About the ADM

Ten years ago, USA Hockey came out with what it calls the “American Development Model.” Since the development of this model, hockey has grown in the number of participants and had great success as a sport in general. Despite that fact, however, all people still don’t fully understand or trust the ADM. It’s time to put an end to that, however, by fully explaining and clarifying the truth about the ADM.   

Why Was ADM Created?

First of all, you should understand that, contrary to popular belief, the ADM was not created to change the sport as a whole.

Instead, it wanted to change how the sport was taught and to make the teaching of it more age appropriate and more effective. The sport tries to take into consideration the principles of education and what children need to learn and grow. This is all done in an effort to teach it as properly and safely as possible, not to redesign the sport entirely as some people think.

The ADM Works for All Ages

Many people think the ADM only works for mites or very young and inexperienced players. However, that’s not true.

With lots of research backing it, this plan is designed to work for small children all the way up to skilled adults. In this way, the ADM is for everyone and should be used accordingly.

The ADM is Supportive of Games

Because the ADM doesn’t focus heavily on games and game scenarios, a lot of people think it is anti-game. However, that’s not the case at all.

The ADM wants to ensure that all the focus isn’t on games, but it is not against them. Instead, it just wants to put them into perspective and ensure that players are developing good skills that will make them well-rounded players and athletes in every possible way.

The ADM is designed to benefit players and to create a supportive sports culture. It’s time to stop the misunderstanding and to start appreciating the development for what it is and the values it instills.

What Will Youth Hockey Be Like in the Future?

Hockey, like any other sport, is constantly evolving and changing. One of the major changes that has been rocking the hockey world in recent years is the increased focus on development of hockey related programs and improving the game itself, both in terms of the way it is played and in terms of its safety. For example, in 2009, the National Hockey League allotted funds to new USA hockey programs for these very purposes.

The people who benefited the most from these funds- and who still continue to benefit- were youth players. After all, these are the players of tomorrow, the players of the future, so it makes sense that the NHL would want to invest in its future players.

It was in this same year- 2009- that the American Development Model was created. The model is essentially a comprehensive plan for ways in which the sport can be improved. It focuses on developing athletes over a long period of time, from youth into early adulthood. It is also geared more toward learning new skills than it is toward competition, a fact that will likely mean that youth hockey will get to be less and less about competition as time goes on.

In fact, that change is already becoming more and more evident in leagues around the globe. Today’s young players are being honed to be more technically developed and skilled than the players of the past, who were mostly just preened to be “winners.”

That’s not to say that there hasn’t been some opposition to these changes. Many are sticklers for the old way of doing things and are holding out, refusing to move to the new methods. Eventually, though, as affiliated programs are required to follow more and more stringent rules, modern hockey players (and coaches!) will have no choice but to get with the program.

Regardless of how one feels about the playing regulations and new training focuses, there are some definite positives to these new methods. For example, hockey, thanks to its new, softer focus, which prohibits body checking until a mature age, is becoming more parent-friendly and player-friendly. Young players and their parents will be less worried about injury or other problems, prompting more players to sign up. In fact, these projected results are already occurring. From 2008 to 2009, for example, the number of children age 8 and under enrolling in hockey jumped from 90,000 to 107,387.

Experts are also predicting an increased focus on recruiting new players under the age of 8. These players will not be privy to the “old way” of doing things, and, in most cases, neither will their parents. That should mean less objection to the new rules and an easier time creating the players of tomorrow that hockey wants.

As enrollment in youth hockey increases and as more focus is put on retaining players, more rinks will likely crop up as well. So, as you can see, the future of hockey looks different but bright.  

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