Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/60989
SYSTEM OVERLOAD T 30 tice. Many successful coaches have different philosophies and teaching styles that have served them well. However, when it comes to practice, there is a philosophy that I feel strongly about for any coach responsible for developing players. That is to teach habits and not systems. This is not to say that teams should not have systems; most teams do. However, the majority of practice time should not be spent on system repetition, but rather concentrating on the habits (or individual tac- here is no one right way to coach a hockey team, and no one right way to run a prac- tics) that are important for that system to be correctly executed. Generally, those same habits will apply to most systems. Teaching habits will prove effective for all areas of team play, including special teams, defensive zone play, forechecking, breakouts and attack formations. I believe this philosophy applies to all levels as well. Dave Allison, a coach who had a big influence on me, made accurate predictions on which players would make successful transitions to the NHL based not on their scor- ing statistics or physical size, but on their sound habits. For youth players, develop- ing good habits is vital. As basic fundamentals of skating APRIL/MAY.2012 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM and puckhandling are prereq- uisites to individual offensive skills, developing good habits is a prerequisite of team play and will accelerate the player's understanding of any system. We don't practice line rush- es before we are competent skaters and can handle a puck, nor should we practice team systems before we are well versed at the components (habits) of those systems. Using breakouts as an example, basic habits that we work on regularly are: DEFENSEMEN: Skating back for the puck, looking over your shoulder to see where pressure is coming from, getting the puck quickly on your forehand and making a quick, flat, tape-to-tape pass. GADOWSKY BY GUY Teaching Proper Habits Rather Than Systems Can Be An Effective Path To Higher Learning For Players Of All Ages WINGERS: Posting up (making yourself a good outlet), facing the puck with forward momentum, stick on the ice, supporting the puck with timing, and presenting a good target. CENTERMEN: Controlled skating and timing to support the puck with an excellent tar- get and knowledge (vision) of where pressure is coming from. All of those habits are used in nearly every breakout. You do not have to practice break- outs to practice components or habits. By practicing the components, and not the spe- cific breakout itself, players are practicing the skills used in several different breakout situations. PHOTOS COURTESY OF USA Hockey