Long Term Player Development Hockey Canada “To Lead, Develop, and Promote positive hockey experiences.”

Programming Goals Participant Centered Establish the “Gold Standard” for all hockey programming Provide all participants with a positive experience focusing on building a strong skill base Adhere to the principles of Long Term Participant Development (LTPD) in the design and application of age-specific programs

Long Term Player Development Mission 10/10,000   Research has concluded that it takes a minimum of 10 years and 10,000 hours of deliberate training for a talented player to reach elite levels (Starkes and Ericsson, 2003). This means before the 10 year or 10,000 hour rule comes into play: 1) A player must have developed the fundamental skills 2) Be physically literate For a player and coach this translates into slightly more than 3 hours of training or competition daily for 10 years.

Long Term Player Development Ensures physical literacy - upon which excellence can be built Ensures that optimal training, competition, and recovery programs are provided throughout an athlete’s career. Provides an optimal competition structure for the various stages of an athlete’s development.

Programming Goals – MSA Centered The most important aspects of Minor Sport Association development are: 1) Consistency in the coaching philosophy 2) Consistency in what the coaches are teaching.

Key Steps to Building a Programming Model A Minor Sport Association’s success from a coaching / player standpoint will be based on 3 main aspects: Enjoyment of players coming to train / play everyday Improvement of players’ skills Developing of players to play at the next level and / or playing the sport for life

Long Term Player Development Simply put, a Long Term Player Development model (LTPDM) is a framework to maximize a player’s potential and long term involvement in sport over the course of their life. This philosophy sets out a vision for hockey in Canada that takes advantage of the history and culture of the game to increase participation and to lay the foundations of international success long into the future.

Long Term Player Development This model for hockey has been developed based on the following principles: -Doing the right thing for the player at the right stage in their development -Adopting a player-centered approach and not treating the development of all players the same way. -Viewing player development as a long term process

Long Term Player Development   It is okay for parents to want their kids to get to the highest levels but they need to know the best way to go about it. Elitism is the enemy of potential

Long Term Player Development What an MSA needs to do to improve: -Focus on supporting the complete athlete not just the athlete in training and competition. -Introduce athletic skills in a systematic and timely way -Recommend other sports, cross training methods to get away and avoid burn out -Remove the focus of winning at all levels and age

Long Term Player Development Drawbacks in our development system Over-competing & under training Adult programs imposed on children Male training programs imposed on females Preparation geared to short-term outcomes Knowledgeable coaches at the elite levels Competition system interferes with athlete development Early specialization is demanded Fundamental movement skills and sport skills are not taught properly. Parents are not educated about LTAD.

Long Term Player Development Consequences – What are the results of these shortcomings? Poor movement abilities. Lack of proper fitness. Poor skill development. Bad habits developed from over-competition focused on winning. Undeveloped and unrefined skills due to under-training. Female athlete potential not reached due to inappropriate programs. Children not having fun as they play adult-based programs. No systematic development of the next generation of successful International athletes. Failure to reach optimal performance levels in international competitions.

Long Term Player Development Consequences – What are the results of these shortcomings? Athletes pulled in different directions by school, club, and provincial teams because of the structure of competition programs. Remedial programs, implemented by provincial and national team coaches, to counteract the shortcomings of athlete preparation. Athletes failing to reach their genetic potential and optimal performance level.

Multi Sport Canada is not the only hockey powerhouse where physical literacy is key to hockey success. Coaches and players in Sweden, Russia and Finland know the importance of a multi-sport foundation for hockey. These countries have designed their player development programs around the concept that physical activity of any kind improves hockey performance. Parents who want to help their kids succeed in hockey should learn from the best junior players in the world: well-rounded athletes – complete athletes – make the best hockey players. Making better hockey players: Other sports played by Team Canada’s 2012 juniors golf (73%) soccer (67%) baseball (53%) volleyball (47%) basketball (40%) tennis (40%)

Top 6 Sports Recommended for hockey Lacrosse: Develops hand eye co-ordination, balance, & agility Soccer: Great for fitness, stamina, foot speed, and reading team play Baseball: Awesome for developing hand-eye co-ordination, athleticism, focus, and lateral movement speed Team handball: Develops overall athleticism, agility, and power Racquet sports: Excellent for hand-eye co-ordination, lateral mobility, and quickness of body and mind Gymnastics and yoga: To develop balance, agility, coordination, flexibility, and athleticism

Hockey Canada Competition Structure Why change? Too many games early in the season Not enough time for coaches to teach Not enough rest and recovery Not enough time for off ice athleticism building Too much pressure for year round hockey

Hockey Canada Competition Structure Why change? Gap between Competitive and Recreation is too great Gap between Elite and competitive is too great Elitism is the enemy of potential

Desirable Outcomes More practice time early in season, more games later in season -Better skill development Seasonal planning more consistent over longer period of time -More multisport activities Tournament Style Playoff Format -All teams make playoffs -All players get equal opportunities to play in higher calibre competition

Team Work