Jasper Hockey/Skating Camp, Elite Prep Camp, Coaching Clinic
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I am throwing out the idea of having a coaching symposium while I am in Jasper with Gaston and Curtis Brackenbury a former NHL player and coach. The camp starts July 22 and goes the entire week.

I could do some hockey presentations in a class setting and get Curtis to do some and Gaston to talk about skating. Coaches could watch or join the on ice sessions and we could have one on ice per day. I would give each coach our coaching manual and a 16 GB flash drive with over 500 drills and games, plus hockey material from around the world on it.

The costs could be the same as it is for the hockey players. Coaches could stay at camp grounds, hotels or at the dorm below the recreation centre. I camp and then eat at the recreation centre as Shirley cooks the greatest meals ever.

I will attach last years brochure. Jasper is a Canadian National Park with lots of outdoor recreation and beautiful scenery. I go for a bike ride in the mountains every day and usually camp and have a fire at night. We also have a tradition of having one fancy meal at a local Swiss restaurant.

Let me know if there is any interest. Even if a few coaches came it would be a good time

Before I let this thread die and fade away I would like to hear if there is any interest in the kind of coaching clinic I am proposing for Jasper.

If you don't think it is a good idea comment on that as well.

Dean, that is the only time that Gaston, Curtis and I will be together and also there are all the facilities there and a very inexpensive place to sleep and eat if cost is an issue. Other dates or venues aren't possible.

If I flew in I would land in Calgary and maybe tour a day or so and then take a day to drive to Banff and spend a few hours looking around, go for a swim in the hot springs, then on to Lake Louise and have lunch there, continue onto highway 93 for an amazing drive up and down the mountain pass to the Columbia Ice Fields, spend some time there and then the 90 minute drive to Jasper.

If I have a child who plays hockey then he/she would participate in the skating/hockey camp and I would participate in the coaching clinic. Otherwise just do the coaching sessions. If I had a figure skating child then he/she could be with Gaston, who was Swiss Champions, Olympic coach, feature skater for Ice Capades and Holiday on Ice, not to mention his Doctorate in Body Mechanics and my child could get World Class instruction for 13 sessions in 5 days.

I will be a lot smarter by then as well. I am attending the the IIHF symposium this May in Helsinki and I am sure the Finns have a lot to teach me and then I can share in Jasper.

Coaches who attend will even get a certificate saying they are certified in the Hockey Coaching ABC method level one.

I ran the ideas about adding a coaching clinic and an elite prep camp by Gaston and he likes the idea. One thing he doesn't think will work is to have adults staying in the same dorm and the kid's. I can see his point. So the coaches will have to stay at hotels, hostels or camp but still can eat at the rec centre.

Deniz Ince who coaches in Turkey has let me know that about 6 youth players from there will be attending the Jasper camp. That should be fun for everyone. I am going to see if it is possible for them to stay with local families to improve the cultural experience; if not they can stay in the dorm.
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A typical day is;
- breakfast at the rec centre.
- one hour on ice alternating skating or hockey.
- 75 minute break.
- second on ice session.
- lunch and a break.
- third on ice session.
- dryland training outside focusing on the core.
- dinner
- swimming.
Wednesday morning they go white water rafting on the Athabasca River and have two on ice sessions in the afternoon. So they get 14 on ice sessions 5 off ice, in 5 days.
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There is a program in Calgary that gives 20 ice sessions and 10 off ice session over two months and charges $1200 per player and another that charges $1700 per player and both are very drill based.

I came back from Austria in 2009 and watched my grandson after his first year of hockey. He was walking on the ice and pushing the puck. I have taken him to this camp for 3 summers now and it was sad to see his teammates struggle with inefficient skating strides and poor puck handling technique while he flew by everyone and scored the last 6 goals of their season this year because he has learned good body mechanics in skating, puck handling and shooting. I think it is critical to get good mechanics as early as possible otherwise when you practice bad mechanics 'you get very good at being very bad' and have a limited ceiling on how much improvement you can make. It is like having an oblong tire on a car. No mater how much you work on the motor you will never be as fast as the car with the round wheels.

I see this in players all of the time. They push back too much when skating or they are bottom hand dominant with the stick and can only handle the puck efficiently on one side. Worst is the segmentation that happens from drill only practices. Players learn to do everything in isolation, i.e. they over stick handle and have to pause and coast before they can pass or shoot. They must dust the puck off when they get it before they can pass or shoot, etc.

Instead they need a proper sideways motion in their stride and passing and shooting are simply an extension of the stick handling motion (no tip off). They need big moves all around the body and the skating agility to be able to go in every direction very quickly.

All of these things require EFFICIENT technique and at the same time they are learning that they need to learn how to apply it in game situations vs. players who want to take the puck away from them.

That is my tirade for today.

This morning I start working with former NHL player Morris Lukowich doing skill camps for youth hockey players. It is called Maximum Goal Scoring. I am on the ice with U14 and then U12 players. We have discussed what he wants stressed during the sessions and he has the older groups off ice while I am on the ice with two university players.

I also start again with a U16 female player who I worked with for a few months during the season. She ended up scoring lots and was brought up to a U18 as an affiliate when they needed someone and scored there as well. We are on the ice together for a 60 minute private session once a week. Lots of skills at top speed. I also really am focusing on her being able to one time the puck on the forehand and backhand on both sides of the ice. I pass as hard as I can to her with both good and bad passes and she has to be able to adjust to get her shot off and on the net.

We also do lots of stickhandling and passing. I take my 4 small nets on the ice and they are good obstacles and targets for shots. She is going to be a prospect for the National Team in a year or two.