Ironic Messaging Part 2
If you missed part 1, click Irony 1 here. If you’re ready for Irony 2, here we go.
Irony 2: The more you act on ego, the less development you’re doing
Undevelopment is a term I made up. It means…
Whatever you’re doing is making the player worse. The opposite of player development.
I hate the constant messaging of risk-aversion at levels of hockey below the NHL:
you can’t turn that puck over
don’t try that again
that was a “bad turnover”
Want to ensure you undevelop players? Keep saying those things.
When a player sees an opportunity to “play off the heels” like this:
But he doesn’t execute it perfectly, runs into the defender, turns the puck over and they go on a 2v1 the other way… What do you say? Pressure or permission moment. Your messaging matters here. This goes one of 2 ways:
Create Pressure
If you pick any of those quotes from above, that is going to create pressure and turn him off from ever trying to get to the middle again. You just created a more chip and chase, stay outside, never threaten offensively hockey player. Congratulations on undevelopment. You just let your ego mess with his success as a player.
or…
Create Permission
He comes back to the bench, you ask him what he saw? He tells you he saw an opportunity to dictate the play, manipulate the defender’s skates and get to inside ice, he just miss-timed it or didn’t execute the skill properly.
This creates permission to try it again, and again, and again. This leads to him being able to perfect that skill and do it like clockwork 3 years later in college hockey.
If the runway is still under construction, don’t stop him from building it.
If he can’t do it in September of his 16-year-old year, but you create a “culture of error” where mistakes are part of the process, he will be doing it at 18 in his draft year and at 19 in college and at 24 in pro hockey…
If you’re coaching 16u or 18u hockey and you’re pissed that you lose games because of a couple of “bad turnovers” and your message is as such… Stop coaching.
Playing risk-averse, dump and chase hockey at that age makes players worse. Limiting their expression of skill makes them worse.
Be able to handle the turnover as the coach. If you can’t handle that… you’re going to make players worse.
The mistake he made is a reflection of where he is on his learning journey of the concept.
The mistake is not a reflection of your inability to coach. So you don’t have to take it out on the kid. Push that ego thing aside. Don’t take it personally.
The player will get there… unless you don’t allow him to because of your ironic messaging.
The first rule is: Do no harm
2nd rule is: Avoid ironic messaging to ensure rule 1 is met.
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