READING THE GAME: Hockey Sense Isn’t What You Think It Is (1:8)

By Coach Barry Jones IIHF Level 3 High Performance | USA Hockey Level 3 Performance | Head Coach Perth Inferno AWIHL

Hockey Sense Isn’t What You Think It Is

A skill acquisition and ecological view of intelligence in the game

When people talk about Hockey IQ, they usually mean awareness, anticipation, or decision making. Sometimes they mean systems knowledge. Sometimes they mean doing the “right” thing at the right time.

But after years of coaching across different ages, levels, and bodies, one thing becomes clear.

Hockey IQ is not knowledge.

It’s not something you store. It’s something that emerges.

Hockey IQ lives in the relationship between the player and the environment.

Hockey IQ as Perception, Not Recall

In the game, players are not choosing from a list of options. They are responding to information.

Pressure changes. Time collapses. Space opens and closes.

The players who look intelligent are not thinking faster. They are seeing more.

From an ecological perspective, Hockey IQ is the ability to perceive meaningful information, recognise opportunities for action, and act in ways that fit both the situation and the player.

This is what skill acquisition research calls perception–action coupling. Seeing and doing are not separate processes. They are linked.

When that link is strong, decisions look effortless. When it’s weak, even simple plays fall apart under pressure.

Affordances, Why Players See Different Games

A central concept in ecological dynamics is affordances.

Affordances are opportunities for action that emerge from the relationship between the player and the environment.

Not what is open. What is open for you.

Two players can look at the same situation and see entirely different possibilities, because their bodies, skills, and experiences are different.

This is why Hockey IQ cannot be standardised. Players don’t all see the same game. And they shouldn’t.

Time, Windows, and Frames

Hockey is a game of time before it is a game of space.

Every situation exists inside a window of time, a brief frame where action is possible.

Good players recognise when that window is opening. Great players learn how to shape it.

The point isn’t speed. It’s timing.

The Unintentional Limiting of Information

Many traditional training environments unintentionally limit the information available to the player.

These environments can improve execution, but they also narrow what players learn to perceive.

Hockey IQ doesn’t disappear in these environments. It just doesn’t get the chance to fully develop.

Rehearsal vs Sampling

Rehearsal strengthens execution. Sampling strengthens perception.

Sampling allows players to recognise patterns, attune to information, and discover which solutions fit their own game.

A Shift in the Coach’s Role

An athlete-centred, ecological approach does not remove structure. It changes where learning comes from.

The coach becomes a designer of environments that invite exploration.

Where This Series Is Going

In this series, we’ll explore how individual strengths shape the game, why players experience time differently, and how Hockey IQ truly develops.

Players don’t lack Hockey IQ. They often lack the environments that allow it to emerge.

Author Bio: Barry Jones is an IIHF Level 3 High Performance Coach and USA Hockey Level 3 Performance Coach. He currently serves as Head Coach of the Perth Inferno (AWIHL) and leads the Blaze Development Program. His work blends ecological dynamics, nonlinear design, and athlete-centred leadership to build adaptive teams that thrive in uncertainty.

Time · Pressure · Perception · Options · Action. Hockey IQ