Learn Proper Wrist Shot Technique

The wrist shot is probably the most effective shot in hockey. It is a very accurate shot and it can be released fairly quickly. This is the shot that a player should learn first. While not as fast as the slap shot, with practice, proper technique and upper body strength, the wrist shot can be very powerful.

Wrist Shot Techinque - Use the proper stick grip and hockey stance. Move your lower hand halfway down the shaft to add power to the shot. Position your body at a 45-degree angle to the net. Bring the puck behind or even with your back leg, lowering your shoulder as you reach back and down with your stick to position the puck. Keep the puck in the middle of the blade with the blade tilted over the puck (rotate your wrists). In this position, your weight should be on your back leg.

Sweep the puck forward while transferring your weight toward your front foot and rotating your body forward. As the stick blade crosses your body, transfer your weight onto the stick while pushing forward with your lower hand and pulling backward with your top hand. The puck is released when it reaches your front foot and your shoulders are square to the net. At the point of release, both wrists turn causing the stick blade to turn out and lift the puck. After the puck is released, follow through pointing the toe of your stick toward the target. The height of the shot depends on the amount of rotation in the wrists and the height of the follow-through.

Video: Here is a great video detailing how to execute this important shot:



Variations:
Short Wind Up Shot - This is similar to the description above except the puck is positioned between your back leg and front leg. Starting with your weight on the back leg, step directly into the shot, transferring body weight on the stick while pushing forward with the lower hand and pulling backward with the top hand. The short wind up has a quicker release and should be used when there is little time to prepare and power is not necessarily required.

Advanced Shooters - Position the puck on the back third of the blade. When the shot is released, the puck rolls toward the toe of the blade causing it to spin, which provides a faster and more accurate shot.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Sportskool.com for this great training tool!

Six Proven Steps To Help Players Overcome Fear

Fear is a natural instinct that once helped protect humans from being eaten. Though being eaten is no longer a daily problem, fear is still a large part of life.



Fear is a combination of thoughts, emotions and physical responses that work together to help alert someone to danger and prepare the body to react. When a person feels fear, additional adrenaline and other chemicals are produced which increase strength and decrease reaction times. At normal levels, fear can be helpful. At excessive levels, the chemicals and emotions triggered by fear can easily cloud judgments, create a feeling of nausea and sickness and actually decrease performance.

In athletics, fear is common when players are trying something new, playing in a big game or attending team tryouts. To cope with fear, players can try these techniques:

• Admit That You Are Afraid - Recognizing that fear is a factor is the first step in correcting it.


• Learn and Prepare - Nothing minimizes fear more than being over prepared. The higher the confidence level players have in their ability, the less likely they are to become afraid of the outcome.


• Focus on Positive Images - There are many images that players can visualize when motivating themselves. If the images are positive then the outcomes are more likely to be positive. Michael Jordan often visualized making free throws in his back yard when making high-pressure free throws in games.


• Listen to Experience - When going into a new situation, seek advice from people who have been there before. Older siblings or players can help less-experienced players better understand the situation.


• Stay Busy - Withdrawing into oneself provides even more time for negative thoughts. Staying busy with friends and family is an easy way to relax and minimize the opportunity for fear.


• Talk it Over With Parents - Fear is normal and players’ parents have had many opportunities to experience fear in their own lives. Parents have the unique advantage of helping players see a broader perspective.

Fear can help players. The fear of being scored against can make the defense try harder to block a shot. The fear of losing can make the offense work harder to score. However, when players keep dwelling on these fears before or after the immediate event, they need to quickly work to regain control of their emotions and stay focused on playing well rather than playing afraid.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Sports Esteem for this article.

The ABC’s of ADM – Part 2

Do you know how many times the average 6 to 9 year old touches the puck during a game or how the NHL is getting involved with USA Hockey’s American Development model? The following article, which is part two of the ABC’s of ADM series (letters I to R), provides answers to these questions and much more.



I is for Implementation -Support from around the country has been overwhelming as many local associations, affiliates and districts will begin phasing in the ADM at the Mite level starting with the 2009-10 season.

J is for Jamborees - Cross-ice or half-ice jamborees can be included in a Mites’ season schedule to showcase each players’ skill development and add interest for parents.

K is for Kingston - A 1976 study by George Kingston found that the average player at the 6- to 8-year-old level touches the puck  for only 20.7 seconds over the course of a 60-minute full ice game. This study has been repeated and proven with similar results  over the years.

L is for Long-Term Athlete Development - The cornerstone of the ADM, forming the foundation for developing athletes. It integrates training, competition and recovery programming with relation to biological ages and maturation.

M is for Multiple Sports - Players are encouraged to play other sports to improve their physical literacy and overall athleticism by taking a mental and physical break from the rink.

N is for NHL - A generous grant from the National Hockey League will provide the financial backing to get the ADM off the ground and moving forward.

O is for Off-Ice Training - Conducted once or twice a week, before or after on-ice practice, to focus on agility, balance, coordination and speed.

P is for Periodization – This means dividing the calendar year into intervals for preparation, competition, rest and recovery.

Q is for Quality Over Quantity - A basic principle of the ADM is to make better use of the time a player spends on the ice, mainly through skill-developing practices, rather than increasing the number of games played during a season.

R is for Regional Managers - There will be six regional managers strategically located around the country to implement the principles of the ADM by providing full-time staff support and guidance to youth hockey associations in their area.

Editor’s Note: For more information on USA Hockey’s American Development Model, please click here.

The Secret to Becoming a Better Hockey Player

Players don’t just get better. They improve at many small things that add up to an overall better player. For example, passing requires improving at things like vision, timing, balance, speed and decision making. If players improve in all of these areas, then they become better passers.

For players, it is important to understand how very basic things contribute to their performance in a game. From this understanding, players can start working backwards to identify and correct the details that lead to overall improvement. Coaches often ask players to do drills or exercises that may seem irrelevant but may be one of the many details players need for improvement.

John Wooden, a former NCAA college coach who won 10 championships in 12 years, put it best in his book “When you see a successful individual, a champion, a ‘winner,’ you can be sure that you are looking at an individual who pays great attention to the perfection of minor details.”

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Sports Esteem for this article.

Improve Shot Accuracy with the Ultimate Goalie

Shot accuracy is a key component to developing as a hockey player. The Ultimate Goalie, from HockeyShot.com provides players a realistic target to increase shot accuracy. So is it worth it? Here is our review of the Ultimate Goalie:

Overview: The Ultimate Goalie's well thought out design makes it easy and functional to use. There are no exposed bungee cords to break and it comes with a patented "lift up" design" which allows easy collection of pucks. It is manufactured with ballistic grade nylon for long lasting durability and it easily installs on any regulation size net.

How it works: The Ultimate Goalie, from HockeyShot.com provides players quality durable targets to improve shot accuracy. Players can aim for the four corners or try scoring in the five hole.

Here is an animation showing the patented "lift up" design that makes it easy to collect the hockey pucks:

Price: $139.95

Top Features:
·    No exposed bungee cords to break
·    Patented ''lift up” design' allows easy collection of pucks
·    Ballistic grade nylon for long lasting durability
·    Easily installs on any regulation size net

Final Period: The Ultimate Goalie is a high quality durable hockey target that provides players a realistic scoring experience. Its ease of set-up and use makes it both functional and a good value. For more information on the Ultimate Goalie, please visit HockeyShot.Com.

Editor's Note: When you use the code “teamcares″ at HockeyShot.com, you will receive 10% off any purchase.

8 Practical Tips to Help Your Player Overcome a Loss

Any athlete who plays a sport long enough is going to lose their share of games - and sometimes lose badly. Handling these losses is actually a more important lesson than learning to handle wins. A player’s reaction to a loss has a huge impact on their long term success. Here are eight great tips to help your player when the game just doesn’t go their way:

1. Focus on their own contribution to the effort and the things they can improve.


2. Don’t blame teammates. Blaming teammates is a sure way to create team dissension, which can poison the remainder of a season.


3. Learn from the other team. Steal their best ideas and approaches.


4. Lose with class. Sportsmanship is easy after a win, but more accurately reflects the person after a loss.


5. Don’t blame coaches or officials. Blaming those in authority implies a lack of power on the part of the players. It is important to remember that  the coaches and officials weren’t the ones playing the game.


6. Ask what they can do to support the team. The more players focus on themselves and the less they focus on the team, the more likely problems will get worse and not better.


7. Ask what they can do to support lesser skilled players. By definition, half the players on every team are less talented than the other half. Those players with better skills have a great incentive to see those with lesser skills improve.


8. Rally teammates who take the loss harder. On certain teams, positions such as goalie or defensemen may feel they have more responsibility for a loss. Yet every game is a combination of preventing points and getting points.

Losing a game is a chance for players to work on the things they can control while also trying to positively influence the things they do not control. A positive attitude directed toward each gives a player the best chance of turning a loss into a future win.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Sports Esteem for this great article.

USA Hockey Presents the ABC’s of the American Development Model Part 1

The American Development Model was designed by USA Hockey to provide guidelines and continuity in youth hockey. The following article is part one in the ABC’s of the ADM and provides background on how the model was started as well as other interesting facts.

• A  is for ABC’s - Improving agility, balance and coordination among all youth hockey players is a main goal for the ADM.


• B is for Balyi - Internationally recognized coaching educator Istvan Balyi developed the Long-Term Athlete Development model based on scientific data of how young people develop their maximum sporting ability, linking more closely coaching and the development of players to their physical and psychological growth.


• C is for Competition - While competition is great at older ages, it is not the best way for younger players (ages 8 to 14) to develop their skills. Studies have proven that the average player touches the puck a little more than 20 seconds during the course of a game.


• D is for Development Stages - The eight stages of long term athlete development are active start, fundamentals, learn to train, train to train, learn to compete, train to compete, train to win and hockey for life.


• E is for Equal Ice Time - At the youngest age levels, all players should receive the same number of ice touches, opportunities and exposure to quality coaches. This is a stark contrast to the current structure where early bloomers are given more and better opportunities to the detriment of kids who grow slower and develop later in life.


• F is for Fun & Fundamentals - Keeping things fun and more age appropriate while helping every player improve his or her fundamental skills will help create more hockey players for life.


• G is for Growth & Retention - Getting more kids to try hockey and keeping more kids in the game for life is vital to the growth of the sport. Too many families are leaving hockey because of the cost, time commitment and win at all-costs attitude that is pervasive in our sport today.


• H is for High Performance Clubs - High Performance Clubs will be located around the country with teams at the 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U and 18U levels to compete in a National HPC League.

Editor’s Note: For  more information about ADM, please click here.

Two Keys to a Successful Travel Hockey Schedule

Last week we asked you to provide input regarding: how you handle a hectic hockey travel schedule. The individual who offered the best answer would win $150 worth of NHL BladeTape from www.BladeTape.ca. Congratulations to Mitch Fletcher for supplying the following winning response:

Mitch said: Keeping up with a travel hockey schedule is all about getting organized and making plans well in advance. A travel schedule can be as simple as taking a road trip or involve air travel to a distant city. Either way, it is important to have a workable game plan.

Once you have your travel schedule, look at all of the out of town trips and make reservations as soon as possible to save on airfare. If you are fortunate to have a travel manager, they can provide you with this information. On trips that are relatively close and will be traveled to by an automobile, try to carpool as much as possible. In addition, designate one vehicle to haul hockey gear (like a pickup or van).

It is also important to keep the rest of your family life in perspective. If you have other children at home, it makes sense for parents to alternate out of town trips. However, no matter what age or level you are involved in, all kids like to have at least one parent at all of their games. Good luck and have a great season!

Editor's Note: Congratulations to Mitch Fletcher for winning this week's contest. As a thank you for his answer, www.BladeTape.ca is giving Bob $150 worth of NHL BladeTape. Want to win this week's prize? Be sure to click here for the latest Grow the Game contest.

What to do When Your Child Doesn’t Hustle

Sooner or later, every parent will have to face the perceived shame and humiliation caused by a child who didn’t “hustle” during a game. Most of the other parents will be polite and say things like “Is your child feeling okay?” or “Hope everything is okay at home.” Some parents will suggest private lessons or maybe even other teams to play on, but most will be quiet and avoid direct eye contact. When this happens, parents can either put on a brave face and laugh off the comments, or just pretend to be on their cell phone while quickly walking their child to the car. When confronted with too much shame and humiliation, parents quit youth sports and never return.



The sad fact of the matter is parents aren’t quitting youth sports in record numbers, kids are. Shame and humiliation may have their place in a corporate financial scandal but they have no place in youth sports. Kids are not always going to play a good game and parents may want to talk with them about their “hustle”. But, before getting into that discussion, parents need to remember there might be other reasons behind a lack of hustle. For example:

• Were there external distractions such as problems at school or with friends or siblings?


• Were there physical influences such as an illness, lack of proper nutrition or insufficient rest?


• Is there a diminished lack of interest in the sport caused by burnout or a lack of time for other activities?


• Is physical conditioning in areas such as stamina or strength adequate for playing an entire game?


• Does a lack of fundamental skills hinder more advanced play?


• Is there a good understanding of strategy and positioning so that a young player knows how to react in specific situations?


• Is the child playing at the right level of competition? Playing with kids who are much more or much less talented can be demoralizing and slow improvement.

These issues are also why it can be so harmful to yell “hustle” from the sidelines. Children can instantly understand if their parents are upset, but may not think through whether they were adequately prepared with things like rest, proper nutrition and instruction. A child may even come to believe they are not “hustlers” and may slow down in other areas of their life due to lowered self-esteem.

Yelling “hustle” is a simple response to something that has many causes. If it is not clear what the problem is, parents should have a positive conversation with their child or with the coach to better identify the problem and the corrective actions necessary. Most of all, parents must be patient. Sports are learned activities and require time to master. The age of the player and the length of time between events give parents plenty of opportunity to get to the heart of a hustle problem.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Sports Esteem for this article.

OneGoal Holds Market Blitzes for 2009-2010 Season

OneGoal selected two markets to help promote the growth of youth hockey. Fresh off the heels of last season’s successful blitzes in Connecticut and Illinois, OneGoal chose Massachusetts and California as this season’s partners.

Market blitzes are conducted by hosting state-wide “Try Hockey for Free” clinics with the goal of inviting potential new players and their parents to the rink. The events in Massachusetts and California will see over 500 new players come out and try youth hockey. For more information on how you can host a similar event to grow your association, please click here (pdf).

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