What Makes a Good Hockey Coach?

Good players need talent but they also need good coaches
The most important quality you need to coach is enthusiasm. People respond brilliantly to an eager, hard working leader.
It takes time to build up coaching skills and experience, but help is available. A task of the OMHA is to look after the development of coaching and coaches at every level in minor hockey.
To become a qualified coach in a particular sport, you will need to take the appropriate coaching qualifications offered by the national governing body of that sport.
In the meantime here are a few tips for coaching success.

• Know yourself
  • Why do you want to coach and what do you want to achieve?
• A Question of Sport
  • The better your understanding of the techniques and skills of a sport the better equipped you
    are to pass these on.
• Be Positive
  • Patience and praise work a lot better than criticism and shouting.
• Variety is the Key
  • Avoid games where kids have to sit out and don’t make all your sessions competitive
• Teach Skills & Demonstrate
  • Demonstrating a skill works much better than talking about it. If you can’t do it, find someone
    who can.
• Involve Everybody
  • Always make sure there’s enough equipment or kit for all. Create small groups of children
    rather than one big group.
    Communicate
    Actions speak louder than words. Body language is important. Smiles and positive gestures work
    wonders.
• Mind & Body
  • A grasp of how the body responds to exercise and training and an ability to adopt safe practices
    and prevent injury are important. So too is confidence building, goal setting, emotional
    control, concentration skills – coaches work on the mindset as well as the body.
• Sense and Sensitivity
  • Some children take longer than others to learn so adopt your style accordingly. To keep
    children motivated it helps to be consistent, set achievable goals and give frequent feedback.
• Take it from the Top
  • Lead by example and gain trust and respect. Coaches of children are role models and this
    carries responsibility. How you behave, dress and your attitude all set an example. If you
    adhere to consistent high standards this will rub off.

Thanks to home town hockey for this great article