Bad Youth Hockey Coaching Habits That Hold Players Back

You know, I see all these proclamations from former NHL'ers and other self proclaimed youth hockey experts about "banning AAA hockey prior to U14" or whatever.

While I wholeheartedly agree that the whole AAA system is grossly flawed -- most of the players and teams are not of AAA caliber -- it's also apparent to me that the folks saying these things haven't witnessed a U12 game at both ends of the spectrum recently.

They can't be mixed together.

One group is playing chess, the other is playing checkers.

They're not even playing the same game.

And forcing those two groups together would be a disservice to everyone involved.

I'm not going to pretend I did everything right with my kids, but I'll stand by one decision: getting them into programs that taught high-level hockey at a very young age.

Full ice. Black pucks. Breakouts. Positioning. Hockey IQ.

We were doing breakout drills at nine years old. Not skating around cones, doing obstacle courses, or pretending to be Superman on the ice.

And, sure, for plenty of kids, none of it stuck.

But for others? It was the launching pad.

I look at the rosters of my two older boys, now playing U15AAA and U18AAA, and nearly every player on their teams came through a similar program.

I've said before that the skill gap between a town league player and a AAA player at mite or squirt isn't necessarily enormous.

By peewee, though?

It's a canyon.

And it's not just speed or shooting ability. It's skating transitions, positioning, decision-making, and knowing where the puck should go before it even arrives.

Those aren't things kids magically figure out when they turn 14.

They're taught.

And that's the point of this entire article.

It's the coaching. It's always the coaching.

I'll die on that hill.

Seek amazing coaches over everything else.

The Problem with Hockey Position

This past weekend, watching my son's peewee B games like a hawk showcased what I already believed...but also shed light on some stuff I hadn't even realized before.

First thing I noticed -- a majority of B-team players hold their stick incorrectly. Wasn't just our team -- it was both opponents too and something I'd never noticed was so prevalent in the past.

Sit down. Seriously -- I know this is going to sound crazy...but 80% of them hold the stick wrong.

I'm not talking about skating with it up in the air like a flag pole or having two hands on the stick, tossing hay, while trying to go full speed.

Those are just bad habits that should have long been coached out of them.

No, I mean, like...you know when kids are real young and told to be in "hockey position" or "hockey ready"?

Where they bend their knees, kinda lean down, both hands on the stick, and pose like a tripod?

That's a 3 year old Henrik over there in "hockey position".

That's awful.

Yep, I said it.

It's a terrible stance and coaches need to stop acting like it's a thing. Acting like a tripod isn't a hockey play.

The number of kids I saw with their top hand basically resting on their hip, like a hand in the pocket, was staggering.

They'd skate like that.

They'd shoot like that.

They'd try to accept passes like that.

I want to post a picture of terrible form...but don't want to embarass anyone.

And that's one of those things I'd overlooked until now -- it's bad coaching.

Or, just coaching that doesn't know. Isn't aware?

Feels like good coaching...but it's actually really bad.

Hands out.

Away from the body.

Always.

Top hand has to be out. So much more reach. So much more maneuverability.

Not to get all nerdy like I did in the "how to tape your stick" article...but this is a game of physics.

The stick and your hands aren't a lever/fulcrum type of tool. There should not be a fixed point -- fulcrums aren't part of hockey.

It's about torque.

The push/pull action is EVERYTHING.

Neither the top hand or the bottom hand should be in a fixed position -- you can push and pull at the same time for maximum effectiveness...but not if that top hand is planted on the hip.

It's kinda like stickhandling...it sounds counterproductive...but the top hand is the one that does the majority of the work. Not the bottom.

If you notice your kid is utilizing their bottom hand while stickhandling...try to correct it. Try to get them to stick with it even if it feels weird.

It's near impossible to re-train yourself -- after years of doing it incorrectly -- when you're older. The hockey stick is not a shovel or a broom. Totally different mechanics.

Difference maker and vastly under-coached.

Nip this before they age out of squirt.

Skating Drills That Cement Bad Habits

Piling on...there's another thing I see at every single rink I've ever been to while watching full team skating drills at the onset of practice

you know that skating drill where they have everyone on the goal line and then the kids go down the length of the ice doing a full exension while dragging their back leg along the ice?

I get the premise...push all the way back...muscle memory...blah, blah, blah...but the execution is just wrong.

So wrong.

It feels like one of those drills that originated 50 years ago that guys just keep going back to.

This is how I was taught in the 80's so this is the drill I'm going to have the kids do now. We're three or four generations deep now.

It never dies. Terrible cycle.

Dragging a skate blade, scraping the ice, behind you on every stride doesn't lead to a better stride or faster skating.

Actually, you know what?

My older boys NEVER did that drill. I mean...they were told to...but they never actually did it.

Might explain why they're 10x faster now than the kids that routinely followed this instruction.

Any time that drill comes up for my youngest -- and it kills me deep inside that peewees are doing a learn to skate level drill -- my son looks over and rolls his eyes.

He knows the coach demonstrating it is wrong. It's a terrible instruction.

Got called out for openly not doing it once...so now he fakes it.

Hockey is about speed and agility.

The only time your skate blade should dig into the ice is if you're stopping or changing directions...and in the case of changing directions, doing transitions so precisely that the blade barely digs into the ice is the best way to go.

Never drag a skate behind you!

Why is that a drill so many coaches use?

You wanna know what makes a skater better? Fast feet.

Push as far back...but don't just drag that back leg behind you...pull it back forward as quickly as possible.

Ever hear a youth hockey coach bark out "Move your feet!" before? Yeah...that guy gets it.

Sure, some kids will just run...forever...but they're hopeless on skates anyway. Most disappear by peewee anyway.

The other thing that irks me -- demonstrate the drill at least once at FULL SPEED.

So many coaches fail to understand this -- the kids mimic you. If you're going super slow with grossly exaggerated movements...they're going to do the same.

The stride, the crossovers, the shot...demonstrate at full speed.

Full blast.

Every time.

Speed is the where the game is so much different at the different levels of hockey.

Promote speed.

Do it faster. Do it again...but faster. Again...faster.

Everything should be...fast.

Teaching Kids to Skate Backwards

Next on up on poor instruction techniques I've noticed relates to backwards skating.

My kids have always been good skaters, backwards especially, and I credit that to their mite coaches who really dug in on the skating.

But even before that, learn to skate or learn to play, this is how it should go, in my opinion:

Step 1, just have the kids sway their butt back and forth to get moving. That's all good.

Step 2, have them start doing C-cuts once they're a little more comfortable and have some momentum. It's almost a natural progression where they're already doing it inadvertanly just by swaying their hips while thinking they're still just shaking thier butt.

Step 3, work the crossovers in. Three at a time is my preference. The single backwards crossover is more tap-dancing than skating -- it doesn't improve the kid's control of their edges. Do three in a row. Fall down more often than not. But keep doing three.

Step 4, really lean into those crossovers. Like, put your weight into it. This...is the difference maker.

But the thing where things go off the rails is when some well-meaning coach comes in and tells the kids what to do with their bottom hand...

I can feel the wind leaving my sails just thinking about it...

You've seen it -- where they tell the kids to put their hand up like it's the goalie's catching glove?

Like, in this creepy awkward waving motion.

What is that?

Seriously, what is that?

Where did that come from?

I want to post a picture...but I only embarrass my own kids on here...and they don't do the "wave".

I've heard one coach say it's to get the posture correct so their head is up and they're not leaning too far over their skates or something...but that's a terrible habit to introduce!?

It's like instructing a toddler to shuffle instead of walk.

Safer, overall, I guess -- both feet are always on the ground....but now they'll always walk weird.

That free arm should be pumping back and forth just like it would if you were skating forward.

Watch any U15, U16, or U18 hockey team -- you'll see who the good defenseman are just based on what they do with their free hand while skating backwards.

A good forward can quickly read which defensemen he can burn on a rush.

At the higher levels, there's a reason some defensemen seem to get beat regularly...it's because the opposition knows their partner will be harder to get around.

The "wavers" are always easier to beat around the outside with space to cut back in.

It's the little things that have a huge impact.

I've never been a fan of "un-coaching" your kid on the ride home from practice...but if you see any of these instructions occuring at your kid's practice, I beg you to coach it out of them.

It's wrong.

Why Defense Isn't a Punishment

The age old belief that the worst player on the team should play defense. So many coaches do this.

So many hockey parents buy in to it, too.

The number of defenseman at squirt and peewee that I've heard ask, err, beg to play offense is off the charts.

The number of parents that have complained to programs over it is right up there too. There's always that one mite or squirt family ripping pissed their kid isn't a forward.

And then when coaches start rotating kids from position to position...oh jeez... Don't even get me started.

Counter productive on so many levels -- now all the parents are pissed off and none of the kids have any clue where to be.

One of my most popular articles, an oldie and the first to surpass 500k views, is about how "Playing Defense is NOT a Punishment". And it's true.

Defenseman get more ice time.

Read that again.

If you want your kid to get better faster, defense is where it's at.

If you want them to develop as a complete player, defense is where it's at.

Parents of young players should be lining up to have their kid play defense. Ice time, ice time, ice time...

Of course...every mite team has 14 forwards, 1 defenseman, and a goalie.

New hockey parents just don't know. It's the appeal of scoring goals.

My kid scores the most...so they're the best player...which, you'll find in time, is seldom the case.

Nearly every defenseman can fill in effectively at forward from U16 on up...and have an impact. But putting a life long forward on the blueline? Well...that's a recipe for disaster.

Worst skater on the team should always be a wing. Always.

And, generally speaking if the coach knows what they're going, that kid should be on one of the top two lines so their weaknesses are overshadowed by the strengths of their linemates.

I'll never forget, we had one season where this one kid would brag and boast about being on the top line.

We were one of those teams too where each line had a different color practice jersey -- something I do not receommend in youth hockey -- so they was a legitimate "pecking order" on display.

His attitude was hard to bear. The wiser players always kinda biting their cheeks...okay bud, you're the man...

But others kids were really bothered by it. "Coach thinks Doug is better than me..."

That saddest part, though, was to see that a majority of the parents mis-understood the move too.

He's on the top line...cause he's terrible.

Kid got cut that Spring in tryouts. His parents were blindsided..."but he's top line?"

Don't get bent out of shape over the line you kid is on. And try your best to NOT let your kid get down on themselves for being on a lower line. There's frequently one guy among the top six that's "spare forward" material.

Honestly, the best top lines in hockey are always a finisher, a playmaker/distributor, and an aggressive forechecking chaos creator.

Last thing you want are three guys who overhandle the puck on the same line...though it is pure comedy watching three players that never pass complain to each other that the other guy never passes.

Ever look in a mirror, boys?

If you don't know what you're watching, it can be hard to pinpoint a lacklustre coach.

I think all coaches mean well. All coaches are trying to teach the game and I wholeheartedly appreciate that.

A lot, at the lower levels, especially, just don't know what they don't know.

It's the subtle distinctions or variations that are differentiators.

If your kid holds the stick incorrectly, they'll never get better. It stunts their stickhandling, passing, and shot.

If their skates make a ton of noise on the ice, they'll never be fast. It's like pushing down on the brake and the accelerator at the same time -- it's just a terrible instruction.

If they skate backwards incorrectly, they'll never master it. They'll never be fast. They'll never be effective against oncoming forwards.

Those are all a result of subpar coaching.

Gotta master those things by the end of squirt hockey.

And then, as they get older -- there are things that I've mentioned in past posts....like that one I did about "No Blocked Shots". That dude knew his stuff.

Next level coaching, right there.

Or the coach or parent that routinely calls out "Shoot it!" Those are simply fans yelling at his tv...pretending to understand what they're watching.

Or that spring league coach we once had that constantly told the kids to "Ice it!"

Funny audio clip in that article. That dude was a moron.

But I'd bet a lot of parents (and some coaches) reading this think icing the puck is a solid strategy. I hear parents shout it from the stands all the time.

I'm of the opinion, you should NEVER throw the puck away. Especially prior to midget hockey.

It's a possession game -- mites and squirts should not be icing the puck. Ever. That kid that puts it high off the glass from the defensive zone every time...will never be a good hockey player. It's not a skill.

Youth hockey is all about developing skills for later on.

Make a play. Even a bad play is better than blindly thowing the puck away.

Develop the skills correctly at the start...and "later on" takes care of itself.

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