A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine working in player development in the NHL texted me the following question:
“What are 4-6 environmental factors that are crucial for players to develop?”
First off, this is what people at the top of our profession do – they are lifelong learners always looking to improve their skillset. With the season being such a grind, the summer is a great time for coaches to seek out new knowledge and information. And if we really care about developing our players, we as coaches better be invested in our own development first.
My buddy’s question is everything if we truly want to develop hockey players. How we create our learning environments is a huge determining factor in the engagement of our players, their buy in to what we are doing, and the intention they put into their own work. And when we have highly engaged, bought in players that put intention into their own development, that’s a recipe for creating awesome hockey players.
So how do we create these awesome environments? Here are seven ways we can do it:
1. It starts with the relationship, especially involving our players in the planning of the process of them getting better. Don’t just give them a development plan, work with them to create it together. Talk to them about things outside of hockey, SHOW them you care and they will buy into what you are teaching them. Create an environment that is collaborative in nature full of curiosity and openness.
2. Create an environment where vulnerability is welcomed. It starts with the coach. Tell them you’re not going to be perfect and don’t expect them to be. If there’s something they don’t like or want to challenge you on, tell them you welcome that and that you’re in this together. When you make mistakes, own it. It will give them the grace to make mistakes too. Failure and mistakes is a big part of growth.
3. Be prepared but flexible. The player has to know you have a plan and you are putting in the effort but also that you’re not too stubborn to change it if things aren’t clicking.
4. Competition breeds excellence. Anytime you can gamify or create a competitive aspect to drills or practices the intensity and intentionality raises. Competition breeds FUN too, which keeps them engaged every day.
5. The environment has to be AUTHENTIC, especially with the coach. Being the best version of you gives the player the permission to be the best version of themselves. Create an environment that welcomes authenticity that helps to create identity. When the players are themselves and the environment is fun/positive it creates a camaraderie within the group that brings out the best in people.
6. The environment has to be one where resilience is emphasized. You have to push the players outside of their comfort zone and understand the nuance of challenge points during a practice or session. Growth happens outside the comfort zone but only with a resilient mindset.
7. Last one that I love from Vechs: Set the standard high WITH the player – and then when you need to hold that player accountable for not hitting that standard remind them about the standard they created. If they have big dreams, the size of their effort has to match or exceed the size of their dreams. They have to own their development and this is a great way to help them do that.
Hopefully these tips can help you to create an awesome environment that brings out the best in your players…and you yourself as a coach!
