This is Iggy Azalea. Back in the summer of 2014, she had a banger called “Fancy.” It included the Title and Subtitle of this article. And it blasted in the Downtown Madison nightlife where I resided that summer.
Now that you’re up to speed, she’s gonna teach us about first principles…
“First things first.”
You Already Know… Or do you?
Ever read a book twice and didn’t highlight something that you should have…
How did I miss that?
This is a quote that I missed the first time.
Speaking of “firsts.”
Why are we still missing first principles in coaching education?
There is a reason the term is called first principles, you’re supposed to start with them.
Yet if you show up to a grassroots clinic in the sport of hockey, Level 1 coaches are given “drills” to do with their players.
I’m not sure if USA Hockey thinks Level 1 coaches are not intellectually capable of something like the “first principles of ice hockey” but I don’t think you’re an idiot so let me make it really clear.
First Principles 101
Understanding reality is supposed to be starting with what is true, not what we "think" is true. This is the first principles approach.
Welcome to ice hockey.
The game is about “space.”
Creating it on offense. Denying it on defense.
That’s it. Thanks for coming, you’re now more equipped to run a practice reading the last 2 sentences than you are armed with the Top 100 Drills of 2022 book.
Related Reading on First Principles
Start at the Beginning
How do you “cause a player to understand?”
Woah… That sounds like a loaded question too…
Maybe we should invert it first.
How do you ensure a player doesn’t understand?
Throw them into a drill you “learned” but don’t understand
Make them do it repeatedly without knowing why
Repeat for 60-90 minutes until practice is over
Repeat for years
This is why we work from the first principles.
So we don’t ruin players.
Teach them the what, why, and how of space creation on offense.
Then teach the what, why, and how of denying space on defense.
After they know some of this…
Then get out of the way. The game will teach, but only if they have been “caused” to understand.
Interested in being caused to understand, we’ve got that covered for the players:
And if you’re really dead-set on a drill book, this is the only one I’ll endorse… Because it’s based on first principles…