U10 Development Philosophies
U10 Development Philosophies
Please note that every team and player is different and the path to development is not always linear. The video above is to be used as a framework for U10 and adjusted accordingly based on your players, their skill levels and needs. We hope that some of the ideas mentioned above are helpful and used to create a fun environment where the players can improve while they fall in love with the game.
U10 Learning Environment
The learning environment at U10 should be all about positive reinforcement and having fun with their teammates. You want your players to fall in love with the game of hockey and having a positive and fun environment for your players will make them want to come to the rink and get better. It’s a great age to ask them questions and make sure that they are engaged and understand what’s being taught.
One of the best ways to create a fun learning environment is to implement small area games and races at practice (see links to activity ideas below):
This is also a great age to be teaching and reinforcing the fundamentals of skating. Some of the most helpful skating videos for U10 are listed below. The Quick Fix videos from Dwayne Blais are great for U10 as they help coaches identify some of the common mistakes kids make when skating and give tips on how to rectify them.
- Hockey Player Position
- Forward Skating
- Quick Fix: Forward Skating
- Using Edges: The Basics
- Quick Fix: Outside Edges
- Hockey Stop
- Quick Fix: Stopping
- How to Skate Backwards
- Quick Fix: Backwards Skating
To view all of our skating videos, click here. You can also reference our Skill Development page at any time for detailed breakdowns on how to properly teach passing, shooting and stickhandling fundamentals.
U10 Character Development
Character development at U10 should focus on positivity, being a good teammate and introducing accountability. This falls on the coach to lead by example to make sure they are providing a positive learning environment where it’s encouraged to be a good teammate and that it’s ok to make mistakes. Coaches can introduce small levels of accountability by teaching players how to tie their own skates, having them carry their own bags, and assigning roles on the team for players to pick up the pucks and clean the locker room after practices and games.
For some advice on setting standards and how to hold your players accountable we recommend watching a quick 2 minute video on Accountability (by Topher Scott).
U10 Team Play
Team play at U10 should mostly focus on 1v1, 2v1 and 2v2 situations in smaller spaces. This will allow players to develop on-ice concepts that they will need as they get older. Puck protection, attacking the puck carrier, give and goes and moving to open space should be the focal points of team play at U10. Below you can find some drills and activities that can be used to help develop team play for your U10 teams:
- Puck Protection Activities for U10
- Puck Control Activities for U10
- 1 v 1 Activities for U10
- 2 v 1 Activities for U10
- 2 v 2 Activities for U10
U10 Puck Pursuit Tips
Instead of trying to teach systems to U10 players, coaches can help players learn the game by teaching give & goes and various puck pursuit tips. In the video above, Alyssa Gagliardi gives an example of how you can use animals as an example players can relate to that would give players a better idea of forechecking and support.
U10 Goal Setting
Goal setting is an important part of developing a positive team environment so that your players are able to work towards something both individually and as a team. Goal setting looks different at all age levels, but having specific goals at the younger age levels can really help your team come together and work towards something more than just winning.
Adding Decisions & Cues to Practice
It’s critical to prioritize implementing game-like decisions in when developing practice plans. The environment provides the information where players have to make decisions. So it’s crucial for players to make these decisions in practice and get used to keeping their heads up, scanning their environments for threats, opportunities and actions so when the game comes it feels automatic that they can read the entire environment. Adding cues into your drills and activities is a great way to improve your players' decision making abilities.
Below are some of our favorite drills for U10 that implement decision making:
- Triangle Tag
- 3 v 1 Keepaway
- Head Up Scan the Ice Warm Up
- Decision Time 2 on 1
- Gates of Buffalo Passing
- Gates of Buffalo 3 on 3 Game
- Tic Tac Toe Relay
- Using Rondos in Hockey Practice
You can also view all of our U10 Practices here.
Authors
Many thanks to Alyssa Gagliardi and Ben Eaves for their dedication to the game and their willingness to share their knowledge with the IHS community.