A Clear Message

FIERCE!

 This  poster was created for the NCB Wildcats to read before each game and to post on their dressing room door. The Acrostic poem FIERCE, contains all the messages that coaches want players to be focused on during games. The messages are clear and simple for the girls to process, inspiring work ethic, aggressiveness, teamwork, competition, and respect!

Video of the Week...a Quick Follow Up

GORILLA ARMS! Teaching the Slap Shot

The following  video is a follow up to the slap shot station that I was leading at the, 
"Strictly Scoring" clinic on Monday. Knowing how to perform a skill on the ice is one thing, but teaching your players how to perform it is another. 

The video below is great because you get to see and hear the actual instruction  between coach and player. It gives insight on not only how to break the shot down, but also how to explain it to your players. You can really see the "GORILLA ARMS"! 

Enjoy and we'll see you in the rinks,

The Coach Development Team

Strictly Scoring Clinic a Huge Success

Thank You

The entire NGHA Coach Development Team would like to extend a huge thank you to all the coaches that attended our Scoring Clinic last night. Your dedication to the development of our girls was front and center again last night as you took time out of your busy lives to grow within our community of coaches. 
Your efforts are greatly appreciated and we look forward to seeing you at our next session in January.  

Plans from last night's clinic are now posted. 

Enjoy and we'll see you in the rinks,
 the Coach Development Team

Picture of the Week

This was sent to us from Victor Bert from MCAA. Not sure what rink it was posted in but I think it's perfect. Great jumping off point for one of the discussion topics during the "Hot Stove" portion of next week's Strictly Scoring coaches clinic. There are still a few spots left so if you aren't signed up yet email coachdev@ngha.ca to reserve a spot.

The Coach Development Team

NGHA Coaching Clinic #3- Strictly Scoring

Coaches,
Please join us Monday December 15th at the Nepean Sportsplex 3  for the next in our series of NGHA Coaches Clinics.

During this clinic we will be focused on teaching the fundamental skills, body position, and dynamic movements that contribute to a players ability to score. Focusing on where to go, how to get there, and what to do when you arrive in a scoring situation will be demonstrated using simple drill set ups that focus on game situations and skill repetition.

Some of the individual skills we will focus on are shooting, pass receiving, body position, battling for space, moving to open & tight spaces,  puck handling in tight spaces, and puck protection.
 
Again, this is a great clinic not only for head coaches, but for all assistant coaches and on ice staff to attend. These clinics are designed to help the learning of coacheso  all levels and age ranges and we strongly encourage increased participation from our competitive stream of coaches.If you cannot attend, please send a representative from your staff. 
Prior to the on-ice session we would like to lead a "Hot Stove" discussion addressing issues our NGHA coaches face throughout the course of a season. 


***Unlike previous clinics we will be capping the number of coaches at the first 50 to sign up. 

To be included please be sure to:

1. Let us know you will be coming by emailing coachdev@ngha.ca ASAP
2. Arrive at the Sportsplex by 8:25
3. Bring your gear because you will be going on the ice

See you December 15th,
Coach Development Team

Words From Coach

 Coach

John Wooden, affectionately known as Coach,
led UCLA to record wins that are still unmatched in the world of
basketball. Throughout his long life, he shared the values and life
lessons he passed to his players, emphasizing success that’s about much
more than winning.

His ideology is summed up quite well by his often-quoted definition of success: 

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in

knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of

becoming."

John Wooden's Pyramid of Success, is an invaluable coaching and teaching tool used by countless teams and organizations.

 The book,"Wooden on Leadership" was one of the door prizes at our last clinic and is a book that I highly recommend for any coach at any level.

Video of the Week

Stride Mechanics 

 A big thank you to all of the NGHA  coaches that attended our clinic last night. It is inspiring to see the community of coaches and learners that is developing  within our organization. Our girls are extremely lucky to have a group of such dedicated,and invested coaches to guide them on their journey as developing athletes.

Here is a great video that supplement the "Stride Mechanics" you participated in last night.

Also, please see the link below to the website that demonstrates proper stick length for optimal puck handling.

 Link to: Proper Hockey Stick Length

Upcoming NGHA Coaches Clinic: Back to Basics, a focus on fundamentals....

Coach Development: Clinic #2 - Monday, November 17, 2014  

Coaches,
Please join us  Monday November 17th at the Nepean Sportsplex, Arena #3  for the next in our series of NGHA Coaches Clinics.

During this clinic we will be focused on teaching the fundamental skills and athletic movements of forward and backward stride, passing, and shooting, as well as the dynamic movements involved in power turns, crosscuts, stops and starts.

We will be discussing the key points in teaching these skills, and what coaches should be looking for in their players during practices. We will also discuss how to implement skill based practices to ensure that the development of these fundamental skills are at the core of each players development. 

This is a great clinic for all assistant coaches and on ice staff to attend as you do a huge amount of the correcting during practices.

The Coach Development Team will also be addressing our development philosophy and how best to ensure that all of us are working together to best develop our NGHA players.

Please be sure to:

1. Let us know you will be coming by emailing coachdev@ngha.ca
2. Arrive at the Sportsplex by 8:25
3. Bring your gear because you will be going on the ice

See you Monday,
Coach Development Team

 
 
 

Video of the Week

 From Child's View, Parents Find Full-Ice Hockey No Fun  

 Great video from USA Hockey that exemplifies what hockey looks like from a child's point of view. Hockey parents and coaches were exposed to hockey from the perspective of young hockey players. Enjoy, and gain a new perspective on what our youngest players experience!

Drill of the Week

Roller Coaster Transition Skating

 This is a really great drill for your D as it targets the development of both transitions from forwards to backwards skating, as well as gap control. The added bonus is that the video features Geraldine Heaney, a former women's Olympian so if you send the video out to your girls, the skill is being delivered and demonstrated by a great female role model. 

Roller Coaster Transitions Drill

We've used this drill from Atom all the way up to the Pro level so it should work for most of you. A couple of progressions we've used  are:

1. Unlike the video, pylons are placed in their pattern across the width of the ice so that the player's path is up and down the ice while eventually moving across the width of the ice (board to board). We then vary the distance between pylons so that the transitions take place at different levels and there are a variety of distances up and down the ice for the D to cover
2.  Using the same direction and pattern above, the Roller Coaster is finished  as a 1 on 1 so that coming out of the last transition the D angles the forward to boards and takes away all space, shutting down the lane

Gap control is difficult to master and involves the combination of many technical skills that players must continue to develop. This is a straightforward drill that will help your D put those skills into play!

Coach Stream Certification Being Offered By KGHA

Hello Coaches,

The KGHA will be hosting the Hockey Canada certification clinic for Coach Stream on November 1, 2014. 

To sign up, please email Derek Stoparczyk at clinics@kgha.ca 

 This is the last Coach Stream Clinic being offered this year in the Ottawa area.

Please let me know if you still require your certification for the position you hold this season and are not able to complete it by December 1st.

See you in the rink,

Ali Speer
Director of Coach Development
NGHA
coachdev@ngha.ca

FYI....

If you would like to leave a comment first click on the title of the Post (in this case FYI) and then you will have the option to comment.
Thanks

Big Thanks

A big thank you to Greg Bowles and his entire team for the development and presentation of this year's first NGHA Coaches Clinic. Excellent delivery of the key factors in developing and implementing a high level practice, as well as the valuable teaching and relationship building that goes into a positive team experience.

Thanks as well to the twenty plus NGHA Coaches that took time out of their busy schedules to attend last night's clinic. We are glad you had some time to chat and share some of your own coaching insights and experiences with your fellow coaches.
We hope that through Greg's practice you were able to observe what all of your coaching dedication and hard work will eventually look like when your now Novice, Atom and Peewee players end up in Midget.

We thank you all again for your participation and look forward to seeing you next month.
FYI, topics for upcoming clinics are being discussed and developed throughout the month. If you have any ideas for upcoming clinics that you would find valuable please leave a comment on the posting.
Any positive comments you have about last night's clinic are also welcome and are encouraged.

See you in the rink!
Coach Development Team

Hello Coaches.
Please send a quick email to coachdev@ngha.ca  to confirm you attendance for the upcoming coach clinic on Monday October 20th. Please make sure to indicate your team level in your email.
Thanks,
Coach Development Team

Hello NGHA Coaches! 

Our NGHA Coach Development Sessions are right around the corner and we wanted to get dates and times out to you so that you could plan your schedules accordingly.

We will be offering the first in a set of several coaching clinics on Monday, 20 October from 8:00-10:30 PM at the Nepean Sportsplex - Rink 3.  These sessions are aimed at exposing coaches of all levels to various concepts and applications that can be applied / scaled to all player levels.

The first session will focus on "Practice Organization and Efficiency" and will be presented by Greg Bowles, Head Coach of the Nepean Wildcats Midget AA team.  While most of the topics in this first session will be described in terms of a Midget application, emphasis will be placed on explaining how these can be scaled appropriately for use at all levels.

Clinic topics will include:

• Off Ice Dynamic Warm-Up
• Technical / Tactical Walk-Throughs
• Video and/or Conditioning Sessions
• Pre-Practice Coach's Briefing and Objective Review
• Standardized Team Drill Sets / Theme Based Practices / Progression
• Skill Development / Flow Drills
• Conditioning / High Tempo / High Repetition
• Set Pieces / Systems / Special Teams

Clinic Outline / Schedule:

• 7:45-8:00 PM - Arrival
• 8:00-8:30 PM - Brief Introduction / Dynamic Warm-Up / Walk-Through
• 8:30-8:50 PM - Coach Practice Brief (Players Dress)
• 9:00-10:20 PM - Practice / Clinic
• 10:30-10:45 PM - Questions / Answers

FUTURE CLINICS DATES:

• Monday November 17, 2014
• Monday December 15, 2014
• Monday January 19, 2015
• Monday February 23, 2015

*All of the above clinics will be held at the Nepean Sportsplex-Rink #3 from 9-10:30 PM, although an earlier arrival time may be needed for clinic introduction sessions.

Clinic topics will be posted on the NGHA Coach Development Database ASAP. 

Finally, please take the time to sign up to follow our blog by email in the top left toolbar. This will allow postings to be sent directly to you as information for clinics becomes available.