If you’ve been a fan of Built for Hockey for a while, you know that I’m a big fan of shortcuts. Not shortcuts for the sake of doing less work, but shortcuts that are easy to implement and that lead to improved effectiveness as a hockey player or coach. If you look trough my past articles, you’ll find tons of … Read More
How to Skate Faster: 3 Proven Exercises to Help You Increase Skating Speed
Want to know how to skate faster? Reality check. It’s not about taking hundreds of skating lessons… …or reviewing videos of your stride every night before bed that’s going to help you increase skating speed. While those things may help, there’s arguably a diminishing return on your time invested. In other words, once you’ve got the basics down pat and are fairly … Read More
5 Things That Are Guaranteed to Make You a Better Hockey Player (Hint: They Have Nothing to Do with Talent)
I recently came across a post on Reddit that went viral on social media. If you’re like me and spend a lot of time on the internet, chances are you’ve seen the post I’m referring to. It’s called “10 Things That Require Zero Talent.” Now, I don’t know who the original creator is or when it was first published, but there’s … Read More
5 Things Hockey Coaches HATE Seeing Their Players Do (that you’re probably doing)
It’s rare that a hockey player gets under a coach’s skin for no reason. Usually, coaches bench or reduce a player’s ice-time due to bad attitude, bad decision-making, or an obvious lack of work ethic. Still, it usually ends up being specific actions that really throw coaches over the top and get them to the point where they’ve just had enough. In … Read More
5 Common Mistakes Hockey Coaches Make When Providing Player Feedback (and what to do instead)
Hockey players need feedback in order to improve their game. As a hockey coach, it’s your job to give it to them. But how do you know if what you’re saying is getting through to your players? How do you know if it’s helping them develop? While you may feel like you’ve got the whole “feedback” and “constructive criticism” thing … Read More