Woodbury Area Hockey Club Coaches Town Hall Meeting

1
Woodbury Area Hockey ClubCoaches Town Hall
Meeting

• Wed. June 3, 2009
• 8 p.m.

2
Coaches Town Hall MeetingAgenda

• Introductions
• Coaching Development
• Coaching Selection Review/Future Plans Open
  Forum
• Coaching Evaluation Review/Future Plans Open
  Forum
• Open Forum Other Coaching Development Topics
• Player Tryouts Evaluation
• Tryout Process Review/Future Plans Open Forum
• Team Selection Process Review/Future Plans Open
  Forum
• In-Season Player Evaluation Review/Future Plans
  Open Forum
• Player Development
• Practice-to-Game Ratios Review/Future Plans
  Open Forum
• Dryland/Off-Ice Development Review/Future Plans
  Open Forum
• On-Ice Development Review/Future Plans Open
  Forum
• Off-Season Development Review/Future Plans Open
  Forum
• Open Forum Other Player Development Topics
• Open Forum Other Club-related Issues/Topics
• Wrap-up

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IntroductionsHockey Development Proposed
Structure
Vice President Hockey Development
Administrator Hockey Development
Director Player Evaluation
Director Coaching Development
Director Player Development
Coordinator Goalie Development
Coaching Coordinator Squirt/U10 Below
Coordinator Player Enrichment
Coaching Coordinator Pee Wee/U12 Above
Development Contractors (HS Coaches, etc.)
Functional Advisory Committees
Coaching Selection Development Committee
Player Devt Committees (Level-specific)
Tryout Evaluation Committee
4
Coaching Development

• Coaching Selection
• Review
• Future Plans
• Open Forum
• Coaching Evaluation
• Review
• Future Plans
• Open Forum
• Open Forum Other Coaching Development Topics

5
Player Tryouts Evaluations

• Tryout Process
• Review
• Centralized process development and documentation
  to ensure quality and consistent execution
• Move as quickly as possible to eliminate large
  disparities in ability/play
• Future (Proposed) Plans
• Director to work with Tryout Evaluations
  Committee to finalize and document plan at each
  level Director to coordinate level-specific
  plans with Level Directors, who will execute
  tryouts.
• Create separate A and B tryouts at each level
  (ex. Centennial)
• Register for A or B tryout A tryouts 5
  sessions long, B tryouts 3 sessions long
• Provide upfront guidance for parents regarding
  the appropriate tryout to register for
• Players moved from A to B tryout after days 2
  3 only Carry-over play allowed but clearly
  defined
• Open Forum
• Team Selection
• Review
• Ensure coaches have sufficient time to evaluate
  players and appropriate latitude to select
  players
• Eliminate potential for bias and imbalance in
  team selection process below A
• Future (Proposed) Plans
• Allow A coaches great flexibility to select
  players, but within prescribed, evaluation-based
  guidelines
• Provide parent coaching candidates access to
  tryouts in advance of final coach selection
• Eliminate open draft of players below A
  level allow draft of players within small bands
  (3-4) of players grouped by evaluation scores

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Player Tryouts Evaluations Continued

• In-Season Player Evaluation
• Review
• Not a requirement to-date
• Isolated efforts to complete have had great
  success
• Future (Proposed) Plans
• Establish both mid-season and end-of-season
  player evaluation process at each level
• Evaluation criteria should be aligned with tryout
  evaluation criteria
• Evaluations should be done by entire coaching
  staff, with head coach being final tiebreaker if
  necessary
• The benefits of incorporating this process are
• Consistent feedback to parents with understanding
  of opportunities and successes
• Ability to assess improvement over the course of
  the season
• Verify/validate evaluator scoring
• Ability to assess key development opportunities
  over large bands of players ( ex. All Squirts,
  first-year PWs., etc.)
• Open Forum

7
Player Development

• Practice-to-Game Ratios USA Hockey Perspective

8
Player Development

• Practice-to-Game Ratios
• Review
• General agreement across major hockey bodies
  (USA, Canada, Europe) as to appropriate ratios
• Squirt/U10 3 to 1 but in 2008, the WAHC ratio
  was 1.4 to 1
• Pee Wee/U12 3/2.5 to 1 but in 2008, the WAHC
  ratio was 1.7 to 1
• Bantam/U14 2.5/2 to 1 but in 2008, the WAHC
  ratio was 1.5 to 1 (Lower for A/C Higher for
  B/U14)
• What is the result?
• Fewer player touches and skill development
• Less opportunity for coaches to teach
• Additional money to acquire more ice
• Belief by many parents that the best opportunity
  to learn/grow is AFTER the season ends
• MANDATE We must fix this!!!
• Future (Proposed) Plans
• We can get to the prescribed ratios, but it will
  take serious commitment and adaptation
• While our current player fees are very
  competitive, we cant simply add ice cost
• Well need to significantly ramp up our
  dryland/off-ice training activities (more on
  slide 8)
• Well need to make a wholesale effort to
  utilize/maximize shared-ice and forego some
  full-ice
• Well need to utilize non-premium ice-times ex.
  weekday mornings mid-afternoon
• Well need to limit scrimmages and hold
  tournaments to 3 (perhaps less for Squirts/U10)

9
Player Development

• Dryland/Off-Ice Development What are we missing?

10
Player Development

• Dryland/Off-Ice Development
• Review
• Outside of Total Hockey, we have no
  planned/structured dryland/Off-ice development
• Facility issues have made it challenging to
  find space (ie. WAA Fieldhouse access)
• Other associations devote significant time both
  in and off-season to this component
• It is critical to athletic development at the
  younger ages and strength training at the older
  ages
• Future (Proposed) Plans
• Short-term
• Work with WAA to acquire fieldhouse access -
  both full access for larger-scale training and
  partial access for team warmups, etc.
• Lease/rent space (industrial, school gyms)
  during season as a temporary solution
• Construct level-specific dryland training
  programs leverage USA Hockey materials (ex.
  Off-Ice Checking)
• Schedule time alongside practices/games so as to
  allow for appropriate down-time
• Long-term
• Begin to investigate options for Bielenberg-based
  off-ice training facility either club-funded or
  part of city-planned 2012 facility expansion
• Partner with High Schools and figure skaters who
  have similar need
• Open Forum

11
Player Development

• On-Ice Development
• Long Term Athletic Development Model (LTAD) Key
  Timeframes
• 6 9 years Suppleness
• 9 12 years Skills
• How do we leverage this in our development?

12
Player Development

• On-Ice Development
• Review
• Currently leverage Wes and other club resources
  to conduct clinics in-season development
  sessions outside resources used on an
  sporadic/as-needed basis only
• Coaching attendance for in-season development
  sessions is inconsistent
• Limited time devoted to checking/contact
• Need to offer/provide equal access to ER coaches
• Many players opting for off-season skill
  development via AAA programs and/or parent
  programs
• Many clubs leveraging additional, third-party
  specialists extensively to improve skill
  development
• Future (Proposed) Plans
• Continue to leverage HS coaches for development
  and foster solid ties to both programs
• Gradually incorporate third-party specialists to
  enhance the development process
• EX Northern Edge (Steve Yurichuk), ProEdge
  (Diane Ness) and others
• Devote additional practice time (per ratio
  discussion) to skill development (8-10 sessions
  vs. 5)
• Increase the amount of time devoted to
  checking/contact at PW/Bantam levels
• Gain commitment from coaches to participate in
  development sessions and leverage drills in their
  own practices
• There is plenty of coaching opportunity within
  the details of a drill!
• Open Forum

13
Player Development

• Off-Season Development
• Review
• Per previous slides, many parents/kids look to
  off-season for advanced development
• The real season starts once the winter season
  ends.
• Many parent coaches run clinics/sessions and
  3-on-3 leagues on their own seeking same end-goal
  on a break-even basis only
• While the intentions are good, there can
  sometimes be backlash for the club (ie. clinic
  vs. tryout)
• The club doesnt currently support any off-season
  activities many clubs partner with HSs and
  outside parties to offer spring and fall
  development opportunities
• Future (Proposed) Plans
• Add optional Pre-Tryout sessions 6 hours for
  each level directly ahead of Clinics
• Separate, nominal fee to include both on/off-ice
  time at each session
• Meet with coaches/parents to discuss
  ideas/options for spring/fall
• Investigate options to support spring/fall
  sessions in 2010
• Open Forum
• Open Forum Other Player Development Topics

14
Coaches Town Hall Meeting

• Open Forum Other Club-Related Issues/Topics
• Wrap-up