Build a Dev Plan in 3 Steps
Creating a skill development plan shouldn't be complicated. Here's how I go about it with my clients.
At the highest level of our sport, forward-thinking teams start every season by building an individualized development plan for each player.
As a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, I saw first-hand how well-designed plans and deliberate practice can help players reach (or even expand) their potential.
For a development plan to produce tangible improvement, two conditions need to be met:
The plan must have a clear focus
The plan must be player-driven
In other words, we shouldn’t give the players too much content, and we shouldn’t have players work on things they don’t already want to work on.
“Wait a minute. Will players really improve if they only do things they want to do?” A coach may ask. Though it is true that certain players have obvious weaknesses that need to be addressed ASAP, what I’m suggesting is that we start the player from a position of strength before gradually connecting the strong and weak parts of their games.
Here’s my process with the teams I consult for. For each player, it involves asking three questions.
Question 1 (for the player): What did you do well last year?
Question 2 (for the player): What would you like to do better this year?
Question 3 (for the coaches): What would you like to see from this player this season?
If everyone answers these questions honestly, we’ll be able to triangulate the responses and find a direction that makes sense.
Case Study
The player is a young winger who enjoyed a very productive rookie season alongside skilled linemates. She again figures to play a top-six role, against defenders who are now familiar with her preferred patterns of play.
Did well last year: Being in good spots offensively, scoring
Want to improve: Defensive-zone positioning
Expectation: Maintain previous production
Dev Plan in a nutshell:
Tactical: Clarify transitions in & out of DZ Coverage (tracking to DZC, DZC to Breakout)
Technical: Getting off the DZ half-wall to feed the rush
Physical: Staying healthy & building physical strength to win 1v1 battles
It doesn’t have to be any more complicated to that. If the player is able to make significant strides in even just one or two of the areas above, she’ll have a great season.