ࡱ> PRO .Qbjbj "fjjMl>>>8v 4?"$ ......|. k >0?v.<^Player Selection and Tryouts PLAYER SELECTION One of the first tasks to be carried out by a coach at the beginning of the season is the selection of players for a team. This is a major responsibility, regardless of age level or competitive category. This chapter will present some important aspects of the player selection process. Particular attention will be paid to the steps to be followed in selecting a team at the youth hockey level. In addition, a brief supplementary section will deal with a few additional considerations for player selection at higher levels of competition. Upon completion of this chapter, you will be better prepared to: Develop a prioritized checklist of variables to be evaluated while selecting players Select different evaluation methods Design the content for try out sessions Assign responsibilities for player evaluation Develop a plan for releasing players INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS IN DEVELOPING A PLAYER SELECTION PLAN In most youth hockey situations, coaches are faced with the task of choosing from a large pool of players to fill a limited number of positions on a team. Coaches are usually expected to complete this task in a relatively short period of time. Therefore, it is very important for the coach to be organized in advance with a plan for carrying out the player selection process. To properly develop this plan, the coach must take into consideration a number of significant factors. The answers to the following questions will assist coaches in designing the most effective player selection plan. How Many Players will attend the Team Try Outs? Ideally, there should be some form of pre-registration so that the coach can be given a complete list of players in advance of the first tryout session. This may not always be possible and, thus, a coach may have to be prepared to make some last minute adjustments for the initial session. Having a reasonable estimate of how many players will attend will greatly assist the coach in deciding how to use the available ice time. For example, it may be unrealistic to plan for a 30 minute scrimmage if there are only 22 players. On the other hand, a number greater than 50 may require splitting into two separate groups for the first few sessions. How Much Ice Time is Available? The amount of ice time available for the tryouts is another important consideration. Knowing how much time you have to get down to the final team will affect not only the content of the individual tryout sessions but also the timeline for the release of players. The norm in youth hockey is a relatively brief tryout period with about five to eight hours of ice time. Therefore, the coach must plan the tryout sessions to be as efficient as possible. One reason for the short duration available for selecting a team is that often other teams at lower competitive categories must wait for the releases fro the higher level teams before beginning their tryouts. How Many Players Do You Plan to Keep? Obviously you must determine in advance the desired make-up of your team. Do you plan to keep 15 players or 17 (i.e., units of five plus two goaltenders) or some other number? USA Hockey rules permit up to 20 players on a team. Nevertheless, in youth hockey you must consider how many players you can effectively use in games to ensure they receive sufficient opportunity to play. Very little benefit will be gained by marginal players who see limited ice time. You really have a responsibility to play the players you choose. In addition to the absolute number, the coach must also consider what special qualities to look for in players. For example, it may be desirable to have at least a few players with the versatility to play both forward and defense positions. DECIDING WHAT TO EVALUATE - In order to select the best players from a large pool of candidates, it is necessary to establish criteria on which to make comparisons among players. Thus, the first step in player evaluation is to determine what variables to measure. What qualities are you looking for in your players? Are some of these more important than others? The answers to these questions will depend to a great extent on the age category as well as the competitive level of your team. For example, at the Pee Wee level there will likely be more of an emphasis on evaluating basic skills rather than individual and team tactics. Similarly, physical characteristics such as strength and endurance will be more relevant at the Midget category than at the younger age levels. The following is a list of some of the player qualities which might be evaluated during the tryout period: Individual Skills Skating Passing Pass receiving Shooting Dribbling Checking Team Skills Offensive tactics Defensive tactics Ability to play with others Mental Qualities Intelligence Reading and reacting Concentration Physical Qualities Strength Muscular endurance Cardiovascular endurance Balance Agility Coordination Power Emotional Characteristics Self-control Patience Desire Attitude FOR THE COACH Player Evaluation Checklist: Develop a checklist of the variables on which you would evaluate players in selecting your team. List them in order of priority and provide some specific examples for each. For example: Individual skills Shooting Ability to execute an accurate wrist shot on both the forehand and backhand Ability to shoot in stride What about Goaltenders? As you might obviously expect, the characteristics which should be evaluated for goaltenders will differ significantly from those player at other positions. In addition to individual skills such as skating, puckhandling and passing, goaltenders must be evaluated on their ability to stop the puck using the stick, gloves, pads and body. Mental, physical and emotional characteristics should also be evaluated. Once again, however, there may be a difference between goaltenders and other players in both the specific components to be assessed as well as their relative priorities. Are There Other Considerations? Although you will now have a comprehensive list of skills/characteristics on which to evaluate your players, there is at least one other factor for you to consider in selecting players for your team. The players attending the tryouts will come with varied summer hockey experiences and different competitive backgrounds. Some may have played summer hockey or attended a hockey school or a power skating camp while others will be on the ice for the first time in five or six months. Therefore, if you have adequate time in your tryout period, it may be advisable to devote the first few sessions to skill development drills and exercises in order to assist in putting all players on a more equivalent basis prior to initiating the evaluation process. In addition, at the younger age levels, a players previous experience in competitive hockey may range from none to a number of years at the highest level of competition. As players do not begin the tryouts from the same starting point, a coach is tasked with the additional responsibility of evaluating not only present skills but also a players potential to improve both in the short term and over the course of the season. For example, does player A appear to be better than player B because of involvement in summer hockey for six weeks and a two week power skating school? Will player B catch up to and surpass player A after the first month of the season? Does player C have the potential to improve significantly more than player D over the course of the season? In some youth hockey associations, teams are selected prior to the summer. This certainly alleviates the problems associated with varied summer experiences. However, the issue of the players potential to improve as well as the effects of growth and development may be magnified in these situations and should be taken into consideration. HOW TO EVALUATE Once you have determined what to evaluate, the next step is to organize your tryout sessions in such a way that the players can be assessed on the identified variables. This assessment may be carried out using the following methods: Specific Skill Drills Individual skills such as skating and passing can be evaluated using combination skill drills. Initially these drills may be very artificial with little or no resistance, however, there should be an attempt made to simulate game conditions in a progressive manner. Skill Testing A number of skill tests are now available, particularly for skating speed and agility. These can be used by coaches as a means of comparing players. As a cautionary note, however, it must be remembered these tests are typically quite far removed from actual game situations. In addition, they can use up a great deal of time, particularly for a large group of players. Competitive Drills Paired races and other drills which pit two players against one another in a confined space with a specific objective (i.e., beat your partner to the loose puck) are excellent methods of evaluating individual skills as well as mental and physical qualities. For example, you can learn a great deal about a players desire and ability to use strength in the corner. Although competitive evaluation drills can be used throughout the tryouts (and during the season as practice drills), they are particularly useful in the latter stages of the tryouts when the coach wishes to create specific pairings to compare players being considered for final positions on the team. Scrimmage Sessions/Exhibition Games Naturally, the best way of evaluating a players ability to play the game is to evaluate the individual under game conditions. Such conditions can be easily simulated in scrimmages or intra-squad games as well as exhibition games. While the latter are probably best suited to the final stages of team selection, scrimmages can be effectively used throughout the tryout period, beginning with the first session. You can evaluate most of the previously listed player characteristics during scrimmages and exhibition games. Furthermore, the provide perhaps the only real means of assessing a players ability to read and react. Here are a few additional considerations related to the use of scrimmages and exhibition games in your evaluation of players: Change line combinations and defense pairings in order to observe players under different situations Use exhibition games to help you make decisions about borderline or marginal players Unless skill deficiencies are extremely obvious, you should not release a player prior to seeing that individual under game conditions (i.e., scrimmage and/or exhibition game). An important task for any coach, then, is to plan the tryout sessions in such a way as to make the most efficient use of the available player assessment methods. DESIGNING THE TRYOUT SESSION A constructive way to approach a tryout is to see it as a way of placing athletes on teams where they will benefit most, not as a dead-end experience where players are cut away from hockey. The tryout is a good opportunity to get some pre-season observations which can tell both you and the athlete where work may be needed. It should be as well thought out and organized as other parts of your program. PLANNING FOR THE FIRST TRYOUT SESSION Proper planning will eliminate a lot of potential problems at the first tryout session. Therefore, the coach should ensure that the administrative details are taken care of in advance. In many situations, the youth hockey association will assume responsibility for some of these tasks, but the coach should be aware of them in any case. The following are some guidelines related to the first tryout session. Inform Parents/Players of Tryout Details in Advance Parents and player should be advised, well in advance, about the requirements for the tryouts. This is particularly important at the younger age levels where parents may not be aware of the need, for example, of full and proper protective equipment. In addition to informing them about the associations policies regarding such aspects as protective equipment, medical examinations, and age classifications, they should also be provided with a complete schedule of sessions and other pertinent information regarding the conduct of the tryouts. This information should be posted as soon as possible on the associations web site. Where feasible, each age classification should have a meeting in order to permit parents to ask any additional questions. The meeting format will also provide you with an opportunity to outline your player selection plan. Ensure that Necessary Resources are Available To be able to plan the content of the sessions, it is necessary to know what resources will be available. You should have sufficient pucks (at least one for every player), pylons and scrimmage sweaters/vests/pennies. Each player should have a water bottle, particularly if the sessions are intense or longer than 50 minutes in duration. A first aid kit should also be available for all sessions, along with a qualified first aid person or trainer. Obtain Required Support You must anticipate your needs in terms of human support to ensure that the required assistance is available to handle any last minute details. For example, it may be necessary to have someone available to handle late registration and collection of registration fees. Support might also be required to assign identification sweater numbers to players. As already mentioned, a trainer or first aid person should also be available. By assigning the responsibilities to others, you will be able to concentrate on the more immediate tasks of coordinating and conducting the sessions. A coach should also have a minimum of two other individuals to assist with the on-ice sessions. A large number of assistants may be required depending on the number of players in attendance. Arrive at the Arena Early Although proper planning should eliminate most problems, it is advisable to arrive at the arena well in advance of the actual starting time. This will provide you with ample time to check that everything is in place and to answer any questions from parents, players or your support staff. Since most of the administrative tasks have been assigned to others, you should also have time to review the tryout plan with your assistants and make any last minute adjustments. Prepare the Players Prior to going on the ice, you should outline the selection process to the players. This pre-ice session should include the following information: What player qualities you are looking for Explanation of the drills to be run and their purposes Objectives of scrimmage sessions Target time line for team selection In addition, you should stress the importance of a proper warm-up. The first few ice sessions should include a good 15-20 minute warm-up period to ensure that players are physically ready to go through the evaluation drills and scrimmages without risking injury. At the younger age levels it may also be necessary to do a thorough check of the players protective equipment. Particular attention should be paid to checking that the helmets and facemasks are HECC certified and that skates and other pieces of equipment are properly fitted. ASSIGNING RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PLAYER EVALUATION The third step in the player evaluation process is the recruitment of other personnel to assist in the assessment of players. On-Ice Assistants You should have two or more on-ice assistants to help conduct the tryout sessions. These individuals can assist in player evaluation for specific positions (i.e., defense players, goaltenders), by carrying out evaluation drills with small groups of players. In drills involving a larger number, they can also focus on specific individuals. Impartial Observers Another means of obtaining player assessment information is to use expert observers in the stands who are assigned the task of rating players on specific criteria. In addition to providing you with a second opinion on borderline players, observers can also be used to record more detailed player assessment information for later analysis. For example, it may be helpful to keep statistics on the results of the various competitive evaluation drills in order to compare players. Does a certain play win consistently against all the other players? Where you have three relatively equal players, is there one who comes out on top of most match-ups with the other two? If possible, try to get a rating of every player at the end of each session. Coaching Staff In the end, the final decisions for player selection rest with you, the coach. In some cases, you may be familiar with a number of players, having observed them in previous seasons. Such prior information, combined with player assessment from observers and on-ice assistants, is invaluable. However, it is also essential that you create opportunities for yourself during the tryouts to screen and evaluate all players as effectively as possible. Although it is probably more efficient to assess players from the stands since this usually affords a wider view of the various drills and scrimmages, you should also spend some time on the ice in order to get closer to the action and observe some of the more subtle aspects (i.e., emotional characteristics, passing and receiving skills, soft hands in handling the puck and the ability to understand instructions). As a general guideline, however, you should spend considerably more time observing from the stands during the player selection period. RELEASING PLAYERS Once decisions have been made regarding the release or cutting of players during the tryout period, you must have a plan for informing these players. Although the details of this plan will vary from coach to coach, and will depend to some extent on the age level of the players, the following guidelines should be adhered to as much as possible. Avoid Public Announcements Do not post a list of player cuts or read the names of players to be released, in front of the rest of the team. Wherever possible, you should try to take individual players aside briefly towards the end of the session and ask them to meet privately with you afterwards. Speak With the Player Individually Talk to each player individually and briefly explain the players weaknesses as well as pointing out some strength. Be honest and straightforward. Invite Questions from the Players Provide the player with an opportunity to ask further questions about the evaluation. In addition to helping you select the team, a major objective of the evaluation process should be to provide the player with constructive feedback to guide improvement. Direct the Player to another Team If your association has teams at other levels of competition, ensure that released players are provided with a schedule of their tryouts. Ideally, the coach of this team should also be at the arena in order to personally meet the players. Where no such tiering system exists, you should make the player aware of whatever options do exist (i.e., recreational league, school league). Leave on a Positive Note Thank the player for participating in the team tryouts and encourage the individual to continue working to improve in areas of weaknesses. Dealing with Parents Be prepared to answer questions from parents regarding the reasons for your decision. Again be honest and straightforward. In addition, try to avoid confrontations with parents, particularly in front of the player. 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