I have missed very few ice hockey practices for my son. Why do I attend the practices? Number one: one day he will have "grown up" and I don't want to miss these moments. I enjoy watching him and my daughter. Number two: practices are challenging for children. Each age dictates a different type of practice. At age 12 the practices become more complex. Greater mental demands are placed on the players to think about the game. Thinking can slow a player down. Practicing thinking or decision making/options makes thinking more automatic.
Coaches begin moving away from a lot of visual examples and start relying more on verbal instructions. Many coaches use "chalk-talk" to review the complexities of the game and pre-practice routines. On the practice ice, your child is no longer being asked to just skate and shoot but he or she is also being asked to think. Think. Thinking is no different then learning to skate, pass or shoot. It needs to be practiced just like those physical skills. Imagine what it is like having to skate, control the puck and make decisions while someone can plow you to the ground at any moment. Difficult? Stressful? Of course it is.
Whether or not you make every practice, there is opportunity for you to help your child learn. You can't help teach them the new drills if you don't know what they are practicing. The art of making good decisions on the ice, come game time, comes from practicing them on and off the ice. How can you help? You can spend about 10 minutes a day, 20 at most, drawing up the practice drills and having you child explain to you what his role is and how he should move on the ice. This preparation will allow your child to focus better at practices and it will decrease their anxiety and build their confidence. Practices will start with them understanding what is expected of them. Their focus will be on the coach and on what is being said, not on worrying what the coach means or how the drill is done.
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