Coaching Education Program: Age-Specific Modules

O-townClown · Post by **O-townClown** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:16 pm

By now some people should be pretty far along with their required age-specific courses. Interested in hearing feedback from others.

Here are my thoughts so far. (I have begun, but not yet finished, my 'assignment' for 2011-12.)

CONS

* Online access expires after 30 days, why?
* The course is pretty long...will people put in the time?

PROS

* Provides a great explanation for age-specific capabilities of children
* Organizes a lot of information for simple reference
* Provides specifics on practice curriculum
* Easy to digest; broken in to small modules

OTHER THOUGHTS

* Places individual improvement over team success at younger ages, how will this be received?
* At younger ages, attempts to remove overcoaching by replacing it with guiding

Kudos for USA Hockey for improving the delivery model for their coaching material. I'm very impressed. Hopefully minds are open enough to alter the overcoaching and reliance on lines-laps-lectures that permeate youth sports.

Cdale · Post by **Cdale** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:45 pm

It's becoming more and more difficult just to VOLUNTEER to coach my kids team.

Towelie · Post by **Towelie** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 1:24 pm

I'd say they are just trying to make sure the Volunteer's actually know what they are doing a little bit. There are a lot of parents coaching that really don't have that much knowledge on the sport and are only coaching to make sure their kid has more ice time and not focusing on the real reason they are there...To actually coach.

Please note though that this is not the case for every parent coach as their are quite a few that are well qualified and do a fantastic job and same with the ones that are not as qualified and are just doing it for love of game.

I do agree that with an already packed season the last thing a coach wants to do is sit down and take a multiple hour long course but I really didn't think it was that bad. It could be a lot worse and I'm sure we will all witness it someday.

ogelthorpe · Post by **ogelthorpe** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 1:51 pm

I agree that this is a great source of information and much better then any clinic I have attended in person. I would prefer if they did away with the clinics and did it all online, I would rather sit in my home and listen to well thought out, organized material then the rambling all day sessions I have been subjected to in the past.

Shinbone_News · Post by **Shinbone_News** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 2:06 pm

Kudos to USAHockey???

Totally agree. I've heard kvetching about the time commitment (6+ hours per module) from others, and that sucks if you have more than one to do... but if the information is valuable and well presented (and it is, IMO) then every coach should want to be better, more knowledgeable and deeper into the pedagogy of teaching kids how to play the game. Better coaches = better experience for kids = more hockey players who stay with the game.

One-time module, six hours of mouse-jockeying for a dozen great coaching tips and a meaningful overview of the ADM as it applies to my age group? No problemo!

scorekeeper · Post by **scorekeeper** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 2:45 pm

It's well laid out and very helpful, far surpasses all the coaching clinics and seminars I have taken in the past. Getting to do it on my time in my home is priceless. Well done!

seek & destroy · Post by **seek & destroy** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 3:37 pm

scorekeeper wrote:It's well laid out and very helpful, far surpasses all the coaching clinics and seminars I have taken in the past. Getting to do it on my time in my home is priceless. Well done!

I agree!! It wasn't that bad to do and the presentation format was much better than going to a live presentation and sitting in a room.

I have two suggestions. One is that shouldn't require redoing a COMPLETE module for each age level - it is overkill. With a computer generated program, it should be possible to come up with a way for a person to do one age specific module and then have a way that cuts out some things for a different level...many parts are repetitive. For example, if a person is helping coach a Squirt team and also a Bantam team, they should be required to take the Bantam module and then only have to take certain parts of the Squirt (age specific drills etc.).

The other suggestion is that they could have a shortened program for assistant coaches. A team should be required to have at least one coach (the Head Coach usually) fully certified and the others should be allowed to take a shorter version that doesn't have all the detail if they choose. Having 3, 4 or sometimes 5 coaches all aware of the value of nutrition for a Squirt player is probably not necessary. This allows some people to come out and help move pucks around without having to spend 5 hours + in front of their computer.

dogeatdog1 · Post by **dogeatdog1** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 6:47 pm

Dog's eye view. One ONe Module sufficient to take care of most of the information on all of the ages. 15 hours? Way too long. If you have the ability to coach 3 kids you are spending 45 hours of relearning about half of the information. Money Grab from USA Hockey $10 for each module I hear there are 60k coaches (Might be wrong at that # but ) = lots of $$$$

Good idea but not well thought through

O-townClown · Post by **O-townClown** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 9:17 pm

dogeatdog1 wrote:Good idea but not well thought through

Suggestions?

SECoach · Post by **SECoach** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 11:27 pm

Cdale wrote:It's becoming more and more difficult just to VOLUNTEER to coach my kids team.

I don't think the definition of the word volunteer is "someone that doesn't need and can't be required to know anything about what they are doing.

They won't let me "volunteer" to teach Calculus at the local high school without some training. If i "volunteered" to wash my neighbor's dogs, but they always came home dirty, I would probably need to take a lesson or two. The people that volunteer to fix cleft palates in South America probably need to be certified also. Volunteer does not mean there can be no requirements to have a certain amount of knowledge in the subject.

edgeless2 · Post by **edgeless2** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 1:31 am

SECoach wrote:
Cdale wrote:It's becoming more and more difficult just to VOLUNTEER to coach my kids team.
I don't think the definition of the word volunteer is "someone that doesn't need and can't be required to know anything about what they are doing.

They won't let me "volunteer" to teach Calculus at the local high school without some training. If i "volunteered" to wash my neighbor's dogs, but they always came home dirty, I would probably need to take a lesson or two. The people that volunteer to fix cleft palates in South America probably need to be certified also. Volunteer does not mean there can be no requirements to have a certain amount of knowledge in the subject.

But if you volunteer for habitat for humanity I guess the bar is lower cause it means less??

edgeless2 · Post by **edgeless2** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 1:34 am

edgeless2 wrote:
SECoach wrote:
Cdale wrote:It's becoming more and more difficult just to VOLUNTEER to coach my kids team.
I don't think the definition of the word volunteer is "someone that doesn't need and can't be required to know anything about what they are doing.

They won't let me "volunteer" to teach Calculus at the local high school without some training. If i "volunteered" to wash my neighbor's dogs, but they always came home dirty, I would probably need to take a lesson or two. The people that volunteer to fix cleft palates in South America probably need to be certified also. Volunteer does not mean there can be no requirements to have a certain amount of knowledge in the subject.

But if you volunteer for habitat for humanity I guess the bar is lower cause it
means less??

No offense cause I feel the same...feels lime a money grab!

PanthersIn2011 · Post by **PanthersIn2011** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 8:31 am

edgeless2 wrote:No offense cause I feel the same...feels lime a money grab!

"Ann Arbor tax" is the phrase that I'm hearing.

I do appreciate that USAH makes the content available on-line. It is well done. And there is a non-zero cost to produce and host the video.

But it really does feel like I'm being gouged. And it is one more obstacle to bring in young, non-parent coaching talent. Not sure how this helps with growing the game.

$55 for my L3 recertification plus another $10 for the age appropriate module .... "Giving back to the game" is starting to take on a new meaning for me.

Cdale · Post by **Cdale** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 8:50 am

SECoach wrote:
Cdale wrote:It's becoming more and more difficult just to VOLUNTEER to coach my kids team.
I don't think the definition of the word volunteer is "someone that doesn't need and can't be required to know anything about what they are doing.

They won't let me "volunteer" to teach Calculus at the local high school without some training. If i "volunteered" to wash my neighbor's dogs, but they always came home dirty, I would probably need to take a lesson or two. The people that volunteer to fix cleft palates in South America probably need to be certified also. Volunteer does not mean there can be no requirements to have a certain amount of knowledge in the subject.

Here's the deal- we're not teaching calculus or repairing faces in S.A., we're coaching kids in hockey. Background checks, a course or so, some basic training is fine. The problem is the powers that be are making it harder and harder with more & more hoops to jump through. I'm sure the cost we pay will increase too. It's like big government....imagine 5 years from now, we'll all need to pay $100 and take 6 classes over 3 weekends. Does anyone really think this is it? You know it'll just be more & more down the road.

McLuvin · Post by **McLuvin** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:12 am

Let's not forget the $40 coaching registration fee. Also if you are like me and have multiple kids, if you want to coach the younger ones, you are only allowed 2 re-certifications at level 3 before they force you to get Level 4. Why is this? I am coaching mites, squirts and maybe at the peewee level. But because I have an age gap in kids I will be forced into a weekend of spending hundreds of dollars so I can coach Mites! I am not coaching at Ann Arbor. Really sound thinking USA hockey.

Actually, I blame it all on the baby boomers (those age 45-65) who in general created and defined the term helicopter parent!!!!

Deep Breath · Post by **Deep Breath** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:18 am

Main issue I had this year was the mandatory bump up in Levels that we had to take. I was already a Level 2 in good standing and had to take a Level 3 course if I wanted to coach this year. I coach U8s, so I sat through an 8-hour, Level-3 class and learned about the best techniques for Bantams to work on their breakouts and other issues that have nothing to do with coaching U8s, which I already was certified for prior to walking into the class, which I had to pay for. Seems like the whole "let's change the CEP process" wasn't completely thought out before it was handed down to the coaches.

O-townClown · Post by **O-townClown** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:47 am

Deep Breath wrote:Main issue I had this year was the mandatory bump up in Levels that we had to take. I was already a Level 2 in good standing and had to take a Level 3 course if I wanted to coach this year. I coach U8s, so I sat through an 8-hour, Level-3 class and learned about the best techniques for Bantams to work on their breakouts and other issues that have nothing to do with coaching U8s, which I already was certified for prior to walking into the class, which I had to pay for. Seems like the whole "let's change the CEP process" wasn't completely thought out before it was handed down to the coaches.

Opposite for me. I just needed the age-specific module. Most of the coaches I check only need the age-spec module as well. Not sure why you got bumped unless your Level 2 was set to expire.

dogeatdog1 · Post by **dogeatdog1** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 9:53 am

O-townClown wrote:
dogeatdog1 wrote:Good idea but not well thought through
Suggestions?

I agree with poster above. One concussion sesssion one alcohol session one nutrition session. I work on a lot of training in my current job and have talked to a lot of coaches. Here is the MO. sign up for the module. start the computer and walk away.... come back every 10-15 minutes to take the chapter test. Are we really getting everything out of these modules? keep the training to less than 3 hours... I don't need to hear that this doctor is the doctor for the USA u18 national team and that he has trained pros... get to the meat of the training and get us on to the ice where we can help kids.

JSR · Post by **JSR** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 10:18 am

Seems like money grab to me to. I had to spend EIGHT HOURS and $50+ to get my Level 3 certification because with the new rules your Level 2 is only good for 1 year and then you HAVE to take Level 3. So I spent an entire Sunday getting my Level 3. NOW I have to take an ADDITIONAL 6 hour online course that hoenstly has yet to tell me a single thing that I did not already know. This is no different than the business world, the people who are good at what they do study everything they can to ebcome better at it and hence "Continuing Education" tends to be a worthless time waste for those folks becauzse in most instances they could TEACH the material better than the ones that are doing it. For everyone else they are opening up the online thing and walking away from the computer and checking on it every once in a while just like the business people at CE seminars who sit in the back reading the newspaper the whole time. Make the material available but quit impeding on our time and money just so we can spend time helping our kids learn a GAME. This is not surgery, this is not academics it's a GAME, and one of the things I've learned about sports and games over the years is that there is NOT a single right way of doing things. Just because USA Hockey and some researchers say "this is how you should do it" doesn't mean they are right. It does not mean they are wrong but it's very subjective and they are reaching ever further and further into our time, into our pocket books and into our patience. Trust me, go much further and private enterprise competing with USA Hockey will start popping up all over the place. I've actually talked with some parents who have some serious dollars who have already started thinking about it. It's called balance people. If you want to hold a certification course to make sure some one understands the basic concepts for tteaching the game at a certain level fine, if you want to offer training materials forthose who WANT to get more out of the experience and WANT to be better, great..... but this foreced stuff is getting just about to the breaking point where you WILL start seeing good people stopping their "volunteering", in fact we lost 3 coaches this year because they weren't willing to do what USA Hockey wants them to do. Some will probably say "good riddance" but see these guys weren't bad guys and in really small towns like ours you have a real hard time finding ANYONE who remotely knws ANYTHING about the game, so losing guys who played High School hockey for us is pretty detrimental (FYI, they've been replaced by 3 guys who NEVER played the game, can barely stand up on their skates and have learned EVERYTHING they know about hockey from these courses..... did we just help "grow the game" in this scenario??????).

I am a believer in the ADM, I am finding some good stuff in alot of what USA Hockey offers but I think they've gone a bit far and I am starting to see push back here already.

BadgerBob82 · Post by **BadgerBob82** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 10:22 am

I talked with Alison at USA Hockey. She indicated the age-specific modules only need to be taken once, FOR NOW. So as it stands now, you can take the Pee-Wee module this year and with a Level 4, never have to take another course?

Any guess if we will be taking Age Modules every year?

D6Rocks · Post by **D6Rocks** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 2:19 pm

Complete waste of time.
Didn't watch a minute of the videos, passed all the tests.
It took parts of three days.

It'll be interesting to see all the healthy bantams this year. Now that all the coaches will know that fast food, drinking and tobacco use is bad for you.

Maybe that part was for the coaches. There are a lot of chubby coaches out there, me included.

Shinbone_News · Post by **Shinbone_News** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 2:52 pm

Ahh, what a relief. I knew the haters, pinch-pennies and know-it-alls would sniff this thread out before too long.

Shinbone_News · Post by **Shinbone_News** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 2:56 pm

D6Rocks wrote:Complete waste of time.
Didn't watch a minute of the videos

Classic. And the chorus all chimes in, "HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IT WAS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME IF YOU DIDN'T WATCH A MINUTE OF IT?"

Classic.

O-townClown · Post by **O-townClown** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 3:21 pm

D6Rocks wrote:Complete waste of time.
Didn't watch a minute of the videos, passed all the tests.
It took parts of three days.

Minds are like parachutes.

Ugottobekiddingme · Post by **Ugottobekiddingme** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:22 pm

O-townClown wrote:
D6Rocks wrote:Complete waste of time.
Didn't watch a minute of the videos, passed all the tests.
It took parts of three days.
Minds are like parachutes.

Especially when we have to match the monitary and social structure of the common teachers union....GERONIMO.......