My oldest child is my only daughter. She has to do a maximum jump to be 5 foot tall. She has two children of her own and, if I allow myself some bragging rights, she is an outstanding mother with great kids and a very supportive husband. For several years she was the jail keep at the Gallatin, Montana Sheriffs’ Department hoosegow in Bozeman. As one of her duties she taught self defense to the sheriffs. She also worked for an assisted living / nursing home primarily working with the clients’ nutritional needs – all this while working on her degree in Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics at Montana State University. (She gets her well deserved degree in May, 2011 after completing her internship at a VA hospital in West Virginia.)
She also has been a volleyball referee and is currently an ice hockey referee, where she rules over everything from little midgets to men’s club and women’s collegiate. Yeah, I am extraordinarily proud of her.
So that provides background for this story she tells that has meaning for any coach, teacher, parent, or anyone.
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It was an intense game. At least as intense as a hockey game played by 6 and 7 year olds can get. The players, look like munchkin toys with little stubs of legs featuring barely visible skates at the bottom. Hip pads end just short of the armpits. The oversized hockey gloves end near the elbows which are hidden under a huge jersey that fits like a tent. It is all topped off with a helmet and face cage completely eliminating any chance of actually recognizing who is inside the armament. The whole package remains upright because of the tripod design: two skates and a hockey stick that appears to be glued to the big gloves and rested on the ice. The little skates start shuffling and the package moves. The observer holds his breath convinced if the munchkin goes down it will look similar to a turtle on its back.
Back to the game. At one end of the rink there is a scramble for the puck. A few turtles are on their backs. Finally a player from the defense comes out with the puck. In fast slow motion he? she? begins the long break away with the remaining vertical players in tepid pursuit. The goalie must face this oncoming juggernaut. Now, a hockey goalie’s regalia makes the other players uniforms look like Lycra single piece track suits. They are a pile of pads planted in the goal mouth.
My daughter was doing solo duty as the referee and next to the boards on the lone goalie’s side of the ice. Behind her the goalie’s coach was frantic as the breakaway was closing. “WATCH THE PUCK! WATCH THE PUCK!” , he pleaded. The goalie was splayed legged leaning forward being held up by the extra wide-footed goalie stick, focusing on the closing opponent’s forward. As the puck handler drew back her? his? Stick preparing for a slap shot desperately trying to stay balanced, the coach kept bellowing, “WATCH - the - PUCK!”
The “slap shot” was launched. As it drifted towards the goal the goalie remained stationary with only his? Her? eyes moving watching as the puck slid between her? his? legs into the net. “AWWWW!! GEEEZZZ!”, the coach wailed.
My daughter who was looking at the slow developing play chuckled and said over her shoulder to the coach, “She did exactly what you told her to do: She watched the puck. All the way. “ (Somehow she knew the goalie was a girl.)
The coach shrugged, raised his eyebrows, and quietly agreed.
* * *
Words have Meaning
All that to say this: Words have meaning. As coaches we must be aware of what we say and how we say it.
Players need to know this as well. How many times will a hitter say to the setter, “Right here!” Ever wonder where “here” is? There is a cute, memorable key for passing that states, “Left is right. Right is wrong.” With out question it is a very clever turn of a phrase. However, recently in our gym a girl was passing the right side of the court. The incoming serve went to her right between her and the line. When she noticed this she relaxed and stood up as the ball sailed on by. I stammered, “Uh. . . Wha? Why didn’t you attempt. . .?”
She answered with confidence: “Left is right and right is wrong. The ball was to my right so it wasn’t mine.” I looked around for anyone else who might of played it and there wasn’t anyone. I know what the key means. But a young player took it literally.
After several missed serves or in a critical serving situation we (coaches, parents, teammates ) have all begged the next server, “Just get it in!” The delivery inflection of this message can communicate many things: A threat. “Just get it in!” (Or else! You will spend the rest of your career on the bench; Don’t even THINK we will stop at Dairy Queen after the match if you miss!; None of your teammates will EVER speak to you again!) Why don’t we say with firm confidence and support, “Serve your best serve!” Aren’t most players’ best serve “in”?
The way words are used is important as well. Excited players living the moment will call for the ball in machine gun fashion: “Hutututhutuhtuhutut. . .”; “Gogogogogogogooo. . .!”; “Mineminminminmin. . .!”; “Yesyesyesyesyes. . .! “ When uttered collectively, especially in an audible offensive system, the setter can think they are under a full assault and hear, “Hutuhutgogogogommininyesssyesssss ….! It would be more efficient to have players make one guttural, crisp, one syllable, command: “HUT!; MINE!; GO!; YES! Easily said. Easily heard.
Practice efficient communication. Otherwise, at some critical point, your players will . . .
“WATCH THE PUCK!”
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