Shows
The Coach's RoadEpisode 120 - A Coaching Conversation with Derek ArmyThis episode features a great conversation with Derek Army, Head Coach of the Wheeling Nailers in the ECHL. With Derek we talk about the USA Hockey Player Development Camps, what the ECHL is and the opportunity it presents players and coaches. We then also talk about recruiting and buy in, self-development, and the influence his father, also a coach, had on him! Enjoy!
We have begun to focus more on creating quality episodes. Therefore, we will publish episodes a bit more sporadically!
Thanks for listening and all the best...2024-03-2557 minThe Coach's RoadEpisode 114 - Season Reflection with Rick and DerekThis week we have our yearly reflection on our previous season. Last year Rick was with Frisk Asker and Holmen Hockey and he tells us about his experience and learnings spending time there. Derek was at Jar Idrettslag and, same as Rick, shares his experiences and learnings. Some similarities from working in the same country and culture but some differences given the two different environments! Always great to reflect back and notice the key elements of a season!
The Coach’s Road Podcast is proud to be presented by CoachTools, a tool to improve co...2023-05-291h 32
The Coach's RoadEpisode 107 - Catch up with Derek and RickThis week we have a catch up episode with Derek and Rick. We chat about our starts in Norway and our new positions and the opportunities they give us. We also chat about what is important for us going into this season and what our plans for the season are. Finally we chat a bit about how we are trying to build up hockey sense in our players.
The Coach’s Road Podcast is proud to be presented by CoachTools, a tool to improve coaching and power your club’s philosophy! Start your new season off right with...2022-10-101h 04
The Coach's RoadEpisode 98 - Season Reflection with Derek and RickThis week we have a reflective chat about this last season with the Junior Pelicans. We chat about what went well, what we learned, what we can improve and what our favorite memories are from the year. It is always nice to chat about the season once it is over and we hope everyone enjoys the episode!
The Coach’s Road Podcast is proud to be presented by CoachTools, a tool to improve coaching and power your club’s philosophy! If you are interested in using CoachTools go to www.coachtools.net and fill out the “Start Free T...2022-05-091h 01The Coach's RoadEpisode 82 - Interview of Rick by Prof. AJ WoodburnThis week it is Rick’s interview with Prof. Andrea Joy Woodburn from the Université Laval in Quebec, Canada. AJ asks us some interesting questions getting us to reflect on our journey as young coaches and young coach developers and what is next for us!
The Coach’s Road Podcast is proud to be presented by CoachTools, a tool to improve coaching and power your club’s philosophy! If you are interested in using CoachTools go to www.coachtools.net and fill out the “Start Free Trial” Form!
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the r...2022-01-101h 38The Coach's RoadEpisode 81 - Interview of Derek by Prof. AJ WoodburnThe next two weeks we are doing things a bit differently, Rick and Derek were interviewed separately by Prof. Andrea Joy Woodburn from the Université Laval in Quebec, Canada. This week we are releasing Derek’s interview with AJ and then next week we will release Rick’s interview. AJ asks us some interesting questions getting us to reflect on our journey as young coach developers and what is next for us!
The Coach’s Road Podcast is proud to be presented by CoachTools, a tool to improve coaching and power your club’s philosophy! If you are interested in using Coa...2022-01-031h 25The Coach's RoadEpisode 80 - The Coach's Road Conference Day 3 Reflection with Rick and DerekThis week we again break down our experience hosting the third day of the Coach’s Road Conference! We talk about our experience, our thoughts, improvements we can make for next year! We also call on everyone to let us know your experience and let us know of anything that would make it better for you as an audience member for next year! Shoot us an email if anything comes to mind thecoachsroad@gmail.com.
The Coach’s Road Podcast is proud to be presented by CoachTools, a tool to improve coaching and power your club’s philos...2021-12-2013 minThe Coach's RoadEpisode 79 - The Coach's Road Conference Day 2 Reflection with Rick and DerekThis week we again break down our experience hosting the second day of the Coach’s Road Conference! We talk about our experience, our thoughts, improvements we can make for day 3 and our key learnings! We also call on everyone to let us know your experience and let us know of anything that would make it better for you as an audience member! Shoot us an email if anything comes to mind thecoachsroad@gmail.com.
The Coach’s Road Podcast is proud to be presented by CoachTools, a tool to improve coaching and power your club’s philos...2021-12-1318 min
The Coach's RoadEpisode 78 - The Coach's Road Conference Day 1 Reflection with Rick and DerekThis week we break down our experience hosting the first day of the Coach’s Road Conference! We talk about our experience, our thoughts, improvements we can make for day 2 and our key learnings! We also call on everyone to let us know your experience and let us know of anything that would make it better for you as an audience member! Shoot us an email if anything comes to mind thecoachsroad@gmail.com.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the resources from our guests on our drive: https://bit.ly/t-c-r-drive
If y...2021-12-0621 minThe Coach's RoadEpisode 74 - Conference Preview with Rick and DerekThis week Rick and Derek preview the conference now that all the speakers (besides the coach’s road speakers) have been confirmed. We talk about what excites about what speaker and each day and we also cover the topics each speaker will speak about. If there is anything you’re excited to hear about in the conference let us know by email thecoachsroad@gmail.com
You can check out the rest of the resources from our guests on our drive: https://bit.ly/t-c-r-drive
Don’t forget to register now for our upcoming conference in Decemb...2021-11-081h 01The Coach's RoadEpisode 72 - Working with Parents in Sport with Gordon MacLellandThis week we chat with Gordon MacLelland, Founder of Working with Parents in Sport based out of the UK. With Gordon we chat about what makes good sports parents and how we as coaches can help support parents and engage them positively in their child’s experience in sport. We also talk about how to take the pressure off of young athletes and how we can create parent engagement workshops.
You can check our Gordon’s organization Working with Parents in Sport (WWPIS) on their website https://www.parentsinsport.co.uk and on twitter @_WWPIS. Don’t forget...2021-10-251h 13The Coach's RoadEpisode 71 - Degree Program Evolution and Learning Environments for Coaches with Jukka TiikkajaThis week we talk with Jukka Tiikkaja, COO of Vierumäki. Jukka has formerly been with the Degree Program we are studying in from the beginning in 2001 until 2017 with a small break to work with the IIHF Asia Office. With his background with the program we talk about the evolution of the program over the years. In turn we talk about creating good learning environments for coaches through the analogy of the Coach-Athlete relationship. Hope everyone enjoys!
Don’t forget to check out all the resources on our drive here: https://bit.ly/t-c-r-drive
Don’t for...2021-10-181h 16The Coach's RoadEpisode 70 - Coaching Philosophies with Derek and RickThis week we talk about our coaching philosophies. A conversation that in our minds was overdue since we commonly ask coaches to describes their coaching philosophies in our episodes. We go through some questions and aspects we feel are important pieces of coaching philosophies but also this episode is a good example of how a philosophy can differ from coach to coach and context to context. We are both constantly changing, adding to, subtracting to and editing our philosophies as we learn new information in practice and our context changes year to year. We hope everyone enjoys hearing about...2021-10-111h 32The Coach's RoadEpisode 69 - Mental Toughness with Dr. Cassidy PrestonThis week we welcome on Dr. Cassidy Preston, High-Performance Coach and Founder of Consistent Elite Performance. With Dr. Preston we explore how we can help athletes development mental toughness. We throw several practical examples from our own coaching at Dr. Preston and he walks us through how he would respond to the situations. This is a great mix of theory and practical ideas. Dr. Preston provides a lot of tools and stories we can share with our athletes to overcome challenges and mental blocks.
Check out more from Dr. Cassidy Preston and his team on their website...2021-10-041h 31The Coach's RoadEpisode 68 - Notre Dame Hockey with Jeff JacksonThis week we welcome on Jeff Jackson, the Head Coach for University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish Men’s Hockey Team. With Jeff we talk about lifelong learning as a coach and what challenging times can give us. Then we dive into Tradition and Identity at Notre Dame and the character traits they try to teach their players. We then talk about the first actions he and his staff take to ensure newcomers get into the culture smoothly!
You can check out all the resources from our guests on our drive here: https://bit.ly/t-c-r-drive
...2021-09-271h 23The Coach's RoadEpisode 67 - Truly Coaching the Human with Alpo SuhonenThis week we are very excited to welcome on Alpo Suhonen, The first European Head Coach in the NHL back in the early 2000’s. Alpo has coached on five different continents and in many different contexts and he shares with us what it means to coach human beings! We also talk about coaching the whole human and now we finally scratch the surface on what that actually means! Alpo brings an interesting perspective from philosophy, art, sport and science to talk with us today!
Today was our first in person interview on the show so please excuse an...2021-09-201h 21The Coach's RoadEpisode 66 - Serial Winning Coaches with Dr. Sergio Lara-BercialThis week we welcome on Dr. Sergio Lara-Bercial from Leeds-Beckett University in England. With Dr. Lara-Bercial we talk about his work with studying Serial Winning Coaches and some of the common themes in the coaches that they studied. We talk about the idea of driven benevolence and how do the four themes of philosophy, vision, right people in the right place and environment translate the youth sports world. Enjoy the conversation!
You can check out the resources recommended by our guests including an article on Serial Winning Coaches from Dr. Lara-Bercial on our drive: https://bit.ly...2021-09-131h 24The Coach's RoadEpisode 65 - Air Force Hockey with Frank SerratoreThis week we welcome on Frank Serratore, Head Coach of the US Air Force Academy Hockey Team. Coach Serratore has been coaching at the Academy since 1997 so it was great to talk with him about his program, the types of players he recruits, their style of play and the evolution he has gone through since 1997. Coach Serratore has a lot of energy and even through zoom he displays great passion for what he does! Enjoy!
You can check out all the resources recommended by our guests on our drive: https://bit.ly/t-c-r-drive
You can...2021-09-061h 36The Coach's RoadEpisode 64 - Perception with Don GranatoThis week we welcome on Don Granato, Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres. With Coach Granato we get into what qualities do you need to be an NHL Head Coach, the importance of self-reflection in team culture, perspective, leadership and finally a bit about style of play and how it can impact players’ self-confidence! A lot to take away from this episode so enjoy the conversation!
You can check out the resources recommended by our guests in our drive: https://bit.ly/t-c-r-drive
You can also connect with the show on social media to stay up...2021-08-301h 16The Coach's RoadEpisode 63 - Athlete Leadership with Daniel ChurchThis week we welcome on Head Coach of the York University Lion’s Women’s Hockey Team Daniel Church. Dan is currently pursuing a Master’s in Athlete Leadership which we explore in the conversation. We also chat about using some of the principles made popular by the All Blacks in New Zealand such as Transformational Leadership and the Dual Management Model. We talk about how this all makes groups successful and get a taste of what his team structure is at York. Finally we chat about his time with Hockey Canada and how that helped him become the coach...2021-08-231h 27The Coach's RoadEpisode 62 - Tactics and Recruiting with RJ EngaThis week our guest is RJ Enga, former Assistant Coach with the Colorado College Tigers. With RJ we start with what hockey means to him and the part that it plays in his life. From there we dive into where strategy, systems and tactics fit into hockey and what they really should be used for. We also talk about how easy it is for coaches to overthink and overcomplicate the game. We then take an interesting turn into the recruiting side of college sports and how he sells himself, the coaching staff and the program to perspective players. We...2021-08-161h 31The Coach's RoadEpisode 61 - Sociocultural Constraints with Mike WhyattThis week we welcome on Mike Whyatt, Executive Director of Halifax City Soccer Club in Nova Scotia. Mike joins us to chat about sociocultural constraints and how they impact us as coaches, how our players learn and much more! We also chat about some of the trends in youth sport and the cultural aspects that may be influencing those trends. We get into a lot of different areas and overall Mike creates a really interesting conversation.
A note about the episode: We have a longer intro and outro this week to catch up after our summer holiday. R...2021-08-091h 28The Coach's RoadEpisode 60 - Excellent Practice with Roger GrilloThis week we welcome on Roger Grillo, The USA Hockey ADM Regional Manager for the Northeastern region. With Roger we discuss his background in college hockey and in teaching and how they have impacted his job now. From there we explore a couple different areas around player development including how to maximize player development, how to focus on the individual players, how to move from pretty good practices to excellent practices and finally how do we work with constraints. This episode did get cut off abruptly so we apologize for the quick ending but we hope you enjoy!
Don’t fo...2021-07-261h 06The Coach's RoadEpisode 59 - Practical Application of CLA and NLP with Perttu KytöhonkaThis week we welcome on Perttu Kytöhonka, Sport Director for TPS Salibandy here in Finland. With Perttu we explore his coaching through CLA and NLP in a practical way. We talk about how he implements these theories into his coaching and how he approaches a training week. We also chat about the balance he strikes between closed and open activities, how he manipulates constraints, and how he progresses feedback styles throughout a week. Finally we touch on how he approaches game days and the leadership roles he takes on in his environment.
Check out all the g...2021-07-191h 31The Coach's RoadEpisode 58 - Mental Coaching and Evaluation with Jesse WellingThis week we welcome on Jesse Welling, Coach with the Lahti Pelicans in the Finnish Liiga to discuss mental coaching and evaluation. Specifically we talk with Jesse Welling about the tool he created as part of his thesis to scout and evaluate the mental qualities of players. We explore the basic requirements for team sport athletes when it comes to mental qualities. We then dive into how the tool came about and how to use the tool and the annual process he goes through with his athletes.
You can check out Jesse’s thesis here: https://www.th...2021-07-121h 09The Coach's RoadEpisode 57 - Communication and Interaction with Salla AasThis week we welcome on our Communications Instructor and local theater director Salla Aas to talk about communication and interaction as coaches. We dive into important areas such as nonverbal communication and how that makes up 94-96% of communication. We also talk about using the wheel of interaction (find it here: http://bit.ly/woi-tcr) and how we can use that tool as coaches to help manage our interactions. We then talk about assertiveness and communicating with people from other cultures. Finally we finish off the conversation talking about how to deal with “difficult” athletes.
You can find...2021-07-051h 46The Coach's RoadEpisode 56 - Building A Team with Ben CooperThis week we welcome on Head Coach and The Coach’s Site Partner Ben Cooper. Ben shares with us his unique path to becoming a Head Coach including spending time in the NHL and The 2010 Canadien Olympic Team in his home town of Vancouver. We then dive into what he has learned from the 50+ great coaches he has had the chance to work with as well as what he has learned working with obsessed athletes. We then take all of this and talk about how he takes over a new team, what he does when he arrives in a ne...2021-06-281h 25The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Iiro PartanenThis week we welcome on Iiro Partanen, Head Coach for TPS Turku U15 team. Iiro is another former student of the degree program coming from the DP16 class. With Iiro we explore his views on coaching and his education, the role of a coach and how that has shifted for him in his career, and the environment he strives to create. We also explore his values and how that leads into the way he wants his team to play on the ice, how he started with his new team in Turku, and the habits he looks to instill in...2021-06-241h 14The Coach's RoadEpisode 55 - Long Term Athlete Development with Dr. Stephen NorrisThis week we welcome on Dr. Stephen Norris to chat about Long Term Athlete Development. We chat about some of the different models and what the most important aspect is when selecting a model to use. We also chat about how we should be measuring development in our athletes and how we better serve them in the long run. Dr. Norris has a lot of great information on this topic and shares a lot of it in today’s episode.
Don’t forget to check out all the resources provided by our guests in our drive: https://bit...2021-06-211h 15The Coach's RoadEpisode 54 - NLP with Dr. Jia Yi ChowThis week we welcome on Dr. Jia Yi Chow, Author of the book "Nonlinear Pedagogy in Skill Acquisition" written along with Keith Davids, Chris Button and Ian Renshaw. With Jia Yi we explore the relationship between The Constraints Led Approach and Nonlinear Pedagogy. Then we dive into the design principles of NLP that allow us practitioners to utilize the theory in our practice. We throw a couple of examples at Jia Yi and he explains how we would use the principles with a football example. We finish the conversation talking about the balance between linear and nonlinear environments and...2021-06-141h 11The Coach's RoadEpisode 53 - Club Development Round Table with John Luetkemeyer and Sami AaltonenThis week we welcome on John Luetkemeyer and Sami Aaltonen to discuss about club development. John has spent 17 years with Kirkwood Youth Hockey Association in St. Louis, MO and Sami is currently the Head of Coaching with TPS Turku. We dive into educating parents, developing culture, dealing with challenges and growing the club. Overall it is a great conversation with a lot of ideas being exchanged and provides an interesting perspective on club development from two clubs in different countries!
John suggest looking into the importance of unstructured free play including this blog: https://www.joyofthepeople.org...2021-06-071h 30The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Hunor MartonThis episode features Hunor Marton, U20 Head Coach for Barani, Banska Bystrica. Hunor is also an alumni of our program and with him we discuss his time at Vierumäki A, his core values and philosophy and the type of coach his player's see. We also talk about how he worked with his team through tough times, the practice mentality he instills in his players, and his goals for the upcoming season with his new club and team!
Hunor recommends checking out The Glass and Out Podcast hosted by former guest Aaron Wilbur as well as the b...2021-06-031h 14The Coach's RoadEpisode 52 - A Year in Review with Rick and DerekThis episode is special as we celebrate our first year as a podcast. We have had a lot of conversations with some great people and we cannot thank our guests enough. Also our listeners, without you guys we wouldn't have the motivation to keep going so thanks for the support, feedback, recommendations and everything else! In this episode we set some goals for the show's next year, we explore some questions from the Listener Feedback Form, and then we explore the biggest learnings we had from the show in the last year and how we have been implementing them...2021-05-311h 35The Coach's RoadEpisode 51 - WC Preparation and Coaching with Tobias JohanssonThis week we welcome on Tobias Johansson for the second time to the Coach's Road Podcast. Tobias is now the Head Coach of the U20 Norwegian National Team as well as the Director of Player Development for the Association. This time around we talk about the preparations he was a part of for the Men's World Championships, the aspects of the culture in Frölunda he wants to establish in Norway, how he handles losing, and why he is a big believer in the Navy Seals. We also talk about how his hopes for the new job and what i...2021-05-241h 20The Coach's RoadEpisode 50 - Youth Hockey with David LaszloThis week we welcome on David Laszlo, the new Junior Club Coach from Vaasa Sport. David is an alumni of our program and has been in youth hockey for over 30 years. We talk about the youth hockey world and compare his experiences in North America and in Europe. We then dive into to his passion for youth hockey, how he builds relationships with his athletes, and how he builds autonomy in his players. We cover some other topics through the conversation as well and it is one to enjoy!
Check out the resources we have put together...2021-05-171h 41The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Quintin BollueFor this Coach’s Road we talk with Quintin Bollue, Director of Player Development for Jar Idrettslag in Norway. Quintin started playing in Belgium and began his coaching career at the U19 level. We talk about how he decided to pursue coaching as a career, what motivates him to continuously improve and the impact the education opportunities had on him. Then we dive into his core values and philosophy and Quinton shares how he views core values as something to show in his actions and it is more about how others see him. We cap the conversation talking about the JA...2021-05-131h 24The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Emmi RuokonenFor this Coach's Road we talk with Emmi Ruokonen, Head of Juniors for Lahti Basketball. Emmi comes from a Track & Field and Basketball background where she started coaching at the age of 14! Emmi shares with us about her time in Vierumäki in the vocational program and the degree program and how it has impacted her coaching. She also shares why she coaches, her idea of the role of a coach, and how she build relationships with her athletes. We also talk about her core values and her coaching philosophy and how that is changing and evolving. Finally, we break d...2021-05-131h 12The Coach's RoadEpisode 49 - A Conversation with Gary HodgsonThis week we welcome on Gary Hodgson from the ICoachKids Global Movement where he serves as the Content and Community Manager. Gary is also a Postdoctoral Research Fellow for Leeds Beckett University. With Gary we first talk about ICK and the mission and vision of the organization and the tremendous amount of work and volunteering that has gone into making it possible! We then dive into Gary himself and explore how he builds relationships with coaches and athletes, his interest in coach education and the kind of environment he strives to create for his learners. We cap this episode...2021-05-101h 21The Coach's RoadEpisode 48 - The Language of Coaching with Nick WinkelmanThis week we welcome on Author of The Language of Coaching, Nick Winkelman, PhD. Nick also serves as the Head of Athletic Performance and Science for the Irish Rugby Football Union. With Nick we explore the ideas in his book revolving around attention, memory, and the impact our language has on the learning of our athletes while exploring the Coaching Communication Loop. The language we talk about is called cueing and we find out what makes an effective cue, internal vs. external cueing and how we get to the words that work!
Check out The Language of...2021-05-031h 27The Coach's RoadEpisode 47 - Social Learning Theory with Dr. Diane CulverThis week we welcome on Dr. Diane Culver, an Associate Professor from the University of Ottawa’s School of Human Kinetics. We explore theory around lifelong learning, Peter Jarvis’ three dimensions of learning, accounting for differences in individual’s biography, and the social learning theory! This is a fairly theoretical episode that provides some of the ideas on how humans learn as social beings and how we can use that in coach education!
You can check out all of the resources from our past guests on our drive: https://bit.ly/t-c-r-drive
Don’t forget to conne...2021-04-261h 07The Coach's RoadEpisode 46 - Coaching and The Women's World Championship with Pasi MustonenThis week we welcome on Pasi Mustonen, Head Coach of the Finnish Women’s National Hockey Team. This is the first repeated guest on the show and this time we talk with Pasi about the upcoming Women’s World Championship in May and how him and the team are preparing for the tournament over distance. After that we shift the conversation to exploring Pasi’s views on coaching and how that has evolved over the years. In this we touch on the vision for the Women’s National Team, his view on what the role of a coach is and the...2021-04-191h 35The Coach's RoadEpisode 45 - ADM and Coach Development with Bob ManciniThis week we chat with Bob Mancini, Regional Manager for USA Hockey's American Development Model. Bob has also spent time with the Oilers Organization and the South African Hockey Association and has been with USAH since the start of the ADM in 2009. With Bob we get into the development path of his son Victor, how his time with the Oilers and South Africa helps him in his current role, and how the ADM has changed in the 12 years it has been around so far. One of the changes is a larger emphasis on coach education which is something we...2021-04-121h 30The Coach's RoadEpisode 44 - A Conversation on Strength and Coaching in the KHL with Hero MaliThis week we welcome on Hero Mali, Strength Coach for Jokerit in the KHL and the Finnish Men’s National Team. Hero has had a lot of success in his almost 14 years on the pro level winning championships at the national and international level. With Hero we talk about the difference in being a strength coach for a club team and a national team as well as how the cooperation in the coaching staff works. We also explore how Jokerit adapted to COVID, the impact on the motivation of the players, and the demands and unique aspects of working an...2021-04-051h 15The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Petteri KilpivaaraThis week we welcome on Petteri Kilpivaara, Assistant Coach of the Dresdner Eislöwen in the DEL2. Petteri is a former DP student belonging to the DP4 class of students. He has a vast amount of experience at several levels and ages of hockey including working as an Assistant Coach for the Finnish Women's National Team for 4 years. In this conversation Petteri shares his learnings from his time with the Women's team, his motivation to start coaching, what he sees the role of a coach being, and his coaching philosophy and core values. He also goes into the difference b...2021-04-011h 23The Coach's RoadEpisode 43 - Training and Environment with Jeff LoVecchioThis week we welcome on Jeff LoVecchio, a Performance Coach and Owner of RIPT HOCKEY. Jeff also hosts The Hockey Think Tank Podcast along with Topher Scott. With Jeff we explore more into Strength and Conditioning and he provides us with some great conversation of training specifics for the first half of the conversation including what a typical session looks like for his athletes, what type of training he prefers, and a bit on developing athleticism vs strength. For the back half of the conversation we dive into the the environment he wants to create in his gym and...2021-03-291h 10The Coach's RoadEpisode 42 - A conversation with Aaron WilburThis week we welcome on the Founder of The Coaches Site and the Host of The Glass and Out Podcast, Aaron Wilbur. Aaron shares with us his favorite parts of running the site and the podcast, what he has taken away from the experience and how he applies the learnings in his life and coaching. We then talk about promoting yourself as a coach, taking theory into practice, and how being a good coach is a work in progress.
We also discuss The Global Skills Showcase which is running from March 22-26 on The Coaches Site. We a...2021-03-221h 09The Coach's RoadEpisode 41 - Basic Behaviors with Peter BolinThis week we welcome on Peter Bolin, a Coach Mentor for Seclerland Hockey Academy in Romania and Hungary. With Peter we chat about his work as a coach mentor and how he establishes a mission for the club, changes the coaches behavior and works with the members of the club. We also explore the idea of giving feedback to our players based on their behaviors as well as the various types of behaviors. Peter connects this with developing good citizens and not just hockey players. Hope everyone enjoys the conversation!
You can check out all the resources...2021-03-151h 16The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Mike HarderIn this episode we talk with Mike Harder, Director of Hockey Club Reno Ice, a brand new club in Reno, Nevada. Mike had a long playing career in the NCAA, AHL and various leagues in Europe. We dive into how that impacted his coaching and also explore how he got started in coaching, what he sees the role of a coach being, the philosophy of his club, and the goals he has for the new program in Reno. Finally we talk about the environment that they create for their athletes, the role that plays in their early success and...2021-03-111h 09The Coach's RoadEpisode 40 - Integrating Technology into our Coaching with Mikael TolkkiThis week we welcome on Mikael Tolkki, the video coach of the Finnish U20 National Team. Mikael also does some work for the International Ice Hockey Center of Excellence based in Vierumäki. With Mikael we explore video coaching including the role of a video coach and the benefit of having a quality video coach. We also dive into a very interesting topic of integrating technology into our coaching and how we can better utilize the tools out there to give feedback to players, improve team play and enhance player development. We hope everyone enjoys!
Don’t for...2021-03-081h 24The Coach's RoadEpisode 39 - LTAD and Testing with Jake JensenThis week we welcome on Jake Jensen, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Eisbären Berlin. Jake also has a Masters in Science from SNHU, and has received a CSCS through the NSCA in the US. In today's episode we dive into the world of Strength and Conditioning for the first time on our show and explore Jake's transition from American Football to Ice Hockey, LTAD, testing and monitoring athletes and finally we look at offseason training and what that consists of. Jake provides a nice blend of theory and practical ideas in today's episode and we hope everyone e...2021-03-011h 31The Coach's RoadEpisode 38 - Origins and Ecological Dynamics with Rich WhiteThis week we welcome on Rich White, the Innovations Manager for Emergent MVMT. We talk with Rich about Emergent and their purpose, their new course Origins (use code ‘coachsroad21’ for a 20% discount), and dive into ecological dynamics, ecological psychology and the dynamic systems theory. We also chat about his journey to using ecological dynamics, how to take the theory into practice and the role of sports coaches, S&C coaches and movement skill acquisition coaches.
The new course, Origins, which Rich helped create, is a call to action to stop making sports about the adults and give it b...2021-02-221h 15The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Larry HurasOn this episode we talk with Larry Huras, Head Coach and Co-Founder of Hockey Coach Vision. Larry spent time coaching in France, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Norway and Austria and began his career as a player coach for 6 years. During his time as a Head Coach, Larry won 7 championships. It was great to talk with someone that started as a player coach and Larry shares the insights and lessons from starting his coaching road in this way. We also talk to Larry about his core values and coaching philosophy, how he motivates players to leave their comfort zone, his motivation...2021-02-181h 18The Coach's RoadEpisode 37 - Simulcast with Stuart ArmstrongThis week we welcome on Stuart Armstrong, the Host of The Talent Equation Podcast. With Stuart we try a new challenge of going into the conversation with no preparation of questions and the result was a great conversation on all things coaching, the ecological approach, social media, and his key takeaways from his time running his show! We also explore if and when its appropriate to use a linear approach, how to help coaches explore the ecological approach, NLP, CLA and other similar approaches, and deliberate practice. Finally, we talk about how Stuart sees the role of coach as...2021-02-151h 48The Coach's RoadEpisode 36 - Needs Supportive Coaching with Professor Cliff MalletThis week we welcome on Professor Cliff Mallet from The University of Queensland. Prof. Mallet joins us to talk about Needs Supportive Coaching, creating Needs Supportive Environments, Social Identity Theory, and Motivation. We explore a lot in this weeks conversation with Prof. Mallet and we also jump into the importance of understanding the person in context as well as the leadership skills that are needed to coach in a needs supportive way. Prof. Mallet provides a great episode with a lot on info and a lot of ideas for coaches of all ages so have a listen and enjoy!2021-02-081h 20The Coach's RoadEpisode 35 - Early Sampling with Professor Jean CôtéThis week we welcome on Professor Jean Côté from Queens University in Kingston, ON. Prof. Côté has done a lot of research on early sampling and formulated the Development Model of Sports Participation (DMSP) back in 1999. We dive into the structure of the model in today's conversation and also talk about early sampling vs. early specializing, deliberate practice vs. deliberate play, and how to progress an athlete through the DMSP. We also talk about why sampling is important to consider when an athlete is young and the importance of diversification and play in the childhood years. Its a gr...2021-02-011h 04The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Juhamatti Yli-JunnilaThis week we welcome on Juhamatti Yli-Junnila (Yli), the Head Coach of the U20 SM-Liiga Lahti Pelicans. Yli shares with us his beginnings in coaching including starting at the U13 age group and following some of his current players all the way to U20 SM. Yli also shares with us the philosophy and core values important to his coaching, the team identity his players have created this year, and the environment that he looks to create for his players and staff. We then chat about what motivated him to start coaching and what motivates him now, the biggest impact...2021-01-281h 12The Coach's RoadEpisode 34 - Player Centered Environments with Markus ÅkerblomThis week we welcome on Markus Åkerblom, Assistant Coach of the Swedish Men's National Team. With Markus we talk about his coaching philosophy, why player centered environments are important and what the key elements are in a player centered environment. One thing we continue to return to in the episode is coaching with questions instead of answers. We also dive into creating a player centered environments through the lens of culture and generational differences. This is a great conversation so thanks to Markus for taking the time!
You can check out Markus' Webinar for USA Hockey in o...2021-01-251h 10The Coach's RoadEpisode 33 - Physical Activity and Brain Health with Charles Hillman, Ph.D.This week we welcome on Professor Charles Hillman, the Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive and Brain Health at Northeastern University in Massachusetts. Dr. Hillman also belongs to the Department of Psychology and the Department of Physical Therapy, Movement & Rehabilitation Sciences. In today's episode we focus on Dr. Hillman's work on physical activity and its impact on brain health. We talk about some key terms in the field, how we can develop a healthy brain, the benefits of a healthy brain and how we can maintain a healthy brain. We also talk about how we can use this information...2021-01-181h 17The Coach's RoadEpisode 32 - Student Round Table with Sara Heino, Michael Schurig, and Craig RosserThis week we welcome on three of our classmates from the degree program in sports coaching and management here at Vierumäki. Sara is from Finland, Michael from Austria and Craig from Wales. They each represent a different sport and have a unique path into the program. We talk about their paths to the program and then dive into what the program has meant to them in the way of key takeaways, favorite memories and opportunities. We also talk about some of the development areas of the program and how it can continue to improve along with its students. Overall i...2021-01-111h 36The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Maso LehtonenThis week we welcome on Maso Lehtonen, Head Coach of Imatra Ketterä of the Mestis league in Finland. Maso is also an alumni of our program here in Vierumäki so it was nice to connect with him and learn more about his background, his coaching and his road overall. Maso shares with us why his teams find a sort of instant success, what he sees the role of a coach as and why he coaches. Its a great conversation with Maso so we hope you all enjoy!
As also, check out our drive full of the re...2021-01-071h 12The Coach's RoadEpisode 31 - Youth Physical Development Model with Mika VähälummukkaOn this weeks episode we throw it back to an interview we conducted over the summer with our instructor Mika Vähälummukka. Mika runs the classes on strength and conditioning and physical development in our program. We hope this kicks us off into talking more strength and conditioning pedagogy, models and planning in addition to our other topics. With Mika we talk about the difference between the Youth Physical Development Model and the LTAD model, the key terms in the model, when to train what elements and more. Hope you enjoy the episode!
Check out the re...2021-01-041h 17The Coach's RoadEpisode 30 - A conversation with Travis CrickardThis weeks episode we welcome on Travis Crickard, Program Specialist for Hockey Canada. Originally we had Travis on to talk about his Coach's Road but we get into some theoretical topics so we thought it would be a good fit for this week's episode! We get into Travis' career, the adjustments he and his team have made for COVID, the impact science has on his coaching, the experiences he had with the All Blacks and the Botany Swarm, the environment he creates for his players and much more! Overall its a great conversation with a lot of insights!
2020-12-281h 26The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Oliver DavidOn this weeks Coach's Road we welcome on Oliver David, Head Coach of the USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints. It was a great conversation this week with Oliver and we dive into his career, the core principles in his team and why he won the USHL Coach of the Year award in 2019-2020 season. Oliver shares a lot of great ideas and thoughts and creates a great open conversation in this weeks episode. We hope everyone enjoys the conversation with Oliver!
Oliver has been on a few other podcasts including the USHL Podcast and the Glass and Out P...2020-12-211h 39The Coach's RoadEpisode 29 - Coaching in Frölunda with Tobias JohanssonThis week we welcome on Tobias Johansson, U20 Head Coach and Director of Player Development Academy for the Frölunda Indians in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was an exciting chat with a great hockey mind. In our conversation, Tobias offers a lot of insights into Frölunda's process and philosophy which builds nicely on the episode with Mikael Ström. We chat about the way they practice in Frölunda, the different things they emphasize and what a game day for his team looks like. Its a great episode with a lot to unpack so we hope you enjoy!
Tob...2020-12-211h 14The Coach's RoadEpisode 28 - Physical Literacy with Professor Dean KriellaarsIn this week's episode we welcome on Dean Kriellaars from the College of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Manitoba. We talk with Dean about Physical Literacy and his work in this field. This is quite the episode exploring physical literacy and everything that it goes into. We talk about what physical literacy is, how we inspire people to move, physical literacy enhanced design, and the connection of creativity, risk, pressure and confidence on physical literacy. We also explore confidence eroding language and activities and discuss some ways to change them to be more appropriate for each mover. There...2020-12-141h 41The Coach's RoadEpisode 27 - Club Environment with Topher ScottThis week we welcome on Topher Scott, founder of The Hockey Think Tank and co-host of The Hockey Think Tank Podcast. With this episode however, we focus more on Topher's other role as the Director of the Syracuse Nationals AAA Program in New York State. We explore his coaching philosophy and core values, his motivation for getting into youth hockey and the vision and goals he has for his club. Then we get into the culture and environment he wants to create in the club for his players, parents and coaches.
Check out thehockeythinktank.com and The H...2020-12-071h 24The Coach's RoadEpisode 26 - Skill Development with Ted SuihkonenOn this week's episode we welcome on Ted Suihkonen, Director of Player Development and Skills Specialist for HC Lokomotiv in the KHL. Ted brings a lot of experience in the world of skill development into our conversation today and a lot of great thoughts as well. In today's show we talk about how Ted got started in skill development, how he educates himself in the field, and a little about his company Suihkonen Hockey (www.suihkonenhockey.com). Then we get a bit more practical and explore topics such as progressive skill development, what a typical session looks like, and...2020-11-301h 12The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Jochen MollingOn this episode of our Coach's Road series we welcome on Jochen Molling. Jochen has a storied playing career starting back in West Berlin and ended with 17 years playing on the professional level including 7 world championships and the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano. He started his coaching career in Berlin for ECC Pressen Berlin. In Berlin he coached Rick for three years. After his time in Berlin he moved on and spent 3 years in Rosenheim and 3 years in Desden. He is now in his second year as the Head Coach of the U20 team for Eisbären Berlin.
Jochen shares with us...2020-11-261h 01The Coach's RoadEpisode 25 - Creating a Winning Culture with Mark SmithThis week we welcome on Mark Smith, the High Performance Director and Head Coach of the Women's Olympic Team for Softball Canada. With Mark we explore what it takes to develop a winning and successful culture, the characteristics of winning individual and how to develop competitive habits. Mark provides a great and refreshing conversation on this weeks episode with a lot of really good insights in developing successful individuals and teams. This one is one to enjoy!
Mark also provides several books that you can check out below and on the google drive found here: https://drive.g...2020-11-231h 11The Coach's RoadEpisode 24 - Regional Manager Round Table with Joe Bonnett, Markus Korpinen and Olli SavikkoThis week we have our second round table discussion on the Coach's Road featuring Regional Managers/Coaches from the United States, Sweden and Finland. With Joe Bonnett from the US, Markus Korpinen from Sweden, and Olli Savikko from Finland we dive a little deeper into hockey in these three countries. Specifically we talk about the cooperation in and between their countries, what coaching development looks like and overall what hockey looks like in their countries.
Joe always posts some great resources and news about his region on his sway page which can be found here: https://sway.o...2020-11-161h 32The Coach's RoadEpisode 23 - Psychological Safety with Laura AndelinOn this week's episode we welcome on Mental Coach and CEO of INTOValmennus, Laura Andelin to discuss psychological safety and its impact on learning and development. Laura provides a lot of insight into the impact of feeling unsafe as an athlete, the role of autonomy in feeling safe, and what we can do as coaches to help our athletes feel more safe. She provides a lot of information in such an important topic and it was a pleasure talking with her for this week's show!
Check out some of the resources that Laura recommends in the google d...2020-11-091h 12The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Mika SaarinenOn this week's Coach's Road we welcome on Mika Saarinen, Senior Lecturer in the Degree Program of Sports Coaching and Management here in Vierumäki. Mika has a long history of coaching at the elite level of hockey including spending time as the Head Coach for JYP and Tappara in Liiga and the Assistant Coach for the Pelicans in Liiga and most recently as the Assistant Coach for Jokerit in the KHL the past four years. Mika has also spent time as a video coach for the Finnish National Teams and has served as the Sport Director for the P...2020-11-051h 07The Coach's RoadEpisode 22 - Game Formats and Sweden's Home Field Model with Anders WahlströmIn this week's episode we chat with Anders Wahlström the Children and Youth Manager for the Swedish Ice Hockey Association about a recent study done between them and FIHA on the appropriate game formats for youth hockey. We dive into the results of the study and talk about how it is being implemented and the expectations for the changes. We also talk about the new Home Field Model that the Swedish Ice Hockey Association is rolling out this season and the four guiding principles of the model. Finally we discuss how Sweden is creating buy-in from their communities f...2020-11-021h 17The Coach's RoadEpisode 21 - Team Building and Cohesion with Gordon BloomIn this episode of the show we welcome on Gordon Bloom, Sport Psychology Professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. We talk about the importance of team building and cohesion for team performance and how the behavior of the coach impacts that process. We go through several hypothetical solutions and Gordon provides some great interventions that coaches can do to help right the ship. Finally, Gordon stresses the importance of including team building regularly into the season plan and how it needs to be more than the typical team bonding activities.
Gordon provided many resources for us t...2020-10-261h 05The Coach's RoadEpisode 20 - Invasion Games with Juha VuoriOn this week's episode we welcome on Juha Vuori, Assistant Coach of Klagenfurt AC in Austria. We talk with Juha about invasion game principles and game situation roles. This week's episode is a little shorter but hits on some really important topics including what the objectives of invasion games are, how to teach in invasion games, the benefits of playing multiple invasion games, playing roles and how to teach roles to players. Overall we touch on a lot of little topics within our broader discussion of invasion games and there are some great pieces to take away as a...2020-10-191h 01The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Shaun HathawayIn this Coach's Road we explore the journey of Shaun Hathaway, Executive Director of Team Colorado Girls AAA Hockey Program. Shaun also serves as the Head Coach of the Colorado Springs Jr. Tigers 14 & Under team and the ADM Coordinator for the state of Colorado. Previously Shaun served as the Executive Director of the Aspen Leafs and has been involved in youth hockey in Colorado since 1997. Shaun has a Masters in Sports Studies from the University of Miami, Ohio and a Masters in Teaching from Colorado College. He received both of his Masters after studying Political Science at Knox College. ...2020-10-151h 10The Coach's RoadEpisode 19 - What is Fun? with Heather MannixThis week we explore what Fun is from the perspective of the players. Our guest is Heather Mannix, USA Hockey Regional Manager and researcher on the Fun Integration Theory. With Heather we explore the operational definition of fun that the Fun Maps provide, how to create a Fun environment, what makes certain activities Fun and how Fun is connected to motivation, participation, confidence and development. The biggest takeaway is that Fun is development and development is Fun! This is a great conversation and Fun Maps is a great tool for anyone working with kids!
Heather has provided...2020-10-121h 21The Coach's RoadEpisode 18 - Developing Expertise with Darren KruisselbrinkIn this week's episode we chat with Darren Kruisselbrink, a Professor of Motor Learning and Applied Sports Psychology at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. We cover a lot in this week's episode including Darren's unique combination of Applied Sports Psych and Motor Learning, what is required to learn from a psychological perspective, what is expertise and what are the common features in the background of experts. We then go into how we can apply these ideas in invasion sports such as hockey. The episodes where we explore the psychological side of sports and how we can better use that...2020-10-051h 48The Coach's RoadEpisode 17 - Swedish Culture and Development with Anders LundbergThis week's episode features Anders Lundberg, the Manager of Player Development for the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Anders also serves as the head coach of the U18 Women's National Team in Sweden. This is the next installation in our series exploring top development countries around the world but one of our favorites as it is full of practical ideas that can be implemented by any coach around the sports world. Anders is confident that Sweden is the top development country in the world when it comes to hockey players because of their hockey culture, development focus and by creating...2020-09-281h 37The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Dan JablonicIn this episode we explore the path of Dan Jablonic, father of twins and ADM Regional Manager for USA Hockey. Dan grew up playing in Minnesota where he played for Blaine High School. He then moved to play in the USHL before moving to play at the University of Minnesota Duluth from 1993-97. While at Duluth, Dan received a bachelors in sports psychology. After college he played in the ECHL and spent time playing in Sweden. Dan started his coaching journey in college working at camps and hockey schools in Minnesota. He began coaching officially in Skelleftea (Sweden) in 2005 as...2020-09-241h 03The Coach's RoadEpisode 16 - Coaching the Individual within a Team with Tommi NiemeläThis week we are joined by Tommi Niemelä, the Head Coach of the Lahti Pelicans in Finland. Tommi is an alumni of our program and considered as an expert on coaching the individual within a team. This weeks episode is a little shorter but full of insightful and practical ideas about how to better focus on the individuals that make up your team. The ideas we talk about can be implemented at all ages and shows well how Tommi views coaching. We talked with Tommi about the key qualities individuals should have as players, how to identify the strengths a...2020-09-2148 minThe Coach's RoadEpisode 15 - Coaching Better Every Season with Dr. Wade GilbertThis weeks episode features coaching scientist, team performance consultant and author Wade Gilbert. Wade is also a professor at California State University - Fresno and a editor for the International Sports Coaching Journal. Wade's book "Coaching Better Every Season" is the main topic of this week's episode but we also explore how he got interested in the science of coaching, why he decided to write the book, what are some important things for every coach to do, and what the ideas from his book look like in action for him. We also explore what makes a quality practice, how...2020-09-141h 08The Coach's RoadEpisode 14 - Frölunda Pathway with Mikael StrömThis week's episode features Mikael Ström the Development Manager for the Academy and Youth at the Frölunda Indians in Gothenburg. Frölunda is a well respected clubs and has sent many players to the NHL and other professional leagues across the globe and we had Mikael on to find out why they are so successful in developing players. We talk about the club's philosophy, why they are successful, how the demand and support their players and finally what do their practices look like in action. In Frölunda it is not just about the development of a hock...2020-09-071h 07The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Petri MatikainenIn this episode of The Coach's Road Podcast we explore the journey of Klagenfurter AC Head Coach Petri Matikainen. As a player Petri grew up playing in Finland and moved to play in Canada's OHL for two years. After winning a championship in the OHL and the U20 World Championship with Finland, Petri moved back to Finland to play with Tappara where he won a Liiga title. Petri finished his playing career with two years in Berlin and two years with Klagenfurter AC. After playing Petri received a Bachelor's in sports coaching in Vierumäki from 2002-2006. He started coaching i...2020-09-031h 12The Coach's RoadEpisode 13 - Finnish Culture and Development with Kalle VäliahoIn today's episode we are joined by Kalle Väliaho, the Youth Hockey Manager from the Finnish Ice Hockey Association. With Kalle we talk about Finnish hockey culture and the keys to their success in international hockey as a small country. We also talk about the key qualities they look to develop in their players and coaches, the environment they want to create, the emphasis they place on the individual and some of the challenges they face in their country.
Kalle shared with us a presentation he gave to USA Hockey about FIHA and its structure you ca...2020-08-311h 09The Coach's RoadEpisode 12 - Athlete Centered Coaching with Erkka WesterlundThis weeks episode features Erkka Westerlund, former Head Coach of the Finnish Men's National Team as well as coaching in Liiga and the KHL. It was an honor to talk with Erkka today about athlete centered coaching and how it differs from coach centered coaching. We also talked with Erkka about why he switched to athlete centered coaching, the benefits this approach has for the athletes and the importance of developing good coach-athlete relationships. Within these topics we talk about athlete development plans, mental resources and when it is still appropriate to use a coach centered approach.
E...2020-08-241h 17The Coach's RoadEpisode 11 - Comparing Development with Derek and RickThis week's episode is a little bit different. Sticking to our theme of culture and development we discuss our own development through hockey. Rick grew up in Germany, playing for ECC Preussen Berlin and Derek grew up in the U.S. playing for the Colorado Springs Jr. Tigers so it provides us a good chance to compare the environments, coaches and lessons we had growing up. We discuss how each of us got started playing hockey, the environments and coaches we had, and the lessons that we learned. Then we shift to talk about how and why we got...2020-08-171h 11The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Saara NiemiToday we explore the road that Coach Saara Niemi has taken through her career so far. As a player Saara played for the University of Minnesota Duluth, Ilves and the Finnish Women's National Team. During her playing days she won championships at the college and professional level and won Olympic and World Championship Bronze. Saara started her coaching career in 2011 when she became the Ice Hockey Coordinator in Kisakallio. From there she worked as a tutor-coach for the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, working to educate coaches of players aged 10-13 years old. During the three year period as a...2020-08-1352 minThe Coach's RoadEpisode 10 - Czech Republic Culture and Development with Slavomir LenerToday's episode features Slavomír Lener, the Ice Hockey Development Manager for the Czech Hockey. In this episode we explore similar topics to last week's episode with Kevin in order to compare and contrast the two countries. With Slavomír we dive into the Come Play Hockey Campaign and the Czech Academy and the practical ideas they are implementing within those programs. We also talk about the importance of developing culture in the Czech Republic and why they started programs such as the Academy and Come Play Hockey. Finally, we talk a look at the type of players and co...2020-08-1057 minThe Coach's RoadEpisode 9 - USA Hockey Culture and Development with Kevin McLaughlinToday's episode features Kevin McLaughlin, the USAH Assistant Executive Director of Hockey Development. With Kevin we talk about why it is important for the US to develop its hockey culture, and what they want that culture to look like. We also explore the type players that the US wants to develop and how that relates to the goal of being the top hockey country. We dive into the American Development Model (ADM) and why USAH needed to make a change towards age appropriate, long-term development. Finally, we talk about the role of a coach and what USAH is looking...2020-08-031h 25The Coach's RoadEpisode 8 - What is Culture? With Aku NieminenToday we chat with Aku Nieminen the Membership Development Manager from the International Ice Hockey Federation about their role in developing hockey around the world. We talk about the programs, seminars and camps the IIHF offers its 81 members countries and what kind of coaches the IIHF wants to develop. We go through the Coach Development Framework being published this fall. We also explore what culture is and what hockey culture is more specifically. We discuss what makes hockey culture unique if it is, how the IIHF handles working with different cultures and simply what is culture? Aku turns this...2020-07-271h 26The Coach's RoadCoach's Road. - Jukka VarmanenToday's guest is Jukka Varmanen, a professional coach from Heinola, Finland. Jukka started his journey as a coach in 2000 with the junior organization of Heinolan Kiekko as an U18 coach. After two seasons in Heinola he joined the junior organization of HIFK in Helsinki. After spending five years with HIFK he worked two years with Lahden Kiekko-Reipas which is now the Lahti Peilcans. In 2009 he gained his first experience on the professional level as an assistant coach with Jokipojat. For the 2010-11 season he became the head coach of the team. In our conversation Jukka describes his time as a...2020-07-231h 12The Coach's RoadEpisode 7 - Skill Development Round Table with Branislav Bendik, Jaakko Räty and Dustin TimmToday's episode is our first round table discussion for the show. In these episode we will bring together coaches from different sports and cultures around the world. In these conversations we will talk about the themes and topics we cover in the show, it is our hope to bring a practical voice to some of the theory we discuss. We hope you enjoy these shows!
Today's guests are Branislav Bendik, a skills coach from Slovakia, Dustin Timm, the Executive Director of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Jaakko Räty, a Skills Coach and Head of Coaching for J...2020-07-201h 14The Coach's RoadEpisode 6 - Deliberate Practice with Lauri HakalaThis episode is a great conversation with Lauri Hakala. Lauri is the High Performance Coordinator for team ball sports at the Finnish Olympic Committee. He brings in a interesting and experienced perspective on Anders Ericsson's work of deliberate practice. We discuss with Lauri the difference between naive, purposeful and deliberate practice; how we can use deliberate practice in team sports; and what are some of the principles and concepts we coaches need to look out for.
Lauri's previous experience comes from volleyball where he has served as an assistant coach at Pepperdine University, ACH Ljubljana, Slovenia Men’s National Team, Swi...2020-07-131h 17The Coach's RoadEpisode 5 - Game Based Practice Design with Ken MartelIn today's episode we talk with Ken Martel, the technical director for USA Hockey, about game-based practice design. More specifically we explore what skill really is and how it differs from technical ability, what is game sense and how can we teach it, and how do we create buy-in to these types of practices with coaches and parents. This is a great listen for any coach!
As always, we asked Ken to provide some resources for us to share. Ken recommends reading Mark William's book "Anticipation and Decision Making in Sport." This is a dense read but...2020-07-061h 26The Coach's RoadCoach's Road - Pierre PagéToday's show is the first in our coach's road series. These episodes will release every third Thursday and highlight coaches from around the world, with backgrounds in different cultures, sports and environments. We will discuss how they got started in coaching, the lessons they have learned in their journey, how they got to where they are now and what kind of environment they want to create. Our first guest for this series is Pierre Pagé. Pierre is a former GM, coach, sport director and global hockey academy sport director. Pierre's moto is "Develop and win in three years or le...2020-07-021h 33The Coach's RoadEpisode 4 - Critical Reflection with Dean HoldenIn this week's episode we talk with Dean Holden about critical reflection, what separates critical reflection from just reflection, questions to ask yourself, the role of a mentor in critical reflection and how to help players use critical reflection.
Dean Holden, PhD in Sport Coaching (in progress), has been learning and operating within the coaching, teaching, and mentoring area since the early 1980's.
He applies critical thought to solve problems and facilitate positive change within people and organizations.
The best word to summarize his approach would be 'Pracademic' - one who translates the lat...2020-06-292h 28The Coach's RoadEpisode 3 - Coaching Philosophy with Arto SieppiIn this episode we talk with Arto Sieppi about his coaching philosophy, developing a coaching philosophy and the effects of culture and other influences on your coaching philosophy. Arto is a coach for Hockey Japan and is coming off of a Gold Medal with the Japanese Women in the Youth Olympics Games in Lausanne, Arto also coaches in Finland with his sons' club. Arto describes his coaching philosophy and emphasizes being in a human business. He has unparalleled passion and experience that he brings to the discussion!
As always, we want to provide our listeners with some r...2020-06-221h 12The Coach's RoadEpisode 2 - Self Determination Theory with Pasi Mustonen and Martin AndlerIn this episode we talk with Pasi Mustonen and Martin Andler about the Self Determination Theory. Pasi is the Head Coach of the Finnish Women's National Team and a Senior Lecturer at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Science. Martin is the Skills Coach for Harjun Kiekko in Finland. We describe what the SDT is, how to implement it, what challenges Pasi and Martin faced and why is the SDT important in creating an autonomy supportive and athlete-centered environment.
As always, we want to provide resources for learning more about this topic and how you can utilize it yourself. Here are a f...2020-06-141h 18The Coach's RoadEpisode 1 - Growth Mindset with Markus ArvajaIn our first episode we are joined by Markus Arvaja to talk about the growth mindset and its importance in sports and coaching. Markus is a Senior Lecturer at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Science as well as serving as the Mental Coach for the Finnish Women’s National Ice Hockey Team. We describe what a growth vs fixed mindset is and how to identify them in players, why it is important to educate coaches, players and parents about growth mindset and finally how to create an environment that makes people want to be involved in their development and become cu...2020-06-051h 00