What is wrong with drill books.

The coach opened the “Drill Book” full of pictures and symbols with the purpose of finally mastering the game of Ringette. “Wow, with these drills, I can see medals on the mantle.”

A Bunny (ringette player 4 to 6 years of age) coordinator recently showed me her rink diagrams for the Bunnies practice.

Oh, I forgot that Bunnies cannot skate just yet, but the diagrams look great.

Hey, thanks for sharing…

But…

With all the pretty diagrams these drills show where players are located on the ice, but they fail to address the core elements of the drill:

• Key teaching points, and  

• Communication

One of the leaders in skating, which is so fundamental to Ringette, is the Laura Stamm International Power Skating System (http://www.laurastamm.com/).

While our National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) requires coaches to provide key teaching points to ringette players, we get lost in the spaghetti lines found in most drill books.

It is confusing for the always diligent and “student of the game” ringette coach from local ringette communities such as Icy Path.

What is more important: following the lines on the page in the drill book or delivering the key teaching points with clarity, imagination and curiosity?

To illustrate, the Laura Stamm method recommends the following teaching points for forward skating crossovers:

1. Lock your ankles and form a 45º angle with the ice for maximum power.

2. Focus on a dual stride motion – the “stride push” and the “X-push.”

3. Bend your knees deeply.

4. Carve the edges into the ice rather than simply gliding on them.

5. Maintain a level upper body for stronger balance.

It is very difficult to “draw” these key points on a rink diagram.

Forget the drill book!!

One of the best things the ringette coach can do is to learn about and apply the fundamental movement skills (throwing, running, jumping, skating).

The NCCP has developed some material to help coaches.

Check it out.. . http://www.coach.ca/fundamental-movement-skills-s16736

Take a power skating course by a professional skating instructor, and see how she demonstrates, instructs and guides the athlete through the key skating teaching points.

Better yet – do the same for goalies to learn about goalie skills – remember goalies do not do crossovers. They need their own workouts and key teaching points.

Once you get the concept and structure of the “key teaching points,” then you can pick up the drill book and get back to patterns on the ice.

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