Summary of Practice 1-30-2010

We worked on 8 of the 11 Manual A Skills.

• Three Stances:
  • Ready Position (#1)
  • Backwards Stance (#5)
  • Puckhandling Stance (#6)
• Forward Stride: T-push #2
• Stopping: 1 o’clock/11 o’clock stop #4
• Stationary Puck handling #7
• Sweep Pass Forehand (Stationary) #9
  • in puckhandling stance, can player propel puck reasonably accurately to a target area?
  • does player keep head up, looking at target?
  • is weight transferred from back to front leg as pass is made?
• Receiving Pass Forehand (Stationary) #10
  • does player put stick down for a target?
  • is blade at 90 degrees to line of puck?
  • does player “cushion” the pass on impact?

Other skills

• Lateral Movement. This is the 1st skill in the progression for forward crossovers. The player is balanced on two skates about shoulder width apart. Keep the skates facing straight ahead while moving laterally to the right and then to the left. Players step sideways with one foot. The next step with the opposite foot.
• We also worked on backwards skating  by trying marching backward and the  backwards c-cut. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l7gJoLodoY

We may try backwards and backwards wiggles to work on balance, movement, and to develop confidence.

Backwards swizzle: Shoulders square, head facing forward, toes together in a V, bend knees, push back. Pull heels together. A backward swizzle must be performed for a distance at least equal to one foot in three in-and-out movements. [T4]

Backwards wiggle: In standing position, shoulders square; head facing forward, top hand on stick, free hand at side, knees slightly bent, feet close together, rotate hips side to side. Skater must travel backward for at least ten feet. [T4]

near miss by Zamboni

Greetings Team:There was a near miss at the rink on Sunday night. Children have a knack for finding trouble when they are not adequately supervised. Please keep an eye on your own children and do not allow them to run around or behave recklessly. Carisa Ludwig, SHAW President described the incident this way. “There were some kids running around unsupervised and ran right in front of the zamboni coming off the ice.” Carisa asked us to notify parents when we see this kind of behavior so that parents will step in. Let me go a step further. If parents are distracted, it is the responsibility of all adults to stop reckless behavior. Be polite. Be firm, but intervene. Devo Safety Rules 1. When the zamboni is on the ice, the end zone doors should be closed. 2. Before Practice: A coach will signal when it is safe for on-ice volunteers and players to come on the ice. No one should open the doors unless instructed to do so by a coach. Coaches make sure the zamboni is off the ice, the zamboni doors are properly secured and all the bench doors (players, timekeepers, penalty box) are closed. With new skaters, open benches are accidents waiting to happen. A zamboni is a giant blender. Children must never be on the ice with the zamboni. 3. During Practice: Do not open the door to let a player off the ice unless that child is met by an adult. Last season, people watching practice opened the door to let devos off the ice unsupervised. Needless to say, we cannot have children wandering in the lobby, so I posted a parent at the end of the ice during practice to stop it. 4. End of Practice: Coaching staff and on-ice volunteers should get devos off the ice promptly. All children must be off the ice when the zamboni doors open. No one should be on the ice when the zamboni is resurfacing. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. thanks, Molly

Board Meeting Summary

Hello team: 90 minutes is as long as I can last at Managers’ and Board meetings. Managers’ Meeting 1-25-10 Each team has been given its playdown info. Some SHAW teams are participating in the Badger State games 4 or 5 SHAW teams have automatic bids. Managers, Coaches and Parents should become familiar with tournament rules. No noisemakers. Up to 4 credentialed coaches with valid coaching cards on the team bench. All coaches do not have to be listed on team roster, but must have proper certification level and current stickers on coaching card. Squirts are responsible for the concessions in February Scorekeepers are reminded to turn in score sheets in a timely fashion. [Teams have been given relevant info. See WAHA State Tournament Directory http://www.waha-hockey.com/Sinvites.php and See Region 5 Divisional Seedings. We are D2. http://www.waha-hockey.com/region5.php ] Board Meeting Summary 1-25-10. I left after an hour. Cairns Showcase Dates are set: April 8-11. Reported by Chuck Smalley. The showcase memorializes Paul Cairns, a Senior High School hockey player. The Cairns family generously underwrites the weekend. SHAW players at each level are re-assigned to teams of equal skill. These teams compete against each other over the weekend. SHAW alumni return to skate against current players. The XBoard is inviting the Wisconsin sled hockey team for an exhibition game vs. SHAW players. [Devos usually do a brief skills demonstration and play a mini-scrimmage before receiving a trophy. Devo ice time has not been determined.] SHAW Banquet is April 25 at Serb Hall. The per person cost will be $7 or $8. There is a max cost per family. Sorry I missed the amount. [It is not a banquet in a traditional sense. Appetizers and beverages are served, but not a meal. I discourage devo-only families from attending. It is rather dry and long. Each coach will give a brief summary of the season and presents 4 or 5 awards to his team. A number of luminary awards are presented.] The XBoard is drafting new policies because the SHAW policy book is missing. If you have the policy book or information about its whereabouts, please contact a member of the XBoard. Injury Credit New Skater Referral: if anyone has the flyer describing this, please give it to Chris or to me Goalie Credit A rep from the jv teams asked if chuck-a-puck at the Cairns showcase could go toward the high school scholarship. The short answer was “no”. I will check with Devo Team Manager Chris to see if there is any news of interest to devos that I missed. Disclaimer. This is my summary of relevant info. I do not have the best listening skills and it is difficult to hear the XBoard members. Confirm dates, costs etc. thanks, Molly

Easton gloves and missing sticks

Hi Team: I picked up a pair of devo-sized Easton black hockey gloves from the park bench at the end of the ice. I will bring them to our next practice. I recommend using a permanent marker to label your child’s gear. It makes it easier to return. On a related note, we have at least two players whose sticks have gone missing after a devo practice. Label your stick, too. When you collect your skater’s stick after practice, double check the name. thanks, Molly

hockey equipment packages on clearance

team news, practice summary and next practice plan

January bill; Senior Day

January bills were delayed while Sara Waldschmidt (SHAW Director of Brewers) tried to clear up Brewer credits. Sara is very savvy, so I suspect that others made the mistakes. The XBoard will review each account to double check the credits before the ice bills go out. Carisa said that they hope to get the statements out in the next couple of weeks. Devos ice fees are $250. I will work with the XBoard to get a jersey order form out in January, too. Saturday is Senior Day. Varsity plays at noon. JV at 2:00. This is a great opportunity to support the teams & salute the seniors.

Player Participation Guidelines: test for posting via email

Do you know SHAW’s player participation guidelines? Do you know your coach’s guidelines?

Down the road — evaluation of player skills

This is an excerpt from Initiation Program Manual A.

Most Important Skills to Teach/Manual A Skill Evaluation Rating

To determine when beginners are ready to advance, their skills must be evaluated. Instructors should develop an ice plan for testing, including drills for skill evaluation purposes and a rating system. Here are the key skills for this level of the Skill Development Program along with guidelines to be used when rating.

(1) Stance

• skates parallel, shoulder width apart
• toes pointed straight ahead and knees bent
• head up with body leaning slightly forward
• stick close to ice, held in two hands

 (2) T-Push

• skates in T-position to start
• does player make a strong push until leg is fully extended, then transfer weight to the glide foot?
• can player do with both legs?

(3) Glide Turns

• shoulders and head initiating the turn
• does player lead with inside skate with weight slightly back on heel?
• can player perform the turn in both directions?

 (4) Stopping (1 o’clock and 11 o’clock)

• is player gliding in basic stance posture?
• is heel turned out and weight put on ball of foot?
• knees bent and back straight
• can player do both stops?

(5) Backward Stance

• keep head up, chest out, shoulders back
• are knees bent, back straight, feet shoulder width apart?
• is weight evenly distributed along the blade of both skates?

 (6) Puckhandling Stance

• does player have correctly sized stick of proper lie?
• is player in basic stance with stick on ice, trying to use peripheral vision to see puck?
• is player gripping stick correctly?

(7) Stationary Puckhandling

• does player roll wrists to cup the puck when moving it from side to side?
• is puck handled in middle of blade?
• is player trying to keep head up?

 (8) Open Ice Carry

• does player turn blades so that alternate pushes of the puck are with the bottom edge of the blade pointed left and then right?
• does player push puck just far enough to keep it under control?

 (9) Sweep Pass Forehand (Stationary)

• in puckhandling stance, can player propel puck reasonably accurately to a target area?
• does player keep head up, looking at target?
• is weight transferred from back to front leg as pass is made?

 (10) Receiving Pass Forehand (Stationary)

• does player put stick down for a target?
• is blade at 90 degrees to line of puck?
• does player “cushion” the pass on impact?

(11) Backhand Sweep Pass (Stationary)

• does player start puck in the correct position with blade cupped over puck?
• is head up looking at the target?
• are hands well away from body?
• is weight transferred from back to front leg as pass is made?
• can player propel puck reasonably accurately to a target area?

Mid-term report

Our goal is to help each devo improve a little bit every practice. I asked you to stay the course and I told you that you would notice improvement. Let me state my philosophy. Devos is low key and low pressure. Each skater learns at her/his own pace. We encourage each child to try a skill or technique that is just beyond her/his ability. Confident children push their limits, take chances and improve the most. We do not force children to participate. Our goal is for new players to have a positive first hockey experience and to develop skills and self-confidence.

As long as I am the Director of Devos this will be the program’s philosophy. The coaching staff and all on-ice volunteers are expected to act accordingly, to treat the coaching staff with respect, and to abide by USA Hockey & SHAW policies.  In mid-season we are on target to meet team goals: try hard, play fair and have fun. Success is due in great measure to the team’s commitment to praise, encourage and gently correct. Patience and a positive environment are paying dividends.  

We are fortunate to have an experienced coaching staff: Assistant Coaches Josh Blooming, Debbie Burnside and Sara Lovas. Mini-mite coaches Bill Stornello and Jon Ludwig have assisted from time to time. We have had excellent support from parents. Chris Reineck, Devo team manager has done a great job managing a very large team.

Special thanks to those who have volunteered on ice. Some have worked with their own child and have also taken other devos under their wing. All children need to feel safe and they need encouragement. Falling may be harder on one’s pride than on the body. Speaking softly and being patient and offering encouragement is the key to success.

This season we have not been able to count on on-ice assistance from many SHAW players. I recruited my own volunteers. I asked my nieces Olivia & Kayla Maduscha to help. I got gear for them and assigned them a number of tasks.  Their role is to make sure that no devo is alone and apart from the group (2) to try to make them feel safe and (3) to encourage them to participate.

Thanks to Team Manager, the coaching staff, all the on-ice volunteers and parents, I have good news to report:

1. no devo needs to skate with a chair
2. most devos stay on the ice for the entire practice.
3. most devos participate in group activities.
4. forward skating, backward skating and stopping are where they should be given the players’ ages and experience.
5.  skill development for passing and receiving is ahead of schedule.

I may allow new players to join us, but it depends on the new player’s skating ability and the availability of a committed on-ice volunteer of suitable temperment to work one-on-one with any new devo. If s/he is too far behind the group it would pose challenges that I cannot manage.

Each practice we will review skills, introduce a new skill, and use games to reinforce or to passively introduce new skills. You have access to descriptions of the skills we do from the USA Hockey Initiation Manual A. Descriptions of games/skills from snowplow Sam & PE games also appear in the blog.

Structure of Practices

• We wait at least 5 minutes before starting practice to give everyone a chance to get on the ice. Devos are notoriously late.
• Drills shouldn’t go longer than 5 minutes.
• Drill Format:  Say – See – Do – Encourage
  • Instructor should briefly describe drill
  • See/Demonstrate: do it yourself, or use a SHAW player or another volunteer
  • Do: have the devos perform the drill
  • Praise, Encourage, Gently Correct mistakes in form.
• Half way though practice, we should give devos a rest break. Do not try to load the kids on the players’ bench. If there is water, volunteers should give them water.
• 5 Minutes Left In Early Practice: Head Coach will gather everyone together in the near end zone to do the team cheer. The Coaches will help devos off the ice or instruct other volunteers to do so. This is the top priority.
• 5 Minutes Left In Late Practice: Head Coach will gather everyone together in the near end zone to do the team cheer. The Coaches will help devos off the ice on instruct other volunteers to do so. This is the top priority. Other volunteers should move the nets, pucks, off the far end and put them in storage closet. All gear and skaters must be off the ice before the zamboni doors open! No one should be on the ice when the zamboni doors are open.
• After Practice SNACK: Never underestimate the power of snack.

Last practice was mostly a review session:

Falling Down

• Getting Up (from either knee)
• Ready Position
• Forward Stride: T-Push
• Stopping: Scraping, 1 o’clock stop
• Backward Skating: backward stance
• Marching Backwards
• Forehand Pass at moving target
• Forehand Shot
• Shooting on goal
• one small group played a little shinny

Next Practice we will introduce glide turns.

Glide Turns

1. Skates are shoulder width apart.
2. Lead with the inside skate.
3. Head and shoulders initiate the turn.
4. Bend the knees and lean inside.
5. Rock back slightly on the heels.
6. Follow the stick.
7. Perform the drill in both directions.