Original story posted here.
Hockey skill development can be a straightforward task once you have taken the time to develop a good hockey practice or seasonal plan. A practice / seasonal plan is made up of a number of important components that should be given strong consideration each time you develop a plan.
A successful practice plan includes:
Practice plan format to record your plan:
- Meets all your needs for information
- Archive your plans for easy reference at a later date
Measurable outcomes for the plan:
- Players of all ages need to know the goals of each practice
- Record information about the execution of the plan
Elements of the plan:
- Practices / drills should be more active than passive
- A well balanced practice contains about 5 activities
- Elements of a plan may include warm up, teaching components, technical skill execution, drills under game like conditions, fun elements, competitive activities, and a cool down
Assign the coach responsibilities to lead the drill:
- Ensure that all support people understand the purpose of the drills so they can provide appropriate feedback to guide improvement
- All coaches should be engaged in the delivery of each drill
- Coaches may be required to provide stimuli to start or maintain drill focus
Clear illustrations:
- Take pride in illustrating good plans
- Make it a habit to use international symbols
Descriptions to include:
- Written descriptions should include details of the drill execution, key teaching points, and key execution points
- Plans should note any extraordinary equipment required