Am I speaking english?
I’m lucky enough to find myself in a position where I coach the elite (Victorian Vikings) and a club side (Waverley PA) and have made some interesting observations around the difference between the 2 levels……apart from the obvious such as skill and fitness levels.
The first major one is communication. At Vikings training I can stand there and explain a drill to the group and if need be, draw it on a whiteboard and say to the boys “let’s go” and it just happens. They just get it! The drill is well executed from the first repetition and it continually improves from there as they develop strategies from there. On the flip side, it is amazing to see the results after explaining it to a group of players at club level (normally Pennant A/Pennant B and few Pennant D players as well). People are running everywhere, the ball is being passed to the wrong person it was as if they weren’t even listening to the instruction (which I have found may sometimes be the case!). Whilst I appreciate people have different learning styles (e.g. visual learner vs a ‘doing’ learner…apologies for non-technical terms) but I’m sure at the elite level there are players with the same learning styles as those that are at the lower levels but it is just an interesting observation that I have noticed. I find myself having to repeat the same message different ways at the lower level just to ensure everyone is clear on what needs to be done…..eventually we get there!
But I have to admit, I enjoy the challenge of having to explain the drill in multiple ways so that all people understand what needs to go on. It also allows me to develop a skill that will allow me to try different things with players that I can use at the top level when a player is struggling with concepts that require explanation.
The other is the intensity levels. Take out the actual execution of skills, the level of intensity between the 2 levels are worlds apart. I think that the players of lower levels have all the opportunity to train at the higher intensity, but there is just something in their makeup that sees them happy with ‘cruising’ through sessions. For instance I’ll set up a drill with the Vikings and straight away they are in to it, no matter how simple it is like a bull at a gate. Everyone has 2 legs and 2 arms (at least those playing hockey) and they can all run and move at the same intensity irrespective of their ability to hit and trap but for some reason, even after giving a good ‘spray’ and rev-up, there is a clear gap in level of intensity which I can only put down to the individual’s internal desire to improve and compete. This to me is one of the most important things that sets good players apart from best.
So that’s the challenge I face each week is to not only set up structured, purposeful drills but also ensure that I can get my players of a lower level competing at the right game intensity to ensure they improve under those conditions. For the elite, it’s about putting a foot up their backsides to make sure they are at a higher intensity than a match so they find normal match tempo a lot more comfortable.