IN THIS ISSUE

Did You Sweat?

Small-Area Training Yields Big Dividends for Jaguars Hockey Club

Youth Sports: For Everyone or Elites?

ADM Increases Activity, Skills in South St. Paul

Video: Martin St. Louis with Roger Grillo

Video: What to Expect at 10U ADM

Just for Coaches: On- and Off-Ice Practice Plans

STAY CONNECTED

Volume 2 Issue 3

February 24, 2015

DID YOU SWEAT?

By Kelly Erickson, USA Hockey

As the saying goes, repetition is the mother of all learning.

The more a skill is repeated, the more it becomes engrained in our brains and muscles. Over time, that skill becomes second nature, something that barely needs consideration to perform.

"Repeating skills in a variety of different settings enhances the development of overall ability, mastering the ability," said Dr. Michael Kanters, a professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at North Carolina State University. "That's transferred from all kinds of learning environments, not just sports and physical activity. We also need to be careful that we're not being overly repetitive."

All-Around Athletes

Too much focus on one sport, particularly at a young age, limits an athlete's overall potential. And it's often the best all-around athletes that succeed at the highest level (for evidence and discussion of this, click here). Consider, for example, the recent NCAA football champions from Ohio State, with a roster comprised of 42 multi-sport recruits versus just five who were football-only athletes in high school. READ MORE>>

ILLINOIS ADM NEWS

SMALL-AREA TRAINING YIELDS

BIG DIVIDENDS FOR JAGUARS HOCKEY CLUB

By Mike Scandura, USA Hockey

When Greg Stornello was appointed hockey director for the Jaguar Hockey Club in Joliet, Ill., he had one major goal that can be summed up in two words: player development.

"Since I've been here, I've been more into player development instead of just getting teams into the building [at the Inwood Ice Arena]," said Stornello, who was appointed hockey director in 2010. "This organization has been around since 1979. The best way for kids to be successful is to give them the fundamentals. We hone in on the true aspect, which is player development.

"Our motto around here is: The Jaguars aren't a place to play hockey. It's a place to train to become a hockey player."

Stornello knows of what he speaks, since he's been involved with Illinois youth hockey for 30 years. But when he joined the JHC, the organization had only 150 youth players, including travel teams and learn-to-skate players. Today the JHC boasts 400 players over 13 teams that play in the Northwest Hockey League and the Northern Illinois Hockey League. READ MORE>>

ADM ACROSS AMERICA

YOUTH SPORTS:

FOR EVERYONE OR ELITES?

ADM INCREASES ACTIVITY, SKILLS IN SOUTH ST. PAUL, MN

By Beau Dure, Huffington Post

We are a nation obsessed with sports. We are also a nation of obese children and adults.

That's a contradiction that perplexes Tom Farrey, an ESPN reporter and author who has spent the last four years working with The Aspen Institute's youth sports initiative Project Play. That work, which has included contributions from "more than 250 thought leaders," has culminated in a report released Monday: Sport for All, Play for Life.

Before the report was released, Farrey did a presentation at an atypical venue for think tank reports -- the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) convention. READ MORE>>

By Mike Scandura, USA Hockey

The hockey tradition is strong in South St. Paul. Just ask United States Olympians Phil Housley and Justin Faulk.

So when the South St. Paul Youth Hockey Association embraced the player development ideas within USA Hockey's American Development Model, there was understandably some local hesitation about the changes.

The Minnesota association has moved to change those perceptions.

One example can be found on the South St. Paul website. A video is posted with the title "From a child's point of view, parents find full-ice hockey is no fun." READ MORE>>

ADM MULTIMEDIA

MARTIN ST. LOUIS GOSKATE! EVENT Q&A

WHAT TO EXPECT AT

10U ADM

Martin St. Louis and Roger Grillo answer questions from youth hockey players at a recent GoSkate! Event at the MSG training center.

The Golden Age for Skill Development is considered 10U, further solidifying the statement that the ADM is about so much more than Mite Hockey. This video will give parents and coaches an idea of what to expect as your player moves into Squirt hockey this year (or next. And yes, Squirts play all full-ice games. However, the concepts of small-area games and station based practices do not go away (as they are implemented all the way up to the NHL level).

JUST FOR COACHES

PRACTICE PLANS FOR ON-ICE

PRACTICE PLANS FOR DRYLAND

The ADM Newsletter will include a variety of new practices plans that cover both 8U and 10U practices. We encourage the coaches to use them, adjust them for their practices, or just use some of the concepts contained in the plans as each club has different limitations as to how much ice they have or how many teams are on the ice. Click HERE for Practice Plan.

Off Ice Agility & Balance - Hop Scotch

Off Ice Upper & Lower Body - Irish Dance