\\|// (@ @) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oOOo~(_)~oOOo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ YOUTH COACHING NETWORK A Free E-Mail Newsletter March 15, 2000 Issue 1 (Links Edition) Kelly P. Hanaway, Editor (editor@teamanizer.com) (maximize your mail tool for ease of viewing) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to 100's of coaches around the world! To subscribe send a message to editor@teamanizer.com, place "subscribe" in the subject field To unsubscribe, forward this message to editor@teamanizer.com, place "unsubscribe" in the subject field ----------------------------------------------------------------- IN THIS ISSUE (Table of Contents) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. "Youth Coaching Network" Newsletter Announced 2. Feature Articles by Sport: BASEBALL: "The Batting Tee - It's Not Just For T-Ball" - Coach George J. Karukas BASKETBALL: "Basketball Speed Skills - Part 1" - Peter McLean, MS Director - Speed Wins Ltd. John "Sarge" Siers Director Youth Development Five Star Basketball Camp HOCKEY: "Upcoming CHAT Sessions & Commentary" - Coach Dennis Freed - "Kids First" GENERAL: "How to Organize a Practice - Part 1" - Coach Joseph P Izzo SOCCER : "Shielding The Ball" - Coach Mark Ellis, USSF D License - Sudbury Eagles 3. Ask the Coach CHEER: "Q: Should we use mats for all of our stunts?" "Q: What can I do as and administrator to increase cheerleading safety in our program? "Q: Should I select my own team like other coaches?" - Jim Lord Executive Director AACCA 4. Coaching Tools & Info on the Internet Great article in Chicago-Sun Times on "Heading the Ball" in Soccer Get a TOLL FREE number absolutely FREE. Get a FREE Site to Promote Your Soccer Team Get a FREE download trial of BioFitness Strength Training Software 5. Next Issue - Contact Me if you'd like to contribute (editor@teamanizer.com) ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Youth Coaching Network" NEWSLETTER ANNOUNCED ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Fellow Coaches, I am both proud and happy to announce the first edition of YOUTH COACHING NETWORK. Thank you for being a part of this newsletter. We want to keep this newsletter more or less an open forum for coaches of all sports who have a common thread among them - a burning desire to make a difference in a child's life, through sports. In order to make this newsletter a success I rely on you to be the eyes and ears of the youth coaching world. Perhaps you know of a great coaching site that might help other coaches. Perhaps you found a great deal on sports equipment. Or, perhaps you'd like to share some of your coaching expertise with the list. This newsletter will highlight guest coaches as authors each month. Drop me an email if you'd like to become an active subscriber to this newsletter mailto:editor@teamanizer.com. I really need your feedback if Youth Coaching Network is going to be successful. Can I count on you for constructive criticism? Here's to a long lasting relationship! Very Best, Kelly P (Coach Kelly) Hanaway :-) ----------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE FORWARD THIS ISSUE ----------------------------------------------------------------- If you haven't already done so, please forward this issue to one or two of your friends or fellow coaches. Thanks so much! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Feature Articles ----------------------------------------------------------------- BASEBALL: "The Batting Tee - It's not just for T-Ball" - Coach George J Karukas Proper mechanics for your swing are vital to your success as a hitter. Although we are not going to address fixing your mechanics in this issue, once you have received the proper instruction for your stance and swing, you need to practice, practice, practice. If you don't have a pitching machine in your back yard, visit your local batting cage often. However, you can also hone your skills with a batting tee. Here are a few of my favorite tee drills, and they work for all ages in both baseball and softball. First, practice off a tee using one hand drills. Use regular baseballs or wiffle balls, it doesn't matter. Start the one hand drill with the bottom hand, then with the top. Put one hand about 4 to 6 inches up the handle, like you were choking up a lot, and practice hitting a ball off a tee. Let the other hand hang down and keep it neutral. Keep your hand high when in the stance before you hit, shoulder height or higher, and work on balance in the stance and the follow through before working on hitting the ball hard. Start out slow. This takes a little time to get used to. Make sure to concentrate on swinging down and through the middle of the ball and the follow through winds up over the front shoulder. If you watch the barrel end of the bat, it looks like a sweeping "U." This may seem contrary to the old advice of "swing level," but swing level is wrong. Swing down, out and up is more accurate. Concentrate on hitting the ball straight back to where the pitcher would be. Most important, learn to relax in the stance. Work on balance and relaxing before you go for power. Using a wood bat for practice will make a definite improvement in arm / wrist strength. Second, take full swings off the tee. Concentrate on splitting the ball in half. You may hear some people say to hit the top half of the ball. I believe it is better to try to split the ball in half by hitting the center of the ball. When taking full rips, practice going up the middle with the ball and try to hit line drives consistently. Make sure you have good balance and stay relaxed. Another drill is the one knee drill. Start by standing at the tee in your normal stance with the ball in line with your front foot and put the tee down so the ball is about level with your knee. Mark the foot position of your back foot and put your back knee down right there. Extend your front leg out toward the pitcher. Swing at the ball so when the bat meets the ball your arms are fully extended. Start out slow and maintain balance. Move the position of the tee around so it is comfortable to hit the ball with full extension and consistently hit up the middle. Balance is easier when you keep your head focused on the ball. I hope these drills help you become a better hitter. Always seek the advice of people you trust to help you improve your game. Coach George J Karukas The Batter's Box 1-843-477-1874 http://www.aluminumbats.com \\|// (@ @) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oOOo~(_)~oOOo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BASKETBALL: "Basketball Speed Skills - Part 1" - Coach John "Sarge" Siers Ask any coach or player in the NBA today and they will tell you that SPEED WINS. From Alan Iverson to Latrell Spreewell, the players that are making the biggest impact on the modern game combine explosive speed, agility and quickness to complete the scope of their game. For you to be a successful high school coach you need to incorporate a speed aspect to your game plan. Because the high school coach cannot recruit speed, this skill must be developed using cutting edge training programs. I will outline some of the important drills and concepts that will help you incorporate a speed, agility and quickness program into your practice schedule. This clinic will address two of the most important topics Speed Wins stresses in our speed development program: running mechanics and developing an explosive first step. Top speed is not the skill we want to teach in a basketball program. It is rare for a basketball player to reach top speed in the coarse of a game. But a player must be able to Start, Stop and Change Direction with precision, explosion and authority. There are two components that must be trained for the athlete to incorporate these skills into his/her game. We have to stimulate both the musculo-skeletal system and the neurological pathways that control the motor skills we are training. If a player has either muscular weakness or a neurological deficiency, full speed potential will never be realized. When Speed Wins trains athletes we concentrate on developing the proper motor skills first, then we work on the muscular component. This allows for the body to adapt to the new skills in a non-fatigued state. Fatigue is the enemy of efficient motor skills. Once the athlete has learned the skills to perfection, we can incorporate a conditioning and power component to the training. Remember: perfect training leads to perfect performance. Speed Mechanics The first skill Speed Wins trains is proper running form. Most young athletes do not run correctly. They display bad upper body mechanics, poor posture and inefficient ground force development. These simple drills will help correct these problems. Form Running a) Arm Acton Drill : This drill may be the most important drill in this sequence as arm action is usually non-existent in the young athlete. Speed Wins spends a considerable amount of time on upper body form, but this drill will help demonstrate proper arm action. Player will kneel on floor. Set arms at 90 degrees at the elbow. Hands should be lightly fisted, and relaxed. Rear arm starts at the back pocket, front hand at the cheek or chin. On coaches cue back hand drives forward, front hand drives back. This is one cycle. Repeat until perfect. The cue we use is pocket to cheek. We stress this on every drill! b) High Knees - Knees to 90 degrees, foot dorsiflexed (flexed up), good arm action from shoulder, land on toes! c) Butt kickers - Forward body lean, gluteus tight, heels to hips, land on toes d) Side Sliders - Low hips (defensive position), feet parallel, and stay on toes e) Backward Shuffle - Low hips, forward body lean, drive with proper arm action f) Carioca - Keep hips square to front, try to achieve good counter action between upper and lower body, smooth precise feet, stay on toes Peter McLean, MS Director - Speed Wins Ltd. and John "Sarge" Siers Director Youth Development Five Star Basketball Camp \\|// (@ @) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oOOo~(_)~oOOo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GENERAL: "How to Organize a Practice" - Coach Joe Izzo This is the first of a five part series about how to organize a practice. The approach that will be presented is, of course, only one of many ways to organize a practice. It is what I use for every team I coach. I have refined this approach while coaching over 35 teams during the last 19 years. Before I present my approach for organizing a practice, I need to make a case for why a practice needs to be organized. This case needs to be made for two reasons. The first is because there still are coaches out there that don't know such a concept exists, and therefore couldn't appreciate why it is so essential. Second, there are some that know about the concept but don't believe it's necessary. Prior to coaching my own teams I spent some time as an assistant coach for some people that didn't know that preparation for a practice was required. We would show up for practice and they would say something like "what should we work on today?" Or they might have had some idea of what they wanted to work on, but still didn't have a plan on how to get it done. I remember one practice in particular where the head coach said "I want to do A, B, and C tonight." Well, by the time we got through A, there wasn't enough time to cover all of B, and we never even got to C. The next week the head coach couldn't be there so I ran the practice. I planned to cover at least twice as much material as he did the prior week. The difference was that I had a plan. The team and I made it all the way through the plan and had enough time left to scrimmage. We have all heard how coaches have to make practice "fun" for the kids. We have to keep it interesting for them. The problem is no one ever tells us how to do that. I am here to tell you that one of the components required for a fun and interesting practice is organization. When I started coaching 6 and 7 year olds, I attended a coaching seminar where it was said that we should run practice for 45 minutes to an hour, because kids that age couldn't concentrate longer than that. They were WRONG. Kids that age can't concentrate for more than about 5 to 10 minutes on any one thing. The key is to chain as many 5 to 10 minute activities together as required to cover the desired material. I actually scheduled our preseason practices for an hour and half that year. At the end of the first practice the kids said, and I quote; "Are we done already? I want to play some more." Just as important as the kids having fun, we covered ALL of the material I wanted to cover, and we did it in what seemed like 15 minutes to me. That meant I had fun too. Jim San Marco and Kurt Ascherman, in their book, Coaching Kids to Play Soccer (A Fireside Book, Published by Simon & Schuster), say "Trust us on this one, Coach: There is nothing more boring in the entire world of sport than a poorly planned and run practice. You can literally waste the entire practice time if you don't know what you're going to do every minute before you get there." Next month I present some rules for organizing a practice and the practice plan structure that I use. \\|// (@ @) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oOOo~(_)~oOOo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HOCKEY: "Upcoming CHAT Sessions & Commentary" - Coach Dennis Freed - Kids First Thursday March 16th @ 9:00 PM EST - Dan Brennen, USA Inline Hockey National Coordinator for Coaching & Player Development. Topic: Inline Hockey Coaching Clinics. APRIL 7th @ 9:00 PM EST - Stefan Popa, Past Goalie Coach for U of M Wolverines, proprietor of Popa Goaltending .com and world renown for his goalie development methods. Topic: Positioning APRIL 14th @ 9:00 PM EST - Tom Molloy - book & website Co-Author with Juhani Wahlsten "HOCKEY COACHING: The ABC's of International Youth Hockey" and innovator of a unique method of coaching & developing players. His method is to use themed games and scrimmages to teach hockey fundamentals and game situations. He will introduce you to these unique concepts during the chat session. MAY 5th @ 9:00 PM EST - Stephen McKichan - Former NHL goaltender, and goalie coach for the Turner Cup Championship Detroit Vipers (IHL). Stephen McKichan, has been turning goalies into Future Pros for over a decade. His web site and goalie school is located at www.futurepro.com. Topic: Differences between playing goal in ice & inline hockey. MAY 12th @ 9:00 PM EST - Karlene Sugarman, M.A., Sports Psychology Consultant and author of "Winning the Mental Way" Karlene work with athletes and teams at all levels teaching team building and the importance of mental preparation to achieve success in athletes. MAY 19th @ 9:00 PM EST - Peter Twist, player development coach for the Vancouver Canucks and hosts the TWIST SPORTS-SPECIFIC CONDITIONING website. Topic: Quickness Training - Developing explosive speed, power, footwork, stopping quickness, lateral movements, cutting and turning, single leg balance, dynamic balance and mobility. As a closing note for the 1999/2000 season. There is a movement of NHL professionals and many youth hockey coaches to tone down the win win and play more game attitude of American and Canadian Youth Hockey. Kids at young ages need to be playing equal and fun ice time. Team and individual development should replace winning at all costs. Practices should be fun and include themed games and drills which allow the individual player to learn the skills on their own. Coaches need to become better educated and organizations owe these coaches the education to coach better. Drug screening and a fair coach selection process is required to insure our players safety and development. The movement has started and is backed by many coaches. It will only become a reality if we all together voice our opinions and force the system to change. Unless that happens more 7 to 12 year olds will be sitting on the bench and will not develop into the players they deserve to be. Coach Dennis Freed Kids First http://www.hockeycoach.com \\|// (@ @) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oOOo~(_)~oOOo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SOCCER : "Shielding The Ball" - Coach Mark Ellis, USSF D License - Sudbury Eagles Shielding the Ball Learning how to shield the ball is one technique that I like to teach my players early. Shielding is used to prevent an opponent from gaining possession of the ball when you are under pressure. The technique is simple to learn and involves maintaining control of the ball using the sole of the foot while placing your body between the ball and the opponent. If the opponent moves you move with the your ball using the sole of your foot for control always keeping your body between the ball and that opponent. This technique can be used to buy time. The player should pass the ball to a supporting player as soon as is possible. If you shield the ball too long you are likely to draw multiple opposing players making it difficult to maintain possession. A great game that helps the players learn to shield and control the ball with the sole of their foot is called TAILS. Make a square 20 X 20 feet. There are 6 players in this square each with their own ball. Each player also tucks a scrimmage shirt in the back of their shorts making a tail. Each player tries to capture the other player's tail while protecting their ball and their own tail. They must have the ball at their feet or they are disqualified. Encourage them to use the sole of their foot to control the ball. A variation on this game is KNOCK OUT. Same idea but rather than tails the players try to kick each others ball out of the box while protecting their own ball. In both games, if you lose your ball or your tail you are out of the game. The last two players in the box are the winners. Try these games. The kids love it and you will notice a marked improvement in their confidence with the ball at their feet. This also encourages them to not panic under pressure. Mark Ellis - USSF D License - Sudbury Eagles WebMaster, TownSoccer.com http://www.TownSoccer.com \\|// (@ @) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oOOo~(_)~oOOo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. Ask the Coach - (if you'd like to ask a question for next edition - please contact me!) Q: Should we use mats for all of our stunts? A: Mats are not required for all stunts. However, when learning new skills, using mats or a grassy area can help minimize the chance of serious injury. These surfaces will not do much in the event of a fall where an ankle lands sideways, but they will help in the instance of a head impact injury. As always, proper lead-up skills and the use of stunt progressions are the most important parts of cheerleading safety. Mats should never be used to replace these steps! Q: What can I do as and administrator to increase cheerleading safety in our program? A: Make sure that you select qualified coaches, just as you would for any other athletic activity at your school. In addition, make sure they are up to date on the latest safety rules and cheerleading techniques. AACCA offers a cheerleading safety education course that informs coaches of their safety responsibilities. Contact them at 800-533-6583, or on the internet at www.aacca.org. Q: Should I select my own team like other coaches? A: The answer to this question depends on many factors. Are you knowledgeable enough to select your own team? Can you be fair? Will your administration back you up on the decisions you make? If not, then you should have an impartial panel of experts select your team. If you can handle it, then go for it! Just make sure all procedures are approved by your administration prior to making this change to your program. Jim Lord Executive Director - AACCA http://www.aacca.com \\|// (@ @) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oOOo~(_)~oOOo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. Coaching Tools & Info on the Internet. * Great article in Chicago-Sun Times on "Heading the Ball" in Soccer The March 12, 2000 -Chicago Sun-Time carries a story on heading the ball. It's not the usual anti-soccer garbage, they seem to present the issue fairly. Interesting, the final part where the doctor made suggestions. Good Reading. The story is at http://www.suntimes.com/output/prep/inside12.html * Get a TOLL FREE number absolutely FREE. If you haven't seen this yet it is a wonderful service. You can get a FREE 1-800 number for you internet activity. Place is on your team web page, or use it to converse/fax with you National, or keep in touch with your team when your on the road. A Real Deal. http://www.ureach.com * Get a FREE site for your Soccer Team Promote your team on the World Wide Web. Sign up today and start taking advantage of the exciting features that are yours for FREE. Its easy, you don't need to know HTML. Our easy menus and extensive help will guide you all the way. http://www.townsoccer.com * Get a FREE download trial of BioFitness Strength Training Software BioFitness does have strength training software to market that automatically creates optimized four week workout plans prescriptive to the individual. Our sports specific programs are under development as we speak but the general fitness / bodybuilding software is already finished and available as an "initially" free downloaded trail version from http://www.biofitness.com \\|// (@ @) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oOOo~(_)~oOOo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. April Edition BASEBALL : Guest Coach Atricle BASKETBALL : "Speed Skills - Part 2" - Peter McLean, MS Director - Speed Wins Ltd. John "Sarge" Siers Director Youth Development Five Star Basketball Camp BASKETBALL : "What Does it Take to Become a Complete Basketball Player" - Coach Matt Swanick GENERAL : "How to Organize a Practice - Part 2" - Coach Joseph P Izzo CHEER: Q: How to act when your spectating =- Coach Jenny FOOTBALL: We had a Football coach lined up with a fantastic article however we would not validate the authenticity in time for this issue. Likely to see it in the next issue. SOCCER : Guest Coach Article If any coaches out there would like to contribute as guest authors (or in any other way), please email me at mailto:editor@teamanizer.com.