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Q: Quality

According to Hockey Canada, “one efficient practice will give a player more skill development than 11 games collectively,” and a basic premise of USA Hockey's American Development Model is to make efficient use of the ice time available to our players. In a quality practice, expect to see:

  • Individual skill work done in a high-activity environment.
  • Plenty of repetitions for efficiently refining a player's technical skills.
  • Skill development with an increasing degree of complexity and decision-making.
  • Game situational play through small-area games to teach the skills, concepts and tactics of ice hockey, along with the ability to make quicker decisions.