By Stephen Kerr - Play hard. Have fun. Those are more than words on a website, or a motivational phrase coaches often give to their players. It’s a recurring theme of the Admirals Hockey Club, which serves boys and girls throughout the Glen Ellyn, Illinois, area. You see it in the social interaction between players on and off the ice. You’ll find it in the ways players and coaches give back to the community, from serving in local soup kitchens to working with Habitat for Humanity.

One association among many seeing the benefits of ADM-based programming is Ice Hockey in Harlem, a non-profit organization in New York designed to improve the lives of children through hockey. The association serves approximately 250 boys and girls between the ages of five and 18 in Harlem and upper Manhattan in New York City.

Q: What should be the ultimate goal for an 8U hockey player?

A: In my opinion, the biggest mistake made by parents and coaches when working with younger players, particularly the 8U player, is that they are trying to make a hockey player. What I mean by that is, when the focus is on making the child into a hockey player, too much instructional time is spent on how the game is played and the tactical and team-play aspects of hockey. This is an example of adults structuring their teaching for mini-adults. 

Q: Who was your favorite or most impactful coach?

A: Recently while sitting on a panel, I was asked a question that really made me think. Who has been my favorite or the most impactful coach that I’ve had in my career? It struck me because it’s not something I’m asked often. Instead of quickly responding, I found myself sitting there thinking back on all the coaches that I have been fortunate enough to work with throughout my youth and college career. 

Q: I recently watched one of my 12U kids practice. Their coach didn’t have them “walk through” any systems and it was either them doing drills in stations or playing cross-ice games. Is this good for my player and how will he learn systems?

A: This is a question we get from a lot of parents. If your child’s practice was all station-based drills and small-area games, you should be thanking your child’s coach! 

"You Coach a Child, Not a Sport!"

Every week, Changing the Game Project has some amazing conversations with some of the leading voices in sport throughout the world. They recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Martin Toms, a Sport Sociologist and Ethnographer from the university of Birmingham in the UK. Dr. Toms has heavily influenced their work through his philosophy "You Coach a Child, not a Sport."Talking points discussed are the relative age effect, the futility of early talent identification, and how much culture impacts sport performance.