It was a fun, but incredibly tough night for the Boys’ Group last night. We were working on a skill-set that even entry-level pros struggle with and it became an out and out brawl between what the players’ minds wanted them to do and what their bodies were able to accomplish.
Hockey is about mixing skill-sets together. You learn a skill, learn another and then hopefully you have a coach who can show you how those skills fit together or better yet, the player comes up with their own unique way to mix the skills.
Watching the video, the struggles and the little successes was a fantastic learning experience for me as an instructor. Watching the players as the “fly on the wall” through the GoPro gave a completely different view compared to what you have when you are instructing them. Left to work on the skills on their own, they came up with innovative ways to solve the problems that were unique to them.
One young man, stopped and started the same section of a challenge over a dozen times until he could do it without error. That itself is amazing, but once he completed the challenge where the skills were mixed he went right back and did it all again, this time his gritted teeth and face of determination were replaced by a huge smile on his face.
This is a gift from player to instructor.
These players are absolutely, unquestionably, brilliant!
As is often the case when you are instructing young players, they teach you as much as you teach them. With some guidance and provided you are teaching in small groups these players can solve any problem. Thanks to the young men who were on the ice last night.
Remember, you can do anything.