Why Your Skills Coach Is Only Teaching You Half the Game

Most skills coaches specialize in one thing. They'll teach a couple different skills, but they're more of a drill coach than a skill breakdown coach. Once you've established yourself as a shooting coach or a skating coach, most coaches stay in their lane because it's comfortable. And that can be a good thing because you don't want a coach teaching something they shouldn't be, which happens a lot.

It's a very hard thing to talk about skating but also understand puck control, passing and shooting options, all while under the threat of contact, and then create a drill that incorporates all of those things at the right level. Not to say it can't be done. I have a lot of friends that coach specific areas and do a great job. But the full picture is rare.

Here's what happens. A kid goes to a skating coach on Monday, a shooting coach on Wednesday, and a stickhandling coach on Friday. Each one teaches their skill in isolation. The skating coach has you doing crossovers with no puck. The shooting coach has you ripping wrist shots from a standstill. The stickhandling coach has you doing toe drags in a straight line.

None of that looks like hockey. In a game, you're skating while handling the puck while reading the ice while someone is about to hit you. If you're never training those things together, you're only learning half the game.

When I run a session, it typically starts with a drill we left off on or a random skill I see the player needs. Then it grows from there. I'll ask the player or their parents what they want to work on, but as we spend time together, it becomes pretty clear what they actually need.

I try to teach whatever the skill is under the idea that there will be contact or conflict at some point. Start in a place where you're protecting yourself and then perform the skill. I've been hit hard so many times that that's always been a key part of everything I teach. You don't get to do a toe drag in a game without someone trying to take your head off.

Brad Perry on the ice ready to coach

Parents need to be aware that their kid may not like working with a particular coach. Listen to them. If they don't want to work with someone, don't force it. Sometimes parents want to discipline their kids through the coach. They feel like their kid doesn't respect them so they look for a hard nosed drill sergeant type to instill discipline. When that happens, a lot of the time the player will accidentally fall on purpose or find ways to fail at the drill. Be on the lookout for that.

With all of this, it's really hard to not see the value in the ice time you get even when you're out there with any coach. Just having access to ice increases your opportunity to improve.

I really improved by playing and skating in practices with better players that I respected. A good scrimmage with good players can be more beneficial than a lot of the skill training you'll get from some coaches.

But always remember that any ice is good ice. Mostly.