As Quebec weather cools and its organized hockey season gets underway, Willy and I have adopted a new weekend morning routine. We share a small breakfast at home and leave by 7:30AM so that Mommy can sleep in. Then we head to the local arena to watch older kids learn to play hockey.
I’ve never coached kids younger than 12, so I don’t have a ton of insights regarding how to best teach total beginners. However, I’m starting to have an idea on what I’d work on first.
In the documentary In Search of Greatness, soccer icon Pelé reveals that his boyhood practice of martial arts taught him how to fall safely, a skill which served him well in his main sport.
Putting one’s body in unfamiliar postures develops reflexes that ultimately produce sound technique. The ability to fall painlessly and withour self-judgment accelerates that learning process.
Here are a few things you can work on with your child.
Front Somersault
The somersault is a foundational movement in traditional Soviet hockey training. Younger players are lighter and more limber than adults and can therefore somersault with few risks of injury.
Back Somersault
The back somersault is an advanced variation of the somersault. It’s important for the player to use his upper back, shoulders and elbows to cushion the fall rather than absorb the entire impact with their head and neck.
Knee Spin
Knee spins are easier to do if you build up some speed and rotate with abandon. The important thing is not to be too exacting - they’re meant to be fun.
Falling down smoothly and getting back up again is the most complex movement a U8 player will learn this season. Start with that, and everything else (turning, stopping, stickhandling, shooting, passing etc.) will feel much easier to grasp for the novice player.