You Know What You Know

“You know what you know.”

Young players only know what they have been taught or what was emphasized in their previous experiences within the game of hockey. Obviously, coaches can’t assume anything when it comes to working with, coaching and teaching a new group of players.

So many young players have preconceived tendencies or identities to their game. These aspects of their game have been firmly entrenched in previous years. Sadly many young players actually believe they’re in the right or their way is the right way of doing things when they arrive at the next level, whatever that level is. They know what they know, but it’s the job of the coach to teach and take them to entirely new level so the player or players improve.

I often reflect back on the 2011-2012 Pee Wee AA season because there were so many instances of “they know what they know.”

Case in point, I had a first year defenceman approach me after I told him to “skate the puck and wheel, or go with it,” that in Atom AA, they weren’t allowed to skate with the puck past the tops of the circles in their own zone. Now can you imagine what those six kids believed playing defence actually was?

I had another kid that had no idea how to play in his own zone, he would fly the zone and take off as soon as the team had possession of the puck and be at the red line stick waving in the air waiting for the breakaway feed.

This was the same year where one of the managers came up to me very early on in the year and said, “Craig, the parents are concerned the boys aren’t skating enough in practice, and that you’re talking too much to them after or during drills.”

You see the parents also “know what they know” as well.

Obviously, with that group of kids especially early on in the process, I had to re-teach certain aspects of the game. That shit takes time and patience.

Oh it can’t be that bad nowadays, players are more prepared than ever to make the jump to the next level and contribute. Well, you would be surprised.

Some players entering the U-18 ranks for the first time are incredibly raw, especially on one side of the puck, the defensive side of it. Some young players have no idea how to defend or even know why that’s important in the first place. They have relied so heavily on their own tendencies or let’s face it “bad habits or tendencies” at lower levels that there is a massive adaptation or adjustment period that they have to go through and experience before they find their way and excel.

The search for knowledge or understanding is a critical trait for any young player to possess. Some kids are sponges or students of the game, others have to be told 16 to 20 times before it sinks in and they execute it. That’s the joys of coaching, that’s the process, especially when young players have tendencies or bad habits to their game that have been festering for quite some time that have never been addressed or corrected.

“Oh they’re will figure that out on their own, next year.”

That’s total and utter bull shit.

Coaches, much like teachers need to check for understanding, they need to go deep and actually ask the player or players why they made certain decisions that led to mistakes or breakdowns in practice and in games.

They need to understand how the players think and process things. Now don’t get me wrong, players also need to take some accountability and ownership when it comes to their development, processing and overall knowledge of the game.

Again one would think, players and coaches these days are so far advanced that they wouldn’t have to address this issue, but think again. Trust me, I’ve heard stories even at the Major Junior level, where the lack of communication or teaching that is occurring is downright shocking.

Preconceived notions or assumptions when it comes to the game of hockey aren’t quite something.

“Oh well they should know what to do by now.”

Wrong.

They don’t.

What’s the primary objective of a coach or teacher?

What’s the primary objective of a student or player?

“You know what you know.”

“They know what they know”

I’ve told this story a million times, but it applies to this aspect of the game so well.

We are on the road for an exhibition game about a week and a half into the season. My non parent assistant coach is tired of seeing the same first year player make the same mistake. He’s a little worked up, he comes down the bench and wants to tear a strip off the kid, I stopped him in his tracks and said,

“We haven’t put it in yet,” I said.

“Well, holy shit, he should know by now,” he said.

“I know he should, but he doesn’t, wait until we put it in at practice this week coming and if he screws up after that we or you can address it,” I added.

Coaches and players “know what they know,” hopefully both sides of the equation work together to figure out what’s best for everyone involved.

Have you ever thought about why player development coaches are popping up everywhere around the game right now?

Well, this is one of best reasons why.

It wouldn’t matter what level you’re at or intend on going to, the trend we are seeing in the game with Dev Coaches is one that will stay for a long long time. The best Dev coaches are the best communicators, they’re the most knowledgeable about specific positions within the game and they have played the game at an extremely high level or perhaps the highest of them all. You see what sets them apart from perhaps other coaches is their willingness to go deep and ask the right questions at the right times, but also their ability to specifically pinpoint areas or tendencies that the player needs to improve.

Obviously, they provide a different voice to the equation, but at the end of the day, they listen, they ask questions, they check for understanding, and ultimately they get buy-in from the players because of it.

“You know what you know.”