WYC 004 Youth Hockey – Todd Grosse – Iron Sharpens Iron as One Man Sharpens Another

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Todd shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach. Todd Grosse is married and has 2 children: a 16 year-old son and a 13 year old daughter. Todd grew up in Michigan and played youth hockey at the highest levels, and still plays today. They now live in Franklin, Tennessee. Listen Now: Listen in ITunes: Itunes link Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link   Coaching/Leadership Quote ▪   ‘Iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another’ – Proverbs 27:17 click to tweet! Coaching your own Kid ▪   You have to keep a balance between coach and Dad, and you have to be very honest with your son/daughter. My ‘Cringe’ Moment ▪   Not being prepared for practice and being extremely organized Coaching AH-HA Moment ▪   Using terminology that the kids understand and making everything simple Teaching Children 1 – Have a plan 2 – Instill discipline, kids are starved for discipline 3 – Communicate the plan clearly and simply Keeping it Fun ▪   HUGE IDEA #1: Small area games instead of full-scale scrimmages so you can teach while having fun Best Stolen Idea ▪   To bring the kids in – create a game that if you are the last player to the huddle you have to take a lap – and the players self-enforce it Coaching Resources ▪   USA Hockey – great coaching materials, classes ▪   Coach Nielsen’s hockey drills Discipline ▪   Putting kids in the penalty box for not listening is very effective Reward, Recognition, and Teambuilding ▪   Team recognition instead of individual recognition; and recognizing assists more than goals ▪   HUGE IDEA #2: ‘The Bucket Hat’ – The kids nominate after each game who deserves to wear the hat during warm-ups for the next game ▪   Offseason gatherings and teambuilding activities – whitewater rafting, dinners ▪   For parents – have a great team mom/team manager ▪   If you have a difficult parent – give them a job! Inspiring Story ▪   Teaching a child by showing him grace – Young man was supposed to sit out the next game for violating rule – but Todd only had him sit our first shift and the young man was so excited and appreciative that he turned around his behavior and attitude Winning ▪   Winning should be one of the goals – but it’s a team goal and learning fundamentals will lead to improvement which often shows up in more wins ▪   Playing time can be determined by a player’s willingness to practice as hard as possible  The One that Got Away ▪   They played a team that was above their level – and Todd regrets he told his team about how good the other team was, his team played intimated – he wishes he had just let them play Coaching/Leadership Motivation ▪   Quote: ‘Iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another’ – Proverbs 27:17 ▪   Book: ‘The Gold Standard’ by Coach K. – story of bringing together the Dream Team Parting Advice ▪   Have a detailed practice plan! ▪   Keep a binder of great drills Interview Links ▪   HUDL Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter @ WinningYouthCoaching Newsletter