In parts 1, 2, and 3 we dove into the fact that both repetitions and guidance are required for best skill development.  We further considered some ideas that go beyond simply trading time spent offering guidance for time spent doing reps or vice versa.  For example, correcting players as they go allows for both at the same time.

Now we will look at some best practices that allow a coach to work toward optimizing a practice session.  This article is written from the perspective of advising coaches on how to run the best practice sessions they can.

1. Deciding what should be included in an explanation and demonstration while introducing a new drill to players

We have already considered the idea that we need guidance in order to get the most out of our reps.  The question becomes, “how much is enough?”  How much guidance do players need?  To start, we need to know that every drill has a structure and (should have) a purpose.  In order to do the drill effectively, players must understand the structure.  Without this, the drill becomes a mess.  Further, in order to get a lot out of a drill, players must understand the purpose.

Each of those can be further broken down.  The questions we must answer which encapsulate the structure of a drill are as follows.

1. Where do I go?
2. What do I do at each stage?
3. When do I do these things?

If we want players to understand a drill, they must understand these things. The questions we must answer which encapsulate the purpose of a drill are as follows.

1. What technique(s) are we working on?
2. How do I execute said technique(s) well?

This detail about the purpose can be the separating factor between an average practice and a great practice. So, we need to answer those five questions for players to help them get the most out of a drill.  Do we need to provide that information entirely in the form of verbal explanation?  Absolutely not.  Drawings and demonstrations are key parts of the coach’s arsenal in teaching players.  The art form is to leave as little as possible to verbal explanation and move as much as possible to drawing or demo because people learn better from those more-visual methods of teaching.

In order to make sure you are getting all needed info across, the following is a great checklist to use when introducing a new drill to a group of players.

• Explain the path of the drill.
• Explain the techniques of the drill.
• Show the path of the drill.
• Show the techniques of the drill.
• Tell them when to start and explain any other times where they must use timing to coordinate with other players.

What if a group has done a drill or a similar drill before?  In this case, one should skip one or more of the steps in that checklist.  Consider what players already know and skip those parts of the explanation except for brief reminders.  In all cases, you should strive to get only the needed info to players as quickly as you can without leaving anything critical out.

2. Three different ways to correct mistakes you see during drills and when to use each way

What should be done when we see mistakes during a drill?  Feedback is critical to learning.  Coaches should hunger for opportunities to offer feedback to deepen each player’s understanding not only of what the right form of a technique comprises, but how that player is missing the mark.  The question becomes, do we pull kids aside, do we correct the whole group, or do we try to correct kids as they go without stopping them?

The answer depends on the rough percentage of kids who are making a given mistake.  In short, if about 40% of players or more are making a certain mistake, it is often best to wait until that iteration of the drill ends and then correct the whole group.  If not, then we are left to correct individuals.

When correcting individuals we don’t want to ruin their focus while executing a drill.  We need skaters focused on the techniques they are trying to execute, so we cannot offer complex explanations without pulling them out of the drill.

With that said, we should be frequently correcting players within drills by offering simple, single-idea cues as they go.  If they need something more in-depth, then we simply must pull them aside so they no longer have to concentrate on executing the drill and give them the more complicated explanation.

3. Use progression to teach complex drills

One final method that should be considered is building players to a complex drill by working through a progression.  A progression can start simple and feature reps that allow them to grasp base concepts about structure and technique.  Then by incrementally adding complexity you never overload a given level of player’s short-term memory with drill details.  This is because with reps of the initial simpler drill, those initial details no longer represent a short-term memory challenge.  Then, any new details you are adding demand good short-term memory, but players are ready to add new details because of the reps they had with the simpler drill.  The greater the mismatch between player age / experience level and drill complexity you are building toward, the more patient you have to be to progress them into the complex drill.

As of this point nobody has turned practice execution into a science.  It is likely too complex to do so because the exact best explanation / drawing / demonstration depends on the 15 or so individuals to whom you are trying to convey information about the drill.  So you have to treat it as an art form where some decisions will be “from the gut”.  But if you use the best practices above as a guide you’ll have a great foundation from which to practice this art.