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CHA's Coaches Information
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Dear CHA Coaches,
Welcome to the 2011-12 season of Chesterfield Hockey! I hope you’ve all enjoyed a safe and productive summer and are, as I am, looking forward to the new hockey season with passion and energy.
This has been quite a busy off-season for rules and administration of youth ice hockey, and the resulting changes require that I share some information with all of you.
First, the way we govern 8 & Under (Mite) hockey has undergone a significant change. Starting this season, all Mite hockey in Missouri (with the exception of Mite AA) will be played cross ice following the principles and guidelines created by the American Development Model (ADM). For more information on the ADM, please visit
www.admkids.com or
www.mohockeyyd.org
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Next, there have been changes to the way Body Contact is allowed at PeeWee. Contrary to popular opinion, checking has not been eliminated at PeeWee. More accurately, there is a progression in place to teach body contact in an age-appropriate manner. To educate yourself, please visit the following link:
http://www.usahockey.com//Template_Usahockey.aspx?NAV=ET_03&ID=299508
In addition to the information contained above, CHA’s coaching program will host a meeting in early September to specifically educate coaches on the Body Contact progression.
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Finally, and most importantly, there has been a major change to the way coaches are certified. Coaching certification is no longer dependent upon the age of players being coached. The new system uses a combination of experience based certification based on the number of years coaching combined with age specific online tracks. New coaches must get certified at a Level 1 clinic and complete the online track for the level they will coach at this season. In future years, coaches will have to continue to attend clinics and complete continuing education as dictated by USA Hockey’s coaching section. For complete information, please click on the link below:
http://www.usahockey.com//Template_Usahockey.aspx?NAV=CO_02&ID=19532
Please take the time to visit the web and educate yourself on these changes, as they will impact the game at every level and the way we coach it.
Best of Luck on a safe and successful 2011-12 Hockey Season!
Sincerely,
Lloyd Ney
Director of Coaching
Chesterfield Hockey Association
CHA PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY
BACKGROUND: In any youth sports program, it can be a challenge to find the proper balance between a natural desire to win and the concept of individual player development. In the short run, most team's performance can be temporarily improved if the coach "shortens the bench" and only skates certain players. Experience teaches us that in the long run, this type of coaching crutch creates a counterproductive class system amongst players that ultimately hurts team camaraderie, reduces player confidence, and ruins the experience for kids and parents. CHA PHILOSOPHY: The CHA policy is that emphasis is placed on the individual development of every player on the team. This is a higher priority than winning and one of the distinguishing factors between Tier I and Tier II programs. During the course of the season, coaches have an obligation to help each player on their team gain the most development possible. Each player should be taught, practice, and get game-experience during close games, power plays, penalty kills, and other special situations. A successful CHA coach is measured not by how many times he shortened his bench to win games, but rather by how few times he needed to shorten his bench because he did an effective job of teaching, practicing and preparing all his players to contribute to the success of his team.
ICE TIME ALLOCATION: Absent a situation involving behavioral issues, CHA has a club policy of "even ice time over the course of a season." This isn't the same as even ice time in every game but means when a coach shortens the bench during a game, the players who were shorted should eventually be given extra make-up time during a game in the near future. While this isn't a precise process, it's important that all players should be afforded the opportunity to gain practice and game experience playing every type of situation during a hockey game, so they'll be prepared for such roles on future teams.