“We have to build their confidence…where else is better to learn it than in youth hockey.”
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Our visits with the five selected Global Skills Showcase presenters continues in episode #246, as we welcome Adam Jonak, GM and Player Development Coach for the Czech Knights.
The GSS shines a spotlight on the top skill development coaches in the world, their area of expertise, specifically how they teach or transfer the skills to their players, and is available exclusively to subscribers of The Coaches SIte.
Jonak, who is also the owner of ABC Hockey Development and the Development Coach for the Pilsnen Wolves Hockey Club, has had a unique career that has taken him around the globe, and equipped him with the skills to develop high end players. Specifically, if you coach youth hockey or work with younger players, I think you’re really going to enjoy this one.
Listen as he shares why youth hockey is the perfect place to build confidence in creativity, the importance of letting players make decisions, and why you should also ask the purpose of a drill before borrowing.
VIDEO TIMESTAMPS:
- 0:00 Working with U8s
- 2:30 Deciding the focus of each practice
- 4:40 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament
- 11:10 Committing to a winning culture
- 16:05 How emphasizing winning hurts development
- 19:10 Experience that led to his confidence
- 25:40 Encouraging creativity in youth hockey
- 31:35 Avoiding hard rules
- 34:20 Recent success of Czech hockey
- 41:10 Key skills for U8 players
- 45:30 When to introduce passing
- 50:40 Good games for youth hockey
- 58:10 Learning the purpose of each drill
- 1:02:55 GSS presentation
- 1:11:20 When to introduce puck protection skills
