Optional Specialty Clinics
Specialty | Offensive / Defensive Tactics | Introductory Checking and Body Checking | Advanced Body Checking | Practice Planning | Team Selection | Goaltending | Skill Mechanics | Playoff Preparation | Bench Management | Yearly Plan | Coach Mentor | Video
OVERVIEW
Along with the mandatory National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), Calgary Hockey Development also offers certification for coaches in a variety of custom designed Specialty Clinics. These clinics offer coaches an opportunity to further explore the many diverse aspects of "the art of coaching". Each clinic is designed to address the specific needs of your team, individual players and coaches or can be delivered to a larger number of coaches within an association. For further information, a clinic fee estimate, or to book any of the following Specialty Clinics, please contact the Calgary Hockey Development office at (403)777-3646 or info@calgaryhockeydevelopment.com.
Calgary Hockey Development Specialty Clinics are available for Intro to Hockey level through to AA/AAA.
OFFENSIVE / DEFENSIVE TACTICS
A 3-hour classroom workshop, "Offensive and Defensive Tactics" provides a solid foundation for understanding skills, tactics and team play as related to offense and defense.
- Understanding "Puck Support" and why it is so important.
- Winning the 1-on-1 battles.
- Team play systems (forechecking, d-zone coverage, face-offs, neutral zone play).
- Without a doubt, the most difficult task for any coach is how to teach the various systems and tactics in practice, reinforce them in a game and have the players buy into the plan.
- Weaknesses and strengths of various strategies. When and where to use certain tactics.
- Special plays.
Benefits:
Learning the basic ingredients of offensive and defensive individual and team play is a key to developing on-ice drills and progressions which will help teams maximize their strengths and hide their weaknesses in both ends of the rink.
Note:
This clinic can also be broken down into a seperate Offensive Tactics Clinic or Defensive Tactics Clinic.
INTRODUCTORY CHECKING AND BODY CHECKING
Calgary Hockey Development recommends two one-hour ice sessions for the Introductory Checking and Body Checking Clinic. Calgary Hockey Development instructors will provide a 5-10 minute chalk talk prior to or immediately following these ice sessions. Coaches are encouraged to attend and actively participate in the ice sessions. Components taught are:
- Protecting yourself in the danger zone
- The mechanics, strategy, and tactics necessary to give and receive effective checks
- A focus on balance, power, agility
- Introductions to angling, puck protection, and 1-on-1 play
- Stick checks and body positioning
- Reading the ice
Benefits:
Learning the fundamentals of checking while stressing fun, safety and respect lead to maximum development and enjoyment. Players will learn the necessary basics of checking to provide a foundation for safe and effective checking. Coaches can build on this foundation and continue to work on the concepts during the season.
"The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly right and doing a thing exactly right." - Edward Simmons
ADVANCED BODY CHECKING
"Advanced Body Checking" builds on the principles taught in the introductory level. This on-ice clinic is tailored to address individual team needs whether it be Pee Wee, Bantam AA-AAA, Midget AA-AAA or Junior. Calgary Hockey Development recommends two 1-hour sessions for this clinic. Components taught are:
- Advanced angling and numerical advantage
- Learn and review the concepts of gap control, forecheck pressure, pressure vs. contain, effective body checking
- The art of playing 1-on-1, 2-on-2
- Front of the net techniques
- Learning to effectively create pressure which limits opponent's time and space thus creating body-checking opportunities
- "Taking ice away" vs. "Avoiding Traffic" and effectively creating open ice
Benefits:
This clinic enables teams to work on identified weaknesses through fun and innovative drills and instruction. Collectively, a Calgary Hockey Development instructor and a team's coach discuss and implement a plan to address these needs.
EFFECTIVE PRACTICE PLANNING
- Community Hockey Workshop
- High Performance Workshop (AA-AAA-Junior)
"Practice Planning and Drill Design" involves 4.25 hours (3 classroom hours, 1.25 ice hours) of dynamic learning for coaches.
- Designing drills. How? Why? What?
- New strategies to make practices enjoyable.
- Minimum icetime, maximum development.
- What do you practice? How do you practice it? Why?
- Incorporating past game situations into your practice.
- Drills, Drills, Drills.
- Creating a plan and taking it to the ice.
- Using your coaching staff effectively.
Benefits:
Designing and running excellent practices is one of the most difficult challenges for a coaching staff. This clinic provides direction and new ideas to assist coaches in not only making practices fun but maximizing player development through good practices. Calgary Hockey Development takes you from the initial stages of practice planning to the final execution of a great practice with positive and specific feedback for all players.
"It takes 12 games to equal the skill development of 1 effective practice!"
Note:
Effective Practice Planning is available in level 1, 2, and 3.
PLAYER EVALUATION AND TEAM SELECTION
Condidered by many as the most stressful time during the hockey season there are many ways to minimize this challenging process. This three-four hour workshop gives coaches a hands-on approach to evaluations.
- Having a process in place so it isn't reinvented each year and the same mistakes are not being made over and over again.
- Preparing for the evaluation. Administration, equipment, manpower, etc.
- How to evaluate players.
- Designing effective ice sessions that are properly implemented and will show the varying skills of the players.
- Coming to consensus on the players and teams, communicating the decision and dealing with the repercussions.
- The "bubble".
Benefits:
The objective of an evaluation is to have the players placed on appropriate teams where they will be competitive, challenged, and able to contribute. This workshop helps associations prepare to run and execute high quality, well organized selections. Perception is reality and when associations do a good job they must sell what they've done!
"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."
GOALTENDING
This clinic, designed for coaches and/or players of all levels, provides quality instruction in both the classroom setting and on the ice.
The clinic focuses on the following components:
- How to involve the goaltenders in practice.
- Bringing closure to drills to benefit the goaltender.
- Making goaltending fun.
- The basics: movement, angles, posture and position.
- Advanced learning: poke checks, puck handling, challenging, read the rush, rebound control.
- Key teaching points for goaltenders.
- Drills to teach goaltending.
- The mental perspective.
- Questions and Answers.
Considerations:
- Up to 25 goaltenders and 25 coaches can participate in any one clinic.
- Associations / teams may choose ice only, classroom only or a combination of the two. Calgary Hockey Development's suggestion is a combination of ice and classroom whereby coaches are involved in the classroom and then coaches and goaltenders, together, are involved in the ice session.
- We recommend 2-3 sessions for maximum benefit (this may vary depending on the length of each session).
- All clinics may be customized to meet a specific association or team need.
Note:
Goaltending is available in Level 1 and 2.
SKILL MECHANICS CLINIC
A clinic tailored for Initiation and Novice level coaches.
- Learn the proper mechanics and progressions in teaching skating, passing, shooting and puck control.
- What skills should be learned by the player at the each level (Novice, Atom, Peewee, etc.).
- Common errors made by players in performing and learning a new skill.
- Intensity and work to rest ratio.
- Effectively teaching and reinforcing proper skill mechanics during practices and games.
- Developing advanced skills that allow for superior individual tactics.
Note:
This clinic is avaliable in level 1 and 2.
"You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."
PREPARING FOR PLAYOFFS CLINIC
This clinic is tailored for competitive hockey levels but is a great education tool for new coaches also.
- Reviewing your team's strengths.
- Scouting the opposition. What to look for. When to look for it. How to take advantage of it.
- Preparing for overtime, a shootout, or pulling your goaltender.
- Common offensive and defensive tactics performed by teams and how to take advantage of them.
- Getting the team mentally prepared.
- Peak and taper for success.
BENCH MANAGEMENT
- Community Hockey Workshop
- High Performance Workshop (AA-AAA-Junior)
"Bench Management" is a 4-hour classroom session which encourages coaches to understand the importance of coaching vs. speculating while on the bench. Designed as a classroom workshop, this clinic can be taken further by becoming involved in the Calgary Hockey Development Mentor Program.
- What is effective coaching? How do you do it?
- Defining success. What is there besides winning and losing?
- 98% of the game is played away from the puck. How do you coach this?
- Pre-game preparation and post-game analysis.
- Effective use of the coaching staff.
- Developing "smart hockey players" who can read and react.
- Strategy and making adjustments.
Benefits:
This clinic provides an excellent foundation for coaches wanting to learn how to "see and coach the game". From understanding team play, being organized on the bench, providing positive specific feedback to building coach/player relationships; the clinic is a comprehensive look into hockey. Coaches are given a hands-on approach to learning.
DEVELOPING A YEARLY PLAN
Regardless of the age or level of competition, a yearly plan provides direction for the season. This three hour classroom workshop focuses on:
- Assessing the team and players.
- What do you teach? When?
- On-ice and off-ice planning.
- Scheduling for peak performance.
- The importance of being flexible and adaptable with your team.
Benefits:
"Yearly Planning" organizes teams to ensure success. Setting goals, knowing what to work on when, and bringing it all together are integral in maximizing a team's abilities and ultimate performance.
"A great coach never graduates."
COACH MENTOR PROGRAM
The Calgary Hockey Development "Coach Mentor Program" enables coaches to access information, ideas and strategies from a mentor in a non-threatening environment. A designated "mentor" will work hand-in-hand with a coaching staff to address specific needs and team goals. Essentially, the Calgary Hockey Development "Mentor Program" is all of our Specialty Clinics wrapped up in one. To achieve maximum results, 6-8 sessions are recommended over the course of the season.
Mentoring is delivered through a combination of one or more of the following methods:
- Game Observation
- Video Analysis
- Practices
- One-on-one consultations
- Assistance on the bench
Benefits:
The "Mentor Program" provides one-on-one assistance for coaches. The coach determines what will work best. For example, some coaches want the mentor to be "invisible" and provide a quiet hand while other coaches choose to have the mentor be very included and active with the team. As the founding organization for coach mentoring in Calgary, we have been excited about the very successful teamwork of participants and mentors over the past years.
VIDEO
The National Sport Academy offers a videography service for all sports and athletic events. We have experienced workers who use high-end equipment to produce professional results.
Services:
- Filming
- Editing
- Production (to VHS / DVD / Web)
- Individualized Athlete Profile DVDs tailored to a client's needs.
- Available in High Definition
Email media@nationalsportacademy.com or call (403)777-3646 for more information.
For more information regarding Calgary Hockey Development Specialty Clinics, please contact us at (403)777-3646 or info@calgaryhockeydevelopment.com
