Minor hockey tryouts (was: How to motivate a novice (or any) player for tryouts?)

[Yukon Joe]

I'm a father of three boys, who starting this year all 3 of whom are going to be playing hockey. My oldest boy is going into his second year of Novice hockey. Evaluations are coming up starting next weekend. They consist first of a series of timed skating drills (forward and backward, straight or through cones, with or without the puck, that sort of thing). From there they are initially tiered, then play two exhibition games, after each game individual players can be adjusted up or down.

Being second year, my son had evaluations last year. He absolutely BOMBED his skating drills, by just kind-of dipsy doodling and coasting. I could see it with my own eyes. But when it came time for the exhibition games he shone (since of course playing hockey is way more interesting than doing boring old drills), was bumped up each time, and his final team was probably a good fit for where he was skill-wise.

I should say in my estimation my son is a good but not outstanding hockey player, and I'm not looking to try and maximize him going into Tier 1. He was in Tier 4 last year (out of 7), which was about right. But after several months off playing club soccer he's done a couple of good hockey camps in August and he's really improved in his skating and skills. I think he could make Tier 2 or 3 - if I can get him to give it his all in tryouts!

So: do any parents or coaches have any ideas on how to motivate young players for tryouts?

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[krown]

From your location, I'm assuming you're Canadian. So second year Novice would be the equivalent of H4 making your son a 2010. At this age, all you can do is ask him if he wants to play in a higher tier. If he does, you can let him know that there is a direct relationship between how hard he works in tryouts, and where he'll get placed. If he doesn't care what tier he plays, and just wants to play and have fun with friends, then just let him go out and do his best and let the chips fall where they may. I don't know what your minor hockey league association selection criteria is like, but ours is based on player performance in tryouts/balance skates. I'm a coach and parent of a 2010 as well, and our selection process for our teams will be based on our balance skates only. We don't take into account what the player did last year, or how many camps he did this summer.

 

[Canadiens1958]

What level of club soccer did your son play?

Youngsters tend to comfort levels.

 

[Yukon Joe]

From your location, I'm assuming you're Canadian. So second year Novice would be the equivalent of H4 making your son a 2010. At this age, all you can do is ask him if he wants to play in a higher tier. If he does, you can let him know that there is a direct relationship between how hard he works in tryouts, and where he'll get placed. If he doesn't care what tier he plays, and just wants to play and have fun with friends, then just let him go out and do his best and let the chips fall where they may. I don't know what your minor hockey league association selection criteria is like, but ours is based on player performance in tryouts/balance skates. I'm a coach and parent of a 2010 as well, and our selection process for our teams will be based on our balance skates only. We don't take into account what the player did last year, or how many camps he did this summer.

Yup - Edmonton minor hockey, and he's a 2010 kid. He (I think understandably) doesn't care about "tiers" - he just likes to play hockey, preferably with his friends if he can, and of course he likes to win more than he likes to lose.

So from his perspective it makes sense to almost to not try very hard in evaluations.

But from a parents perspective... look my kid isn't making the NHL. What I want from him playing hockey is for him to love the game I love, and to learn that hard work and effort can pay off. Being placed in a tier that doesn't challenge him isn't going to get him to work any harder or inspire him in practice. Which is why I want to make sure he tries hard in evaluations.

Yes, in our evaluations his tiering last year makes no difference, as does the camps he did (other than the improvement in his skills I observed). Evaluations is based on the skates, but as mentioned modified by how they do in two exhibition-type games.

 

[puckpilot]

Try making it a game or offer up incentive for him to try. Time him doing drills during a public skate session and challenge him to beat that during evaluations. OR, offer him a more TV/iPad/Video game time if he tries his best/does well.

Otherwise, sometimes they have to learn a tough lesson on their own, like being placed on one level/team while all his friends go to another level/team. Because if you force them, it takes the fun out of things and kind of defeats the purpose. Hockey/team sport can teach a lot of things outside of the actual game, like recognizing opportunity taking advantage of it instead of taking it for granted and treating it as meh.

Last year, my nephew chose to play 3 on 3 hockey in late summer instead of playing baseball. The coach really wanted him to play on the baseball team and so did his dad. They told him he was missing a real opportunity because the team was really strong and had a legit shot at going to the little league world series and it would be a great experience.

The hockey was meh for him, but the baseball team came oh so close to making it, and when he talked to his friends, he realized he indeed had missed out on a great experience, regardless of win or lose. This summer, he didn't play 3 on 3 and focused on baseball. But he had moved up an age group, and well, that chance at going to the little league world series was no longer there.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Pretty sure nobody cares, but my kid did really well by my eye test in his initial evaluations. Could he have squeezed out an extra half second on a couple of tests? Perhaps. But his skating and stick-handling was really strong and on display. Made this dad pretty proud, wherever he eventually tiers out at.

 

[krown]

Good to hear, but aren't all Novice Major teams supposed to be balanced? We will have 4 teams this year and all have to be completely balanced. I assumed this was a Hockey Canada thing, but maybe not?

 

[Yukon Joe]

Good to hear, but aren't all Novice Major teams supposed to be balanced? We will have 4 teams this year and all have to be completely balanced. I assumed this was a Hockey Canada thing, but maybe not?

That's not my understanding at all. Players at younger levels are supposed to be balanced (so all teams have a mix of good and bad players), but at Novice my understanding is that teams are tiered - so stronger players are grouped with similarly-able players, and weaker players are with other weaker players.

Maybe that changes on half ice (which is a change I'm supportive of), but when playing on full ice if someone is just a better skater they can just dominate the play. I had my kid in a 4 on 4 camp in the summer (which I wouldn't do again) on full ice which had a real range of player abilities. The stronger players might pump in a half dozen goals. But I remember focusing in on one kid who was a weak skater - I swear she never had a chance to even touch the puck.

 

[krown]

Weird. All of our 2010 teams are balanced and we technically are supposed to be playing cross-ice only

 

[slozo]

So: do any parents or coaches have any ideas on how to motivate young players for tryouts?

My advice (as a fellow parent of a boy in novice as well) is find out what motivates him first. My boy was huge on goal setting, having a challenge to achieve, so that's easier to motivate . . . but maybe they'll be motivated by fun, who they get to play with (friends), etc.

Either way, I'm big on making the kid realise good scenario vs bad scenario . . . if you work hard in practice, impress the coach in tryouts etc . . . the coach always loves a hard worker, you'll improve more, get better, get more goals, play with better players, and in general, have more fun as a result! If you dog it at tryouts, don't skate hard, don't always try your best . . . well, that's a bad first impression with any coach, no matter how you play in the games. You may not develop as quickly, won't get to play with better linemates, won't get as many scoring opportunities, etc etc.

Then you leave it at his feet . . . what will you choose? It's his choice, he's the one that skates, you tell him ...etc etc.

But every kid is different, and you know your kid the best. Even then sometimes, as I've done, you have to switch it up and try different motivators . . . good luck!

 

[Yukon Joe]

My advice (as a fellow parent of a boy in novice as well) is find out what motivates him first. My boy was huge on goal setting, having a challenge to achieve, so that's easier to motivate . . . but maybe they'll be motivated by fun, who they get to play with (friends), etc.

Either way, I'm big on making the kid realise good scenario vs bad scenario . . . if you work hard in practice, impress the coach in tryouts etc . . . the coach always loves a hard worker, you'll improve more, get better, get more goals, play with better players, and in general, have more fun as a result! If you dog it at tryouts, don't skate hard, don't always try your best . . . well, that's a bad first impression with any coach, no matter how you play in the games. You may not develop as quickly, won't get to play with better linemates, won't get as many scoring opportunities, etc etc.

Then you leave it at his feet . . . what will you choose? It's his choice, he's the one that skates, you tell him ...etc etc.

But every kid is different, and you know your kid the best. Even then sometimes, as I've done, you have to switch it up and try different motivators . . . good luck!

It's funny you bumped this now. My kid had his initial timed skates, and really nailed them. He was placed in the top group, putting him in contention for Tier 1.

But then he went out to his first of two scrimmages, and he just had no compete! He'd back off on every puck battle. It was super frustrating to watch.

I'll try just explaining why he should compete for the puck - that it will help him get on a better team. But really he's not competitive like that - he just likes playing hockey.

 

[slozo]

It's funny you bumped this now. My kid had his initial timed skates, and really nailed them. He was placed in the top group, putting him in contention for Tier 1.

But then he went out to his first of two scrimmages, and he just had no compete! He'd back off on every puck battle. It was super frustrating to watch.

I'll try just explaining why he should compete for the puck - that it will help him get on a better team. But really he's not competitive like that - he just likes playing hockey.

Fair enough - then that's where he'll be happy, I'm sure.
Good luck for the season!

 

[Slats432]

It's funny you bumped this now. My kid had his initial timed skates, and really nailed them. He was placed in the top group, putting him in contention for Tier 1.

But then he went out to his first of two scrimmages, and he just had no compete! He'd back off on every puck battle. It was super frustrating to watch.

I'll try just explaining why he should compete for the puck - that it will help him get on a better team. But really he's not competitive like that - he just likes playing hockey.

It doesn't just happen in novice, you would be surprised to know that motivation is a challenge at all levels. Even moreso, I remember my son in novice being mentally ready for the end of the season by January. I know other kids that would be great unless something threw them off in the room or their skates or shoulder pads didn't fit exact like normal.

At 7 or 8 you haven't even learned the meaning or reasons for compete. Also, he may not care about what team he is on. Parents care what team their child is on more than the child does in many cases. (Not saying you but many do)

What finally did it for my boy was being frustrated by players of a lower skill level. That made him want to get better.

 

[Yukon Joe]

At 7 or 8 you haven't even learned the meaning or reasons for compete. Also, he may not care about what team he is on. Parents care what team their child is on more than the child does in many cases. (Not saying you but many do)

Oh no you have it right - I care about it, my son doesn't.

I don't know if that's the right attitude to have, so I don't put any pressure on him that he has to do well. I just kind of stew quietly in the stands when I see him not competing.

 

[Slats432]

As long as the kid is supported regardless of the result. I would suggest that if you would like to encourage effort, that you talk about what it means to be part of a team. That doing your job is to help everyone do well together. I remember coaching novice and one of the hardest things to do is to get most of the players to go after the puck and taking it away from the other players. Good luck.

 

[Yukon Joe]

As long as the kid is supported regardless of the result. I would suggest that if you would like to encourage effort, that you talk about what it means to be part of a team. That doing your job is to help everyone do well together. I remember coaching novice and one of the hardest things to do is to get most of the players to go after the puck and taking it away from the other players. Good luck.

Yeah - part of the problem is that he isn't a part of a team - these are just evaluations, so I think to him they "don't count" all that much. He really enjoyed being a part of his team last year.

 

[beakerboy]

Bumping this one since it is the closest thread I could find, rather than starting a new one.

I've got a stepson who dabbled in hockey playing as a squirt last year before deciding this year that he'd rather play basketball. After about two games he realized the error of his ways but we made him stick it out to show him that he just can't quit things once he signs up. Something something character something something. He has indicated that he wants to go back to hockey next year. He was on the low end of skating as a first year squirt and that year off definitely didn't help his skating skills. I'm a little leery of letting him jump back into hockey for the at most 2 years before he'll want to quit because of contact, especially because he can be a bit of a quitter if he thinks he is bad at something.

He jumped at it when I told him I would take him to stick and pucks and open skates if he wanted to work on skills before next year. That said, does anyone have any tips on how to motivate a kid to improve their skating instead of wanting to work on stickhandling or shooting? Suggestions on games or competitions that would help a kid work on things like start/stops, edgework/cornering and skating backwards? I'll probably time him in some drills so he can see tangible improvement and treat it as a competition against himself, but I'm looking for other things we can do to keep it light.

 

[Slats432]

SKATING LESSONS. If a kid is with mom or dad, it is easy for them to try to get off the ice when frustrated. Hockey specific skating works too. The other part is they are around other kids to have fun with.

 

[EightyOne]

If they want to play hockey with their friends, then explain it to them like an adult: hey, if you want to play with your friends, you have to put in more time skating and trying at these evaluations or you will not have the chance to do that. Your friends have all put in time and effort that will see them picked onto different teams than you if you do not try. It is up to you to do it, though.

Right?

Or just go let them play soccer or whatever they will be more naturally motivated to put effort into.

 

[Pablo Messier]

SKATING LESSONS. If a kid is with mom or dad, it is easy for them to try to get off the ice when frustrated. Hockey specific skating works too. The other part is they are around other kids to have fun with.

Or sign up for 3 on 3 hockey if you have it in your area. Or private hockey/skating lessons if you want to spend the money because I imagine he will likely learn the most from that. And supplement with public skate and stick and puck because then he'll hopefully incorporate what he has learned. Be warned though, the more a parent spends, likely the higher their expectation and if the kid does not deliver, try not to get on their case because there's a good chance it ends badly for all involved. Encourage and praise him for effort (and repeat), not results. A reward post skate once in a while is probably not a bad idea ... like a milkshake and fries.

Also, playing ball hockey is good too.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

It's hard to generalize as different kids react differently. But one of mine sounds like he was a bit the same, in that he wanted to play the game, but had no interest in working on skating, so after the first couple tries I gave up on any skating extras as it was clearly not something he was going to put any effort into. Still at first he was always fast enough to get breakaways and score lots of goals, even when his overall skating was actually pretty bad. But gradually as he has moved up a few levels into competitive hockey he finds he's no longer scoring - why? - because he can't make up for his poor skating just by having fast legs in a straight line anymore. So it took awhile (he's 11 now) but now he accepts and understands that he would have to work on his skating if he wants to have the same kind of fun as he used to in terms of getting back onto the scoresheet more often and continuing to advance in hockey. They eventually figure things out on their own, sooner or later, just like with other things in their life. He's ready to work on the skating now because he understands the reasoning behind it from direct experience where he couldn't understand it just from me telling him 3 years ago.

I've seen lots of kids where they were pushed by the parents in those earlier attempts where I gave up and let him figure it out on his own. I don't say either of us was actually right or wrong. Some of those other kids became much better skaters much sooner, and maybe they end up being glad their parents pushed them through it. Maybe it also depends on your bandwidth as a parent too. I've got other kids and a hectic schedule and I'm not inclined to invest time and money in pushing my kids if they're not fully onboard with it. But I don't think it's necessarily wrong to do at least a little pushing if you can, they are sometimes just too young to understand and may end up appreciating it in hindsight. Obviously that can be taken too far as well.

 

[vetrano]

I'm coach an initiation/mite select team this season and from my experience it is difficult to get young players to understand why skating drills are so important. I try to relate our drills to game situations during my pre-practice chats, but I'm not sure that I get through to too many players.

My suggestion if you want to get him to work on skating during those stick/puck sessions is to break up your ice time into two parts - skating drills followed by puck drills. Before you get on the ice (perhaps in the car) explain that you are going to work on a couple skating skills to start and then you will take out the pucks and work on a few puck skills. Tell him the sooner he gets through the skating drills and shows he is doing them properly the sooner the pucks come out.

 

[ChuckLefley]

I think this thread is what is wrong with society today. I’m not ripping on anyone individually, just the entire concept. We’re talking about kids nine and under and worrying about how to motivate them for tryouts. How about just let them play. If they don’t work hard they get put on a lower team, if they don’t like that, then explain how they can get on a better team next year and tell them that if they want your help, you would be happy to do it. Don’t go trying to become Marc Marinovich or John O’Sullivan.

 

[Yukon Joe]

I think this thread is what is wrong with society today. I’m not ripping on anyone individually, just the entire concept. We’re talking about kids nine and under and worrying about how to motivate them for tryouts. How about just let them play. If they don’t work hard they get put on a lower team, if they don’t like that, then explain how they can get on a better team next year and tell them that if they want your help, you would be happy to do it. Don’t go trying to become Marc Marinovich or John O’Sullivan.

It has nothing to do with expecting my kid to be a superstar.

What it has to do with is making sure my kids gets placed in the appropriate skill category. I saw this happen during the fall - a little guy who goes to my son's school and played on my son's team the year before. He's a talented player, but on evaluation day for some reason he was having an off day, and he did absolutely terrible - and that did not reflect his real ability. And as a result he was placed on a lower tier team, where he's playing with lower-skilled kids.

Since this thread was bumped from the fall, for what it's worth my kid absolutely nailed the timed skating portion of tryouts, which was what I was worried about. Based on that he could have made Tier 1 - but during scrimmages he was tentative with the puck and wound up in Tier 2. Which was fine with me - that's where his game is at.

 

[ChuckLefley]

It has nothing to do with expecting my kid to be a superstar.

What it has to do with is making sure my kids gets placed in the appropriate skill category. I saw this happen during the fall - a little guy who goes to my son's school and played on my son's team the year before. He's a talented player, but on evaluation day for some reason he was having an off day, and he did absolutely terrible - and that did not reflect his real ability. And as a result he was placed on a lower tier team, where he's playing with lower-skilled kids.

Since this thread was bumped from the fall, for what it's worth my kid absolutely nailed the timed skating portion of tryouts, which was what I was worried about. Based on that he could have made Tier 1 - but during scrimmages he was tentative with the puck and wound up in Tier 2. Which was fine with me - that's where his game is at.

First of all, as I made clear, this wasn’t about you.

Second of all, these are little kids. Parents should not be looking to motivate them to achieve what they want them to achieve. If a kid wants to dog it at tryouts when they are 8, that’s fine. If they don’t like the team they get put on then they have learned a lesson. If a parent is constantly trying to motivate a small child than the kid will never learn how to be self-motivated. I am a teacher and a coach and I see this all the time. The kids whose parents allowed them to fail when they didn’t put in the effort are always more successful in ten long run than the kids whose parent always push them. My son did terrible on the first day of tryouts. On the second day he looked around and saw who the other kids were in his tryout slot, realized he was in the bottom group and proceeded to be the best player on the the ice, by a large margin, during that time slot. He stepped up during the third night and got put a level higher than I expected and was one of the bottom kids on his team. During the season he got shifted to D and worked his butt off to do a good job, than got shifted back to forward and did a great job. I never had to say a word to him to motivate him. Last week I caught him doing push-ups in his room and, when I asked him why he was doing them, he said he wanted to be stronger next season. He motivates himself and will be successful in life because of that.