In 5on5 hockey at the NHL level proper stride formation has produced the majority of goals since 2003 or 2004 according to Tim.

What I appreciated about this portion of Tim Turk’s presentation on the ice in Ann Arbour was the call-out to actual bench coaches. Tim gets it, he knows what the audience wants. It’s not sufficient to teach a player to shoot harder without explaining why. By talking about how many more goals are scored with the proper stride foundation, he’s achieving buy-in from the players, of course, and in this setting, from coaches like me.

All the drills were simple enough for players at any level, but this one was my favourite because it involved a lot of puck touches and it built on a little bit of natural pressure for the shooter. I try to ensure my drills are as game-like as possible while also allowing room for learning a skill. These players are walking right down main street but they have a bit of tracking from behind, while still having the space to work on the mechanics for which Tim is asking.

“Your human mind wants to stabilize and be as safe as possible.”

Tim is talking about balance and posture on the ice here, but it’s an oddly prevalent quote for coaching and life as well! My mind always connects the skills we’re teaching with the coaching approach and, lately at least, the application to life skills. Only took half my life to figure it out.

Tim has a unique ability to connect with players, coaches, and people of all ages. I found incredible value not only in the specific techniques he taught the players on the ice, but the connection he created in a relatively short time frame. Listen when he talks about watching the players during our dry-run earlier in the morning. It’s a good lesson for the players - someone is always paying attention, and every moment you have on the ice is a chance to get better.

And in only a few minutes, these players certainly improved their shooting skills and us coaches improved our ability to improve said shooting skills.

Everybody wins! Thanks Turkey!

Check out this snippet from Turk's presentation and view the full video here a membership to The Coaches Site.