others are unable to deal with 7 and 8 year-olds, while still others do not enjoy coaching in a recreational setting. 

There is nothing wrong with being a competitive or winning coach as long as it is kept in perspective and compatible with why the kids are there. The program is for the kids, and if you are unsure where your niche in coaching lies, you could take a coaching assessment test.  Also, try to implement coaching self-report forms to assist in your analysis.

Question: I’m a goalie and due to the fact that my team is so dominant, I often find myself becoming bored and losing my edge. What invariably happens is that the opponent scores relatively easy goals on only a few rushes. How can I keep myself mentally ready?    

Answer: What you have described is not at all uncommon. In fact, this same scenario is a concern for the player who plays infrequently or must enter a contest without much notice. The key here is to know how to create the state of mind when you are playing at your optimal level. 

For some players, they peak or play best when they have certain body sensations such as a degree of sweat or exhaustion. For others, they have found they perform effortlessly when their heart rate (i.e. 120 heart beats per minute) is maintained at a desired range. 

To discover the idiosyncrasies that make you “tick” be aware of all the happenings around you when you are at your best. Practice and visualize these details both on and off the ice so that at any given time you may be able to benefit from this effect. 

In regards to goalie play during a game, when you feel you are losing your intensity and focus, get yourself back into the game by playing the role of the opposing goaltender. Act as though your team is attacking you and respond accordingly. Even if you are moving around up and down in your crease with no one skating near you, this simulated play will keep you loose and sharp. Keep in mind it is easier to stop a high percentage of shots when you are constantly being shot at because you are more in the “flow” of the game.

Running enthusiastic practices (part 2)

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Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31

By John Russo

Let’s Play Hockey Columnist

Last week we looked at the general concept of enthusiastic practices, then the first four key ingredients for coaches to consider.

5. Coaches should not dwell on just a few drills in any practice.  It is generally best to have 8-12 drills, each of a 5-7 minute duration. Hockey is a “rote” sport and skills must developed little by little through many short drills over an extended period of time. Drills that are over-done tend to grind down the players and take away enthusiasm very quickly.

6. All of the various skills should be dealt with in each practice – skating, stickhandling, passing, shooting, team play. This provides a good variety for players that keeps them fresh and interested. It also falls into the concepts addressed in No. 5 above.

Full scrimmages should seldom be included unless they are needed to accomplish something in particular, such as full-ice power play and penalty kill or to provide variety and fun. It is very appropriate to have “little piece” scrimmages on a selected portion of the ice. I generally call these “shinny or zone drills” and they can be built into normal drill routines.

It is easy for a coach to scrimmage rather than do a well planned practice. It is often the sign of a poor or lazy coach. At the Mite level and below, scrimmages (2 or 3 cross ice) can be a good way to end every session. With wide goals made from cones and no goaltenders allowed, a great many youngsters can score a goal or two and go home feeling like a star.

7. Team play should not be made too complicated. Negative consequences are that too much time is spent in practice on these systems, and the game is “taken away” from the players. Both are enthusiasm killers. One or two basic systems each for forechecking, power play and penalty killing are enough all the way through high school. It is better to teach players to understand and think the game – to read the situation and react accordingly.

8. I believe it is important to move players around the various positions all the way up through the Bantam level. This gives everyone a chance to gain different skills and possibly find their “best fit” position. It also makes players more versatile and valuable as they enter the high school level. It is also important to make certain that all positions are fully utilized in the overall system of the team. In other words, the defensemen should be an important part of the team offense, and forwards should be an important part of the team defense. Both of these concepts make for less chance of stars being designated at an early age. All players feel more valuable and will feel good about practices and games.

9. Practices should be run at a fast tempo for all drills. This means that players should perform in practice at the same pace as will be expected in games. Of course, when new skills or systems are being taught, the pace will have to be much slower. However, after that, everything should pace up.

Coaches should be careful to design practices so that “heavy leg” drills are alternated with “light leg” drills or new systems or skill demonstrations. This will keep legs fresh. Once players get leg weary, they will concentrate on pacing themselves to make it through the practice and the practice tempo will deteriorate. Leg weary players don’t carry any enthusiasm with them.

10. Coaches should try to go through a full season without any “herbie” type skating. A well-planned, high tempo practice will require few specific conditioning drills. Up through the beginning of Bantams (and later for some youngsters), there is little value in conditioning. The value begins at puberty but can be handled through drills that also involve puck and stick work. 

All skating should be for form and intensity and not even for much intensity at the Mite and maybe even the Squirt levels. Coaches should be running skating drills that teach players to skate better and faster and that challenge each player. Giving the players a puck once they “think” they have mastered skating drill for example, simply adds another level of challenge and enjoyment. It may be necessary to break into skill level groups to provide the lesser skilled players with successes and the greater skilled players with challenges. Again, this requires good practice planning, but the alternative is the smothering of enthusiasm.

11. Some practices should be planned that have chunks of time that are only for fun scrimmages – with goaltenders skating out, defensemen at forward, etc. It is amazing how much enthusiasm these shinny games can generate. A better alternative would be one or two outside practices a week that are three-quarters or more full shinny. These “practices” should be in addition to normal indoor practices. They can be right after school so they won’t interfere so much with homework. After a while, they will become automatic for many players and will make the more formal practices better. Of course, during Christmas break, these “practices” could be run every morning. Amazingly, most players will still be at the rink in the afternoon if motivated to just get to the rink in the morning.

12. Coaches have a great number of drill books available to them. Nonetheless, they should be innovative and develop drills that teach what they need. These innovations will be good for players and make practices more enjoyable. Nothing is worse than a player knowing what drill comes next based on what portion of the practice they are in. Boring, Boring!

13. It is always worthwhile to ask players what they like to do best in practice (besides scrimmage) and to get a list of 6-8 of these drills. Players will feel good if each practice has one or two of these drills included.

14. Finally, coaches should not forget the goaltenders. They are not targets and need to feel enthusiastic, too. One coach should be assigned to goaltenders to make certain they are being drilled properly. In addition, each goaltender should skate out (as a forward or defenseman) every once in awhile in practice and most of the time outdoors.

Well, that concludes the ingredients list as I see it. The quality of practices is the most important developmental item for most teams. Enthusiastic practices may be the difference between average and exceptional development – and may make the difference in keeping players interested and involved up through high school and beyond. It is now mid to late season, but coaches should not be afraid to change and improve right now if they need to, so as to “spruce up” their practice.

John Russo, Ph.D., is founder and director of the Upper Midwest High School Elite League. He was a captain at the University of Wisconsin, and his Coaches Corner columns have appeared in LPH since 1986.

“Going for the gold” in becoming a “clutch” performer

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Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31

In each of the past 23 years, I have selected a guest writer for my Coaches’ Corner column whom I consider to be exceptional in providing fresh insights to help coaches better prepare their teams in achieving personal bests.

This year’s guest writer is Greg Cylkowski, M.A., a well-known sports analyst who is based locally in the Twin Cities. For the past 25 years, Greg’s background in sports psychology and motor development has led Olympic, professional and amateur athletes alike to call upon his  performance enhancement coaching. His unique concepts have also been published in many sports and hockey publications. To learn more about Greg’s services, he may be contacted at (651) 484-8299. 

I now turn the next three weeks of my column over to Greg Cylkowski. -- John Russo

By Greg Cylkowski

Soon, the hockey world will be consumed with talk of “Vancouver 2010” and “March Madness,” a time when elite competitors strive to showcase their athletic prowess and separate themselves as the game’s best. Behind all the hoopla to season-ending tournaments are anxious adolescents and parents fueled with fever pitched dreams of college scholarships, Olympic gold and professional contracts. For some, probably few, these goals will be realized. But for the vast majority of hockey families, they will ultimately fall short, often times asking, “If I was considered the better athlete and skilled player, why did I not attain my dreams?”

Hence, the focus of this column will be to address the age-old, yet “mind boggling” questions which have confronted coaches, parents and athletes, amateur and professional alike, in their quest to achieve personal bests.

Question: Why as a game gets to be more pressured packed, I find myself unable to perform as I know I can in practice by making a crucial play when it matters most?

Answer: The “clutch” athlete performs instinctively in critical situations by possessing a mindset of not only “wanting” to be in that position, but even more importantly, enjoying and “cherishing” that role.

For the competitor who desires to be that “go to” player, here are some tips:

Practice by “simulating” or creating situations that reflect the toughest of game conditions (i.e. bad official calls, crowd noise; styles of play that disrupt your game and actually force your game to get “out of sync”). Also, it is important to have self-imposed consequences based upon the results to make this training meaningful. Remember, practices should be challenging and hard work. . . conversely, it is the games, especially tight contests, which should be viewed as “fun” and the reason you play the game.

1. Learn to respond to crucial game situations with an aggressive, rather than a defensive attitude. A “go to” athlete must welcome a tough challenge, not “hide” from it. The fear of making a misplay should not be a factor in deciding what to do on the ice since physical mistakes are an accepted part of competition. Learn that sports are not life or death situations, but rather a series of opportunities to test oneself. Champions hate to lose even more than they love to win. What separates them from the countless talented and skilled players from attaining that status is “they are not afraid to lose by going for it when the game is on the line.”

2. Understand that the feeling of excitement before or during a game is not to be interpreted as fear or anxiety. Since all successful athletes experience pre-game “adrenaline,” the key is to redirect this energy towards positive thoughts. This can be accomplished by establishing routines designed to prepare oneself mentally, physically and emotionally for competition. 

The performance issue often debated is what comes first, “confidence to create success” or “success to create confidence”? Simple...neither! Because “preparation” is the foundation to both. Ask any trial attorney to name just one word that best describes winning in the courtroom arena. They will unanimously tell you, “preparation.”

3. Create an “image” of  who you are as a performer and picture yourself successfully making big plays. Money players who “want the puck” in the most critical moments of their careers have visualized, trained and lived this montage 24/7 both on and off the rinks of life. How a player lives and behaves in his daily “off-ice” activities, will directly predicate his “on-ice” results and performance. It can’t be said enough that “hockey will test you more as a person than as an athlete.”

Question: As a parent, what can I say to my child after a devastating outing?

Answer: One of the most awkward situations is deciding what to say after a major defeat of a critical mistake. On one hand, we want to lift one’s spirits, yet at the same time, it is critical to immediately correct the error that led to the loss or mistake.

Unfortunately, a common approach is to try to cheer up the athlete by saying something nice – even if it is not true. For example, we might say, “good job” when the athlete knows he/she did not do a good job and senses you are just trying to make him/her feel better.

The best strategy then is to be sincere, but positive. Such a technique is labeled a “psychological sandwich” because we place the “meat” of coaching (step 2 – corrective information) between two “slices” of psychological bread (steps 1 and 3 – positive or complimentary input).

Step 1: Be sincere and objective, but find something the athlete did that he/she can be complimented on. For example, “It was a tough play, but I am proud of you because you gave excellent effort and stuck with it.”

Step 2: Provide corrective information.  “Remember to keep your head up” or “allow your hands to be soft when clearing the zone.”

Step 3: End on a positive, but realistic note. “Don’t worry, we will work extra hard on this skill. You should see how long it took for even the pros to learn this technique.

In essence, try to be positive, informative, but honest. Remember, you can’t fool kids!

Running enthusiastic practices (part 1)

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Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31

By John Russo

Let’s Play Hockey Columnist

The next two weeks should be copied and handed out to all youth coaches well before the season starts. It is a subject that I wrote on about 20 years ago. I was recently reading my old columns (yes, I re-read my own stuff to remind me of concepts when I was younger!) and came across this topic. It is one of the most important developmental concepts for coaches – and is the basis for proper coaching and development success at all levels. I used to use this as my critical outline when I taught coaching clinics in the midwest for USA Hockey.

Proper and enthusiastic practices impact not only the practices themselves, but also players’ feelings about the game of hockey. As I have gotten older (and maybe wiser), I feel more strongly about how youngsters view the game – and how they can learn to love it.

I learned a great deal about love of the game from a head coach (mentor) that I assisted at Breck, then at St. Louis Park High School almost 25 years ago. Rob Little was a serious taskmaster in practices, but they were designed for everybody to have some fun as well. I remember laughing a lot and gathering great feelings about our precious game. They were enthusiastic practices.

Another concern we and all associations have is the loss of players as they progress up through Squirt, PeeWee and Bantam levels. Maintaining enthusiastic and fun, enjoyable practices is one of the things that will help keep as many players involved as possible. It will also provide maximum development of players.  

First, before we discuss some of the key items involved in developing and running enthusiastic practices, let’s review what an “enthusiastic practice” means.

• Fun and enjoyment – both aspects need to be present with more emphasis on enjoyment as players get older. Fun aspects are pretty easy to understand. Enjoyment is a little harder, and involves challenge, satisfaction, organization and other factors that become more important with more mature youngsters.

• Good teaching/learning – all of the pieces of the game should be taught.

• A fast-paced tempo – practices should move at a good pace, keeping all youngsters involved and interested.

• Making each practice part of a season-long series – this “progressive” practice concept requires planning over the whole season.

• Players should feel good during and after practice and look forward to the next one. I want my players laughing and joking as they leave the ice.

Now we can look at the key ingredients and actions that lead to enthusiastic practices. Most of these items need to be part of every practice. Once a coach understands the primary do’s and don’ts, it can easily become second nature when putting together practice plans.

1. All or a majority of the team coaches need to be enthusiastic, high energy individuals. Obviously, there are many circumstances when a cool head, careful teaching, or mature corrections must be accomplished, but this does not mean that coaches should do anything in a dull or sullen way. It is impossible to have excited, enthusiastic youngsters without the coaches being enthusiastic themselves. 

At a high level of coaching, Bob Johnson was a perfect example. Anyone who was near him couldn’t help but feel his enthusiasm and love for the sport. It allowed him to be successful at every level of hockey. No doubt enthusiasm and high energy are not enough by themselves, but they are very high priority items.

2. Teams must have a good process of discipline. Each team player – and the team as a whole – deserves a good discipline system. One or a few players should not be able to ruin practices for others by inappropriate conduct or by unacceptable absences. The team rules must be developed before the season begins. While the coach may have several mandatory rules, it is also important to let the team come up with some rules that are important in their minds.

3. Players must feel that they are learning and gaining ground. This involves all of the many aspects of teaching and training by coaches. Primarily, this involves proper introduction of skills and systems, then, even measures of correction (criticism) and praise to encourage players to learn and perform. Of course, good drills are important to help players gain these skills and understandings. However, just a series of complicated drills does not satisfy the requirement.

4. Coaches must be well prepared and well organized. Poor organization can kill enthusiasm and respect for the coach in short order. A written practice plan is a must. I still talk to coaches who don’t think they need to write their practice plans. They say they have them in their heads. There are no coaches in existence today that can properly prepare practice plans in their heads.

Proper preparation needs to encompass season-long as well as short term goals. They also need to be progressive – involve upscaling of drills and concepts to continually challenge players and cause them improvement. I have always said that the lack of a written practice plan is strictly due to laziness, ignorance or arrogance.

Other aspects of preparation and organization include the proper orientation and utilization of assistant coaches, availability of proper equipment for practices and games, and proper flow of information to parents as well as players. It is appropriate, for example, to let players know before practice what will be done that day. It can be explained in a brief team meeting before practices are posted. The two questions that players most often ask before practice are: “What are we going to do today?” and “Are we going to scrimmage today?”

Next week we will consider the last 10 key ingredients. 

John Russo, Ph.D., is founder and director of the Upper Midwest High School Elite League. He was a captain at the University of Wisconsin, and his Coaches Corner columns have appeared in LPH since 1986.