The Role of the Coach

1
The Role of the Coach

• Chris DePiero
• General Manager Head Coach
• Oshawa Generals

2

• COACHING
• A young swimmer asked her coach what it would
  take to win an
• Olympic Gold Medal. The coach grabbed her swimmer
  and held her under the
• water. The swimmer thrashed and fought but the
  coach would not let her
• surface. Finally the coach let her swimmer up.
• Coughing and gasping, the swimmer asked her coach
  why did she do that.The
• coach replied when you get to the point where
  you want a gold medal as bad
• as you wanted air, that is when you will get it.

3

• This is a very demanding decade for minor hockey
  coaches. As times get tough and money gets
  tighter, parents will have to make sacrifices to
  allow their children to play hockey. Therefore,
  the demands on coaches will be greater and
  expectations will increase. Only opening the gate
  and having fun will not be enough. The key to
  this decade will be the ability to teach.
  Stan Butler

4

• THE GAME
• The 1940s WWII Red Tilson
• The 1950s Leave it to Beaver
• The 1960s Peace and Love
• The 1970s Family Dynamics Change
• The 1980s Video Age
• The 1990s Participation Drop
• The 2000s - Changing Demographics

5

• RESPONSIBILITY AS A COACH
• Execution not excuses
• KIDS DO NOT LACK CAPACITY, ONLY TEACHERS
• STRUCTURED ENVIRONMENT Electric Fence
• ASK YOURSELF WHY DO I COACH? DEVELOP A PHILOSOPHY
• RESOURCES utilizing that which is available to
  us
• CONTINUE LEARNING if we think we know it all
  then we are in trouble

6

• ON THE ICE
• Practice
• - Games

7

• OFF THE ICE
• Fitness
• - Mental preparation
• Counselor/Mentor
• LEADER

8

• TODAYS ATHLETE
• MILLENIAL ATHLETE
• SHELTERED (helicopter parenting Polysporin
  Commercial)
• SMART (information age)
• BUSY (overscheduled multi-tasking)
• MORE WORLDLY
• REALITY STARS (My Space, Facebook, You Tube etc.)
• LACK OF MENTAL TOUGHNESS???

9

• SOLUTIONS
• TOTAL ATHLETE?
• 1. Help them understand adversitys inevitable
  and helpful in the long run (maintain composure
  through adversity)
• 2. Getting better is a long term process (no
  easy solutions)
• 3. Dozens of things are competing for your
  athletes attention
• 4. Short attention spans (must keep their focus)
• 5. Give them time for free play (lives are so
  structured)
• 6. Empower them to fight their own battles
  (Struggle and emerge)

10

• SOLUTIONS
• 1. Help them understand adversitys inevitable
  and helpful in the long run (maintain composure
  through adversity)
• 2. Getting better is a long term process (no
  easy solutions)
• 3. Dozens of things are competing for your
  athletes attention
• 4. Short attention spans (must keep their focus)
• 5. Give them time for free play (lives are so
  structured)
• 6. Empower them to fight their own battles
  (Struggle and emerge)

11

• THE GAME AS IT
• REALLY IS
• Has the game really changed? Have players really
  changed?
• Do we over think things?
• We must be aware of our clientele
• SKATING, PASSING, SHOOTING..BUT

12

• WE RISE TO THE LEVEL
• OF EXPECTATIONS
• External agitation, work, struggle, and
  deprivation are imperative conditions from which
  no one may escape, not even for a moment.In
  order to really live one has to strive, make
  mistakes, struggle, go astray, start and struggle
  and start all over again.

13

• You will not get far using old skates----using
  old tactics, skills and techniques. What was
  considered the weapon of the strongest team
  yesterday today becomes accessible to all. It is
  a fact that all teams try and learn from the
  champions. That is why if the champion wants to
  remain at the top, he must always be looking for
  some new secret weapon.
• Anatoli Tarasov