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As parents we often want to help our kids to make something easier on them or even just easier on us. However, as parents we also want to raise independent and self resilient kids. Here are 5 skills that every youth hockey player needs to develop as they get older.
#1 Dressing Themselves
Hockey comes with a lot of required gear. Its perfectly natural that as a new hockey parent you want to step in and help them put on gear to make sure everything is fitted correctly and in the right spot. When your player is young, 6U or 8U, they probably will need a parent to help make sure they didn’t forget to attach their socks to the jock or make sure the elbow pads are on the right arm.
However, once they reach 10U and older, your player should be able and confident in dressing themselves. By this age most rinks and clubs will start requiring that players put on gear in a locker room and its usually not appropriate for any extra adults to be in the locker room besides the Safe Sport certified adults and coaches for safety/privacy reasons and just for the fact that locker rooms are small and hockey bags are big. There just isn’t enough room.
#2 Talking to the Coach
As a parent, I think that this is the hardest skill for youth players. Heck, it’s hard for parents, too. However, your player needs to be able to talk to their coach on their own to advocate for themselves, ask questions, and ask for critiques.
Now, if there is an obvious problem, please step in and talk to your player’s coach. I am not saying that the parent should never talk to the coach or advocate if there is an issue, but that the player does need to feel confident enough to speak up for themselves, too.
#3 Tying Skates
This is a big one and will probably be the last skill that your player conquers all on their own. Tying hockey skates is really hard, even for adults. If I have a hard time getting my fingers in between the laces and being able to pull them tight enough, how can I expect my 11 year old to be able to?
This one all comes down to practice. Let your player do their best to tie their skates first. Ask the coach or another knowledgeable hockey parent to see if the skate is tight enough and help them redo if necessary.
One tool that has helped my kids to handle their own skate tying is getting them a pair of skate lace tighteners. These little hooks let them get under laces and really get the leverage they need to pull the lace tight. A total game changer for us.
#4 Carrying Their Own Bag
I love this one. A little backstory: When my two kids both took their first learn to play, the first thing the head coach did on the first day was to gather the kids and tell them that he expects them all to carry their own bags and sticks in and out of the rink. If they didn’t, they would have to do pushups or skate mountains or some such thing.
At first, I thought this was a little hardline. The bags are huge and my 10 year old was definitely having issues with the long straps and being able to shoulder carry the bag. However, he adapted and from that moment on has never once asked or expected me to carry his bag or stick.
#5 Gear Management
I feel like I keep circling back on the fact that hockey is a gear intensive sport. And it’s because it’s the truth. There are at least 15 individual pieces of gear needed before your player can step out onto the ice for a practice or game. 15 pieces to either hang and/or get to the laundry after being on the ice. 15 pieces(well, 14 since you don’t pack your stick typically) to make sure gets back into the bag and car before being on the ice.
However, your player can do it. They can take the responsibility of making sure each item is packed and unpacked. They can double check their work before leaving for a practice or game. My kids would lay out their gear from head to toe before putting each piece in the bag, but I thought there has to be an easier way.
I even have a handy little gear checklist and bag tag that you can print at home and attach to their bag to make sure everything is packed and ready to go. Sign up below to get your free gear checklist and bag tag sent straight to your inbox. All you need to do is print, laminate or modify a sheet protector with scissors and tape, punch a hole in the corner, and attach with keyring or string.
Please don’t freak out if this all sounds like a lot. Your player isn’t going to magically be able to master all 5 of these skills by their next rink visit, but with help and encouragement, they can start to become a more independent hockey player this year.