Volume 4, Issue 2 - November, 2003 

 "From the Right Wing…"

Back wearing teal and purple soon!        

For a printer friendly version - click here

 www.DanBylsma.com  

This month's issue contains:

 DAN'S TIP OF THE MONTH   THIS MONTH'S QUESTION   TRUST FUND AUCTION   TIPS FROM HOCKEY CAMP 

 DAN'S HONOR ROLL  COACH'S TIP   THE SAYING OF THE MONTH   DAN TRIP IN THE NHL   DAN & JAY'S BOOKS 

  A WAY TO SUBSCRIBE

Today.  What was today for me, Dan Bylsma?  Today was another day of my rehab.  A chance to skate and test my knee, to build up that scar tissue making it tougher so it can stand the rigors of skating as hard as I can.  Hopefully, preparing it to play hockey again.  Today was also a mental challenge.  Yes, my knee ached a little, but it was better than last week.  I can see that I'm making progress.   I am able to stop focusing on the short term and focus on doing everything I can for my knee - all the while checking off the days in the 6 months of my rehabilitation program. Yesterday was a day off from skating so it was a day to take my rehab at the physical therapists. 

Today was an opportunity.  Did I  ache?  Was there pain?  Were there questions in my mind? Yes. Yes. Yes. But today was an opportunity to do everything I could to ensure my knee has the best chance to recover.  Does it ensure my knee will be like new?  No!   But it does ensure me a good night's sleep knowing I've left no possibility unexplored, no stone unturned, no opportunity squandered..  

I don't tell you this for a pat me on the back or so that you can hear the multiple voices in my head, but to point out what today can be for each of you.  You may not have won a hockey game this year or maybe you aren't getting as much playing time as you'd like.  Perhaps, you don't want to go to practice or, God forbid, you don't want to do your homework.  Maybe it was a big game or a test coming up. 

Regardless what it was for me today.  I know, for sure, what it was for you.  It was an opportunity.  It was your opportunity to do the best you could at whatever you had on your schedule today.  Today was a day you can never get back, after tonight it's gone.  Today was a day you could have worked on your skating at practice or your stickhandling in the basement.  It was a day that all studying may have paid off as you took a test that you knew you were well prepared for.  Or perhaps it was a chance to work on those math problems that have been giving you difficulty lately.  It was a day you could catch up on the chores your parents have asked you to do this week.  Today was the day that gave you the opportunity to do whatever it was that you want to do, what you want to get better at, or whatever that you may need to work at. 

The great thing about life, the great thing about have goals, the great thing about dreaming is tomorrow you awake to a new opportunity.  Tomorrow you will have another chance to make the most of what's in front of you.  Maybe its a test, a practice, or knee rehab.  What ever it is - what a chance you have! 

I may not be able to go to sleep tonight.  They only thing more exciting than the opportunity I had today is possibly the one I'll have tomorrow after I awake. 

Good luck, have fun and enjoy the chance. 

THIS MONTH'S BEST QUESTION ON THE WEB SITE…

Dan: I am usually able to score.  But after scoring in preseason and the first two games of the season, I haven't scored in my last 5 games and have only gotten two points in those games.  I can't seem to score right now and I'm really getting frustrated and playing badly.  What might help me to turn around?  J.S.

Dear J.S.:  Not scoring many goals in something I can identify with.  I only got one last season myself.  I conclude from your letter that you believe that because you aren't scoring, you are playing badly.  You may be correct that you are playing badly, but it doesn't follow that you are playing badly because you aren't scoring, even though a lot of players, coaches, and parents often come to that illogical conclusion.

If that were right, every time a game ended in a 0-0 tie, everyone must have played badly.  In fact, it may have been that some players played the best game of their career.

 During a regulation game of 60 minutes, you only have the puck on your stick for 30 to 45 seconds and you might get to shoot 3 or 4 times.  And while you may have made a mistake or two in that 30 to 45 seconds and missed the net all 4 times, what you did during the other 59 minutes is really a more important determining factor in deciding if you played well or not.

Another thing to keep in mind is that usually a goal is scored because someone on the other team made a mistake, not because you did something spectacular.  The extent to which you limit your mistakes is the real measure of how good you are and the contribution you are making to the team (at least that's what I try to tell myself).

Here's what I suggest to try to get out of your slump.  Before the next game set a goal for yourself.  The goal may be you will finish every check, or you will win every face-off, or you will have three takeaways, or you will chip the puck out of the zone every time it comes around the board to you in the defensive zone.  Then after the game, do a self-evaluation as to whether or not you accomplished your goal - not how many goals you scored.  The following game, set another, different goal and again - do some self-evaluation.

Take satisfaction on accomplishing your goals, on excelling in those aspects of your game you set for yourself.  If you do that every game, you will become a better player - regardless if you score a lot of goals or not.

The college coaches I know tell me that when they scout a player, they look more for what a player does when he doesn't have the puck than when he has it.

There is a hint here about why some guys who are tremendous goal scorers in youth hockey and college don't do well professionally. They may score a lot of goals but they make so many mistakes they effectively disable the rest of the players on their team and or they get to a level of play where their opposition doesn't make mistakes.

Go to TOP  DAN'S TIP  THIS MONTH'S QUESTION  HONOR ROLL  COACH'S TIP  SAYING  DAN in the NHL  BOOKS  SUBSCRIBE

Yes, there is an auction!  This is an authentic Dan Bylsma #21 Mighty Ducks away jersey signed by all the members of last year's Western Conference team.  The retail value is $180 and the minimum bid is $100 and incremental bids of 5$ are required.  The auction will run until December 13 at 9:00 p.m. EST.  Good luck!

My hockey camp has a very strong emphasis on skating technique because I believe you can't enjoy the game if you can't skate and all of us can be better skaters.  So I'm going to keep on reviewing some of the things we talked about in camp.  If you attend, this is a review of the things we talked about on the ice and in your video analysis.  If you didn't attend, you may pick up a tip or two that will help you become a better skater.  If you are a coach, perhaps there something that will enable you to help a player who may be having trouble with his or her fundamentals.

The photo at the left is of a skater at camp a few years ago.  Although nearly everyone who attends camp can "skate", there are only a few over the years that have demonstrated the excellent fundamentals this young man has.  Below I list the essential elements of good skating and they are demonstrated very well in this photo; better I confess than the similar photo of myself that I've published in the past.  Here are the things to notice:  1) Skating in a seated position - also expressed as having a 90-degree bend in the weight-bearing leg.  This skater's knee bend is

 just that.  While this is perhaps the hardest fundamental to master, it also the most important as it affects the length of stride (which is an important factor in speed) and balance.  This is a case of do as I say, not as I do because admittedly my own knee bend could be better.  The only way to get the long strides that you need for speed is to get your butt down. 

2) Full leg extension.  Notice that you can draw a straight line from the back of this skater's neck to the boot of his skate, his  striding or pushing leg is straight, and his toe is the last thing to leave the ice.

3) Striding to the side.  You can see the toe of his boot on his striding leg but his heel is hidden from view.  This is an indication that he's pushed off to the side, not to the rear.  Pushing off more to the rear causes you to try to maintain your edge on the toe of your blade. But because you don't have toe picks (like figure skaters), your foot slips and you lose your edge before the power in your leg is fully expended.  You can also tell his stride was to the side by the length and spacing of the shadows on the ice.

4) His head and chest are up.  Many young skaters have a tendency to be bent over.  Too much of their momentum is going down into the ice instead of forward along the ice.  I tend to be bent over when I'm exhausted after a long shift and I have to fight the tendency.  It's also important to keep your head and chest up because you want to be able to see what's going on around you instead of the ice under you.

5) He's in good balance.  His center of gravity is well behind his weight bearing foot.  Good balance is important when we're skating forward, but essential when we try to turn or do crossovers.

6) His arm swing is almost straight forward and back.  Arm swings that go to the side are not only a waste of energy, but tend to throw the skater off balance.  Think of an Olympic sprinter - his arm swing is straight forward (in the direction he wants to go) and back.  The same is important to good skating.

In following newsletters, we'll talk more about some if these points in detail.  If you would like our pamphlet on how we do the video analysis at camp, order it on my website.  It gives you the step-by-step details of how we do it, what to look for, and what a skater can do to improve his technique.  The $12.50 cost goes to my charitable foundation.

P.S. Someone left a Muskegon Chiefs soft shell lunch box at hockey camp.  My parents have it at their home.  If you left it or know someone who did... call them.

NAME

AGE

GPA

 SCHOOL

 TEAM

STATE

Winston Jones

Brandon Holt

Jeremy Hopersberger

Mason Mayberry

Josh Corgan

  MI*‡

Brad Christiansen

Ryan Christiansen

  MI

Ben Grace

Marc Hughes

Brandon Ryfiak

Marty Jensen

There's lot's of room for you here

Go to - TOP  DAN'S TIP THIS MONTH'S QUESTION  HOCKEY CAMP  HONOR ROLL  DAN in the NHL  BOOKS  SUBSCRIBE

PARENT TO COACHES AND PARENTS from Jay...  

It wasn't easy to read the following Email from a Squirt (9 year old?):

Dear Mr. Bylsma:  There is this kid on my team that causes a lot of trouble.  When the coaches are not looking he trips, slashes, and checks people for no reason.  I was wondering how to settle with this person.

CS

It wasn't easy because the reason kids play hockey or any sport is to have fun and it sounds like C.S. isn't having any fun.  Moreover, we find an 8 or 9 year old's use of the word "settle" unsettling.

We answered CS by tell him that discipline is the responsibility of the adults who are supervising the team and he should bring the player's behavior to attention of the coach and let him handle it.

We hope C.S.'s session with his coach is productive and the offending child's behavior is made to change for several reasons.

First, kids play sports to have fun.  A recent study found that 80% or the kids who participate in youth sports drop out by the the time they are 14.  The main reason these dropouts give is they are no longer having fun.  Engendering fun into the game must be the first priority of a coach. 

Then, we wonder where are the coach, the assistant coaches, and the parents when this kind of behavior is exhibited and why it is left unchecked.  Not only is it limiting the fun of the instigator's teammates, it isn't doing the instigator any favors.  A psychologist tell us this is typically the behavior of a very unhappy child who unfortunately may be modeling out behavior he has experienced himself.   

When we speak to coaches we emphasize that being a coach has much more to do with teaching life lessons than it has to do with teaching hockey.  This because, as noted above, 80% of their players will exit the game of hockey soon, all of them will remain in the game of life.  The coach of this troubled player has an opportunity to be a positive influence, and if successful, may change a life in a significant way.

Scary responsibility?  No, wonderful opportunity.  We hope this young player's coach makes the most of it.

    Jay M. Bylsma

THIS MONTH'S SAYING IS TO PUT IN YOUR LOCKER...

"There are many hard and fast rules for success, the trouble is all of them are hard and none of them are fast."

                                                      Unknown

 

ONE KID'S TRIP TO THE NHL - current installment...

I want to thank all of you for your notes of care and concern for my rehab and return to the team.  As I write this, the day before Thanksgiving, I have now skated in practice for three consecutive days and today, I skated pain free for the first time.  It will still take some time to get into game condition and I still need to be cleared to play by the doctor.  But this is a significant day and I find myself gaining some confidence that the procedure has been a success.

I will begin warming up with the team, continue to practice to get in to game condition, and work my way back into the lineup.  I hope to be there by mid-December and it will be good to be back.  Very, very good. 

This Thanksgiving Day I have something to be especially thankful for.

*****

A couple of housekeeping details:

• We continue to receive and answer questions sent to us.  However, because we send out this newsletter, our Email address is "vacuumed" up by address gleaning programs and we get over 1,000 Emails a day, 98% of which are spam.  In deleting this pesky spam, we have sometimes inadvertently deleted some of your questions, especiall if there is nothing in the subject line.  If you write us and use the links in the Newsletter or the Q&A page of the web site, it automatically puts "I have a question for Dan or Jay..." on the subject line - something we can quickly recognize.  If you don't use these links, please but the word "hockey" in the subject line of your Email so we can recognize it as a legitimate Email, i.e. "I have a hockey question."

• Prior to Christmas, we get an increased number of orders for books and we appreciate all of them.  But my father (who handles these orders) had been engaged to provide full-time assistance to the sales department of a sports wear company.  I know he would appreciate as much lead time as possible of you want your books shipped in time for gift giving.  And a hint I received directly from Santa - the fourth book is a great read about what it was like to play high school basketball during WWII.  If you have a boy (or girl) who doesn't like to read - these historical novels are great reads designed to lure reluctant readers into a wonderful habit.

• Lastly, the hockey school brochure is being printed next week. It will be sent out around the 17th of December.  We will begin taking reservations on the web site on January 2.  If you intend to attend, it is important that you act quickly.  Last year sections of the camp were filled by 10:30 a.m. on January 2.  I hate to turn anyone down.  So mail, fax, deliver, or Fed Ex the form... but do it early to avoid disappointment.

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday season.

So Your Son Wants to Play In The NHL Published in 1998 by Sleeping Bear Press in the US and McClelland & Stewart in Canada. HC $24.95. The story of Dan’s journey from the ice rink in our back yard to the NHL. is "...the best hockey advice since ‘Don’t rile Gordie Howe’”. "This is more than a hockey book. It's a book about life and how to use simple lessons and values for success. …a refreshing straight-ahead approach that makes you feel that you've learned something." LA Times.  Autographed and personalized copies available at www.DanBylsma.com.  

So You Want to Play In The NHL Published in November, 2000, by NTC/ Contemporary/McGraw-Hill. Trade paperback—$14.95. Thirty-five questions that aspiring young athletes have and Dan’s and Jay’s alternating answers. Forward by Luc Robitaille. This book won’t help you play the game better, but we think it will help you live the game better. “I am making this book required reading for my team because it confirms everything I have ever said in the locker room and to parents.” Coach John M. You can read a chapter by clicking here.  Autographed and personalized copies available at www.DanBylsma.com. Now it its second printing.