Lakeland Hockey Association

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why ADM? Why now?
A nine-year old is only a nine-year-old once.  Every delay in implementing the ADM with its LTAD principles is shortchanging our kids. This is a program that USA Hockey should have put in place years ago.

My child has made the “A” teams in the past. Will participation with the ADM change that?
The ADM will give your child the BEST opportunity to be successful in hockey over the long run. It is more important to be the best Midget player than the best Mite or Squirt!

How will the ADM save me money?
The ADM seeks to optimize resources in the development of players. More kids on an ice surface reduce the cost of participation for all players. Placing only 14 Squirt-age players on the ice at one time is inefficient and doesn’t contribute any more to their development as players than placing 36 Squirts on the ice together. If a single-team practice had any benefit to player development, USA Hockey would make that recommendation, but there is no advantage.

Have there been similar programs to the ADM in other sports?
Yes, LTAD principles are being utilized by over 100 different sport federations and government health ministries from countries around the globe and LTAD principles have been used in successful hockey playing nations like Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic with very positive results.

My teams are consistent winners. Why should I implement the ADM?
Most coaches can make sacrifices in development and gain wins in the short run. But it could end up being detrimental to a kid somewhere down the line. It’s always great to win, but at the same time, we need to be more careful with how we develop kids. If you’ve been doing something that’s netted you wins, then we’d still encourage you to implement part of this program so down the line, you’ll see the same kids you coached playing in the NHL.

What’s wrong with where we’re going?

For starters, many athletes spend too much time traveling, competing and recovering from competition and not enough time preparing for it.  Second, there is too heavy a focus on the result rather than the performance.  This attitude leads to long-term failure, as coaches forgo the development of skills to focus on specific game tactics.  And third, too many athletes are specializing too early on.  An early focus on just one or two sports often leads to injuries, burnout and capping athletic potential.

This way of thinking has led to 60% of players dropping out before PeeWees and 20% dropping out after only one season leading to an overall decline in retention since 2000.

Coach Herb Brooks was famous for saying that, “Great moments are born from great opportunities.” Well this is our opportunity.  Our time to get it right.

The American Development Model is a nationwide model for successfully developing American hockey players.  It is by no means a mandate sent from USA Hockey, but a tool that will ensure every kid will have the same chance to succeed.

By implementing ADM, associations will see an increase in player retention.  Again, ADM is not a set of rules or mandates, but guidelines designed specifically to help kids reach their full potential.

I realize any change good, bad, or indifferent is still a change and can be difficult for people to accept so I have started to collect a few of the negative comments that I have heard about the American Development Model (ADM) with regards to cross-ice play in the hope that I can dispel these myths.
 

IT ISN'T REAL HOCKEY. USING HALF THE SURFACE AND THE SMALLER NETS WON'T HELP KIDS LEARN THE REAL GAME. Do other sports ask their youngest athletes to play on a full-size football field, use a 10' basketball net, run 90' bases or use a full-size soccer net? No. Smaller fields and equipment are used everywhere except in hockey. Age-appropriate surfaces and equipment help put the game into perspective for younger kids, allow for better development of their skills, and most importantly, help make the game more fun for the kids!

IT WILL BE TOO CROWDED ON THE ICE. I have now seen two practices in person with 60+ mites on the ice at the same time and have watched multiple videos of practices with the same amount or more and have yet to see it look crowded. Well-planned out practices with the right number of coaches to help run stations are effective ways to use ice efficiently without crowding. All of the kids I witnessed at these practices and jamborees were engaged in fun drills or games with lots of puck time and plenty of smiles!

THE KIDS WON'T LEARN TEAMWORK. How much teamwork is involved with one skater taking the puck from one end of a full sheet of ice, skating it all the way down, and then shooting before most of the other teammates can catch up or get involved in the play? You know you have seen it at a mite full-ice game over and over. Cross-ice forces kids to work together in smaller areas to develop scoring opportunities and be creative.

THE KIDS WON'T LEARN TO SKATE. The ADM actually emphasizes age-appropriate skating drills but also places a lot of focus on fun drills and activities that help players develop more over the long term. The smaller areas also help kids increase their quickness and explosive speed which is best developed at the younger ages.

THE KIDS WON'T LEARN ABOUT POSITIONING. It won’t matter if kids know where to be if they can’t skate there or if they don’t enjoy the game. Also, teaching position too early can stifle creativity and a player’s ability to think on the fly. Players can learn more when they are older about positioning, breakouts, and forechecking systems without hurting their development early on.

THE ADM IS ONLY FOR THE AVERAGE PLAYER. Kids learn, grow and develop at different speeds and the ones you think at age 7 might be the next superstar might not develop as fast as others later on. Providing good coaching and development to all is important when kids are young since early segmentation has proven to be unreliable as a predictor of which kids will develop into elite athletes. It’s best for those kids who excel early on to continue to focus on age-appropriate drills that will best help their long-term development. Those drills can help both the 6-year-old who has been skating for three years and the 8-year-old who is enjoying his first season.

HOW WILL KIDS GET IN SHAPE OR GET THEIR CONDITIONING? Have you battled for a puck in the corner and gone back and forth in about a 10' space for 20 seconds? Have you ever worked the top of a penalty kill and gone back and forth between the point and the slot four times? There are numerous ways kids can get conditioned in small areas or in small games so don’t worry about missing out on that aspect with the ADM. There are a lot more ways than skating lines on a full sheet to build up conditioning, especially with fun drills and small area games that keep kids smiling and wanting more even though they are dead tired!

TOO MUCH FUN IS A BAD THING. Really? If the kids are enjoying the puck touches, the small games, the scoring, and are learning to love development how can that ever be a bad thing? I just don’t get that comment but hey, people have said that (I can’t make this stuff up). Think about it. If the kids come off the ice tired, developed, smiling and excited about when they can come back again for more, where is the down side? I wish everyone could find something they enjoy so much that is also great for their long-term development!

THE RINKS AND ASSOCIATIONS ARE JUST TRYING TO MAKE MORE MONEY BY JAMMING MORE KIDS ON THE ICE. It couldn’t be further from the truth. First, re-read the myth about crowding. Second, more efficient use of the ice can decrease your costs and can increase the number of times you practice each week. I, too, was once a hockey snob when my kids were younger and thought they needed more full ice. They would have been better developed if they had used what ice they had more efficiently and practiced more often than having a full sheet all to themselves. This could have improved their skills, made the game even more enjoyable to them, and helped reduced the cost mom and dad felt each season.

THE KIDS WON'T HAVE AS MUCH FUN. Ask your kids if they like to play games or stand around? Ask them if they like to carry the puck and score goals? Ask them if they like whistles and stoppages in play? Kids invariable have more fun when they are actively engaged during practice or in a game. High-energy drills, variety of drills, drills with pucks and small games all help develop kids while they are having loads of fun! Also cross-ice games support these same ideals with more puck touches, more scoring opportunities, less stoppages and make for a more enjoyable game for everyone involved!