Grassroots: The Minor Hockey Show

This is the final episode from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City as well as the final episode for this season of Grassroots.

Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.

Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:

This is the fourth of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.

Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.

Here is the link to the conference's proceedings (Gergely's abstract is on page 32):

ht...

This is the third of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.

Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.

Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:

https://grassrootsminorhockey.com/link...

This is the second of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.

Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.

Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:

https://grassrootsminorhockey.com/lin...

This is the first of five episodes of content from the May 30-June 2 Hockey Research Conference at Laval University in Quebec City.

Please be advised that, because the discussions were held in public spaces, the sound quality and background noise are inconsistent. Also, all five episodes are with individuals whose first language is not English.

Here is the link to the conference's proceedings:

https://grassrootsminorhockey.com/link...

Jim Haverstrom is USA Hockey's Coach-in-chief for Florida. Over 25 years as a coach and now coach developer, he's become an ardent advocate for the Constraints Led and an Ecological Dynamics approaches which he's successfully applied in his own coaching.

The soccer study he refers to in the podcast is: 

Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (...

Some years ago, Brian Gillam began to adopt an ecological approach to coaching and teaching the game. Today he is immersed in it as a coach but especially as a "skills instructor." In this episode, he discusses what he does in special sessions, how he does it and why. Brian is the coaching development director for Hockey Eastern Ontario.

His website: briangillamhockey.com

Contact: richard(at)grassrootsminorhockey.com X (Twitter): ...

Access to rinks, ice time , and cost may be impediments to growing a program in a small hockey market. But not to Chris Benson who helps direct the fortunes of the Bristol youth program in England. Speaking from Riga, Latvia, where his son is attending a hockey camp, Chris passionately describes the challenges and the steps being taken to programming, one of which includes the "management" of parents.

Contact: richard(at)grassroot...

"We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience."

Host Richard Bercuson spends this episode providing an overview of his season coaching 10 year olds in a unique house league-type environment. Dean Holden poses some pointed questions that has Richard using the "wayback machine" to reflect on the approaches he's used and why.

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In the introduction, Richard refers to...

Special guest Dr. Stephen Norris and Dean Holden discuss their recent trip to Kazakhstan as part of an IIHF initiative to grow the game in other parts of the world. What is the impact of this initiative on our own game's leadership? Where are we going? Is it the right direction? An in-depth look at those and other questions. https://www.iihf.com/en/news/64332/first_asian_general_secretary_summit

Contact: richard(at)grassrootsmino...

The modern lexicon of coaching includes terms like transformational and transactional to describe the approaches coaches use. What are their characteristics? In minor hockey, can someone be both?  Dean Holden delves into this topic, aided and abetted by host Richard Bercuson who tosses out questions and examples to investigate. Toward Understanding Youth Athletes’ Fun Priorities: An Investigation of Sex, Age, and Levels of Play: A...

Greg Revak, an Ohio-based coach and USA Hockey coach developer, has unique and progressive ideas on coaching the game. His podcast and newsletter hit on various topics which are pertinent to coaches at every level. In this episode, he shares with Richard his personal bugaboos and annoyances about practice design and what we can do better. His website: https://hockeysarsenal.substack.com/ The HockeyIQ Podcast: https://hockeysarsena...

However you define "new," Richard and Dean discuss what coaches need to consider at the start of a new adventure and the resources they should access. Books: How we learn to move by Rob Gray The Coach's Guide to Teaching by Doug Lemov Transforming Basketball by Alex Sarama The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier

Podcasts: This one, of course! The Talent Equation - Stua...

Season 5 begins with an important pre-season look at how contact and checking need to be taught to take it beyond the confines of the current checking clinic module. Richard and Dean examine an approach using spectrums of skill for different ages and levels of play, built within the current four-stage checking progression espoused by Hockey Canada. Those who'd like a copy of the spectrums diagram should email Richard: Richard(at)g...

This episode is a unique collaboration with Stuart Armstrong whose podcast is The Talent Equation. His May 28, 2024, show was called "Coach Education is  broken." It struck a chord with Grassroots host Richard Bercuson who felt it reminded him of the famous Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch. He connected with Stuart and here's the result: a tripartite discussion with Stuart, Richard, and Dean Holden about coach education's demise. S...

Brian Gillam, HEO's Coaching Coordinator and Gold Medal Pathways mentor, delves into the myriad of ways in which small or reduced space practice activities are central to how children will develop both their skills and ability to play games on similar sized areas. Gillam is a longtime proponent of ecological dynamics and constraints led approaches. He explains how important it is for children and teens to be trained in space consis...