How to be a Star Youth Hockey Player

If you’re like many parents, you want your child to stand out and be the best youth hockey player and all around best person he can be. To make this happen, talk regularly with your child about what makes someone a good leader and a true “star player.”

The two of you may even want to take a look at some hockey players who are worth admiring and talk about the good qualities, such as hard work, that these players exhibit. As you and your child share these conversations, be sure to hit on these “star player skills” that every young player should know.

Be Yourself

It may sound simple, but it’s true. Real “hockey stars” aren’t just imitations of others. Sure, they might look up to and admire others, but they are still true to themselves, to their own values, and to their own morals.

Make sure to explain this to your child, especially when you talk about good hockey role models. Discuss how your child can look up to these people and to others, but that he still needs, at the end of the day, to stay true to himself and to forge his own path in life.   

Be a Good Example

You also want to teach your young hockey player that being a star means setting a good example for others. Tell your child to always give his personal best, even at things like small practices…and even when other players may be slacking off.

When you challenge your child to be his best, he’ll likely end up pleasantly surprising you!

Be Teachable

Finally, discuss with your child the importance of being teachable. The best hockey players are those who can take direction from others, who can learn from their mistakes, and who aren’t so overly sure of themselves that they can’t be taught anything new.

If you can teach these lessons to your child, you can instill values into him that will make him not just a star hockey player but a star person as well.

The Educational Value of a Scrimmage

Practicing is important for any youth hockey player, and most of them do it pretty regularly. However, there are only so many practices a child can attend before he starts to get bored and unfocused. That’s why it’s strongly encouraged to mix practices up with the occasional scrimmage. A scrimmage game is fun, intense, and surprisingly, can teach kids quite a few things!

To begin with, scrimmages are very similar to real games, and thus, they teach kids to really get comfortable and secure on the ice. They also help improve both speed and agility, important skills for young hockey players to have, as well as fast decision making. And, of course, they provide invaluable real-situation experience, which no player can get enough of.

Coaches are encouraged to replace a couple of weekly practices with scrimmages or to at least incorporate the scrimmage concept into some of their practices, which they can do by just tossing a puck out on the ice and letting the players go!

Players will be able to get all the fun, experience, and learning value of a real game but without any pressure weighing them down and with lots more actual playing-with-the-puck time. Coaches usually find that even their shyest players come out of their shells during scrimmages and that everyone benefits, so go ahead; treat your players to the highly educational experience of a scrimmage!

The Most Important Skills for Young Hockey Players

Youth hockey is all about having fun and about learning some of the important life skills that go along with sports, like respect, leadership, and hard work. However, there will always be those select few players who aren’t just in the game for fun and life experiences. There are always those players

who, from a young age, are serious about the game and about playing it to the fullest of their abilities. These players need to focus very strongly on some of the more important skills involved in the game; developing these key skills is the only way for them to one day reach their sports related goals.

Skating

Hands down, the most important skill to hone in any serious-minded young hockey player is skating. Skating is the true foundation of hockey. If a player can’t skate, it doesn’t really matter how well he can do anything else. If you find that the youth player in your life is a weak skater, lacks balance on the ice, or has already developed bad skating habits, it’s worth it to spend some time “getting back to basics.” Spending time focusing on just skating and then slowly incorporating good skating habits in with good playing skills can take a decent player and turn him into a great player in no time flat.

Puck Handling

A good hockey player can control the puck, both when it’s in his control and when he’s sending it off across the ice. If your player is struggling with puck handling, its time to get serious with puck handling drills. Many of these drills can be performed both on and off the ice, so getting in some extra practice time at home is definitely possible. Remember, young players learn through repetition, so the more practice time you can give to puck handling and the more times you can repeat the same drills, the better.

Defensive Skills

Defensive skills are yet another important aspect of playing the game well. Unfortunately, a lot of coaches are of the mindset that these skills can only truly be learned in games. While it’s true that players are their most aggressive and serious about defense during real games, encourage the player in your life to take defense during practice games just as seriously. Also talk about different strategies for breakouts and attacking the offensive with your player. Talk regularly about the pros and cons of different strategies and moves in different scenarios; the goal is to get your player to constantly think like a true defensive asset. If he can think like one, he can become one.

These are just a few of the many skills that are necessary for becoming a strong youth hockey player. Work on these and encourage your player to give every game and practice his all, and you just might end up with a little hockey star on your hands.