Complete Hockey Instruction

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Overview
Review: I found this book informative and a concise source. As a hockey coaching neophyte, and a dedicated student of the game, I believe Chambers did a good job on his book. Many of the chapters could be (and are) the subject of a dedicated book.

The first chapter on PHILOSPOHY OF COACHING is a very good and complements the USA Hockey philosophy. His chapter on BASIC HOCKEY GUIDELINES presents an excellent, concise, overview of the principles of the game.

The chapter on SKATING presents good overview for a subject very difficult to teach out of a book (see POWER SKATING by Laura Stamm for an excellent book on this subject).

In the ten or so books I have recently reviewed and read in my journey to learn more about hockey, I observed authors often appear to find it difficult to provide an overview that introduces the subject and gives a proper discussion of the fundamental (the why). There is often an underlying presupposition of knowledge that may not exist. Chambers does not fall into that trap.

In Chamber's chapters on OFFENSIVE/ DEFENSIVE TEAM PLAY, he introduces principles and terms specific the subject, and then presents drills that emphasize that aspect to players. In later chapters on PLAY OF THE DEFENSEMEN/FORWARDS, he presents useful tips and skills for these players.

The chapter on FACE OFF ALIGNMENTS is the best I have seen. At a recent practice, our senior coach was teaching players where to move if they were in offensive or defensive zones. I came back from practice hungry to learn more and could not find a reference that covered more that a few scenarios (including USA Hockey). Chambers presents 11 strategies/player assignments for offensive zone face offs, 7 for neutral zone, and 11 for defensive zone; covering full strength and one or two man short situations.


There are chapters on PENALTY KILLING, POWER PLAYS, AND GOAL TENDING. I enjoyed the concise coverage in the chapter on SCOUTING, GAME PREPARATION, AND BENCH MANAGEMENT chapter.

The chapter on STATISTICS presents an overview of the importance of each statistic, and emphasizes the need to use them POSTIVELY. He also discusses the importance of videotaping games, and balances his discussion with a warning to use statistics and videos wisely.

The chapter on CONDITIONING is a good overview that includes the three energy systems and importance of periodization (see references by Tudor Bompa for more details on energy systems and periodization. See especially "Total Hockey Conditioning: From Pee-Wee to Pro" and "Total Training for Young Champions")

The chapter on NUTRITION is balanced and presents a good overview of carbohydrates, fats, and protein and how the body uses them. He also emphasizes hydration (see Strength, Conditioning and Injury Prevention for Hockey by Joseph Horrigan, Earl Joseph Kreis for a great discussion on hydration).

There is also chapter on MENTAL TRAINING. If you've watched the shift of momentum during an NHL game, or better yet felt it when you're on the bench, you can appreciate the importance of this aspect of sports.

Chambers book has a large bibliography, although the chapters are not scientifically cited to individual references. The book lacks an index, but it is well organized.

After having recently read the USA Hockey series for coaches (Mite through Pee Wee), they were useful, but disjointed because they were obviously written by a committee of authors and often not edited for consistency. In their recent updates, they often refer to figures that are not present, use undefined terms, have symbols on the drill diagrams that don't match previous drills, and have other inconsistencies. There is good information presented if you get beyond the inconsistencies.

In my opinion, hockey is such a complex and fast moving sport that it is difficult to capture the many nuances in the pages of a book. In my search for a book that provides a one-stop reference, Chambers comes the closest.



Rating:
Summary: NOT SO COMPLETE
Review: While this book may abound in drills, very little attention is paid to discussing positional play, and what benefit is derived by each position from these drills. At best this book is geared to the elite level coach who already has an indepth understanding of the game and is only looking for something new to use in practices.

To the neophyte coach, I would suggest taking the USA Hockey coaching certification clinics or, at the least, buying their coaching manuals which have a detailed reasoning behind each skill development drill.

Ultimately the job of the coach is to develop the player's skills, and unfortunately Complete Hockey Instruction does nothing to help the coach in this regard.