The Pitfalls Of Coaching Or Supplemental Coaching Your Own Child

Chris Dyson

Puckstoppers.com & iCoachGoalies.com

If you decide to coach your own child, I wish you good luck.

It seldom works, but it can be a rewarding experience when it does. I’m not here to tell you this is a good idea or a bad one. What i am here to tell you is that if you are not THE coach, you shouldn’t be coaching.

I have seen many parents who provide their goaltender with suggestions, comments and coaching tips that are in direct conflict with the actual coach or goaltending coach’s advice.

Absolutely, be informed and involved and educate yourself, but if you feel the need to help with the coaching of your child, be they a player or goalie, make sure you are providing advice that is helpful and correct. If you don’t agree or believe what the actual coach is telling your goalie is correct, it’s time to have a respectful, scheduled and calm discussion with that coach, without your son or daughter being present.

I understand better than most people, the concern and misinformation that ‘pseudo’ goalie coaches provide to young goalies and how frustrating this can be.

But to completely contradict the coach with instructions and comments, will destroy your son or daughters confidence in that coach. This creates dissension, mistrust and a loss of respect. So best to have a discussion and be very aware of the messages you send.

A confused goalie will not be able to properly focus on the task at hand, when conflicting advice has them trying to figure out what to do. This is a terribly fine line to walk and something I have spent years trying to help coaches and parents deal with.

I fully understand that sometimes the info given to goalies is simply wrong and as a parent you only want to provide the right information and training. Just be very aware of the message you are sending and the perception you are creating.

Author

Chris Dyson

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Author Bio More info: click here

Chris Dyson is passionate about hockey. He is an advocate for the ethical advancement of children in minor sports and on a personal mission to improve grassroots hockey by positively affecting 50,000 goaltenders and coaches: helping children to love the game, learn life skills, and continue playing longer.

He believes enjoyment of the game for minor hockey-aged goaltenders (and players) is paramount, and that this can be achieved through the development of better coaching skills and the elimination of unnecessary negativity, which will inspire confidence through improved play. He is a man with vision and perseverance who understands adversity and the benefits of good coaches very well. Despite facing formidable odds and harbouring the improbable dream of a hockey career, he has thrived for over three decades as a professional goaltending coach. Born with a congenital heart defect, he spent much of his childhood in hospitals, experiencing major open-heart surgery, multiple pacemaker implants, an alcoholic mother, and a deadbeat dad who disappeared when things got tough. This included over 100 cardiac arrests in a single day – few people survived even one or two at that time. Dyson is a published author and professional goalie coach/consultant, coaching students from 19 countries through his company, Puckstoppers Goaltending Development. His biggest disappointment is seeing so many young goalies quit the game they love because of misdirection, improper coaching, and a lack of empathy. His critically acclaimed and bestselling book, Target Practice – 8 Mistakes That Ruin a Love of the Game, was written to help coaches and parents better understand the Essential Core Goaltending Skills (ECGSs). Dyson is the visionary behind the world’s first and premier online educational training and certification system, exclusively designed to assist coaches and parents in understanding how to work with and develop goaltenders effectively.
He has also created a series of free online resources