<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: More parents & coaches should read this book!
Review: Having sidelined several years worth of US kids' hockey games, I picked up this book with great interest. In it I found useful self-reflection for parents and coaches alike. Parents trying to out-coach the coaches and berating their kids and referees alike is a common problem that needs to be held up more often for examination and I think these issues are well-addressed in this book. Coaches with a "win-at-all-costs" attitude -- yelling at players and shortening the bench need to realize the emotional damage they are inflicting on a kid who just wants to play for fun. (And we wonder why inactivity and childhood obesity is such a growing problem?) It also helped me understand why not using a strictly enforced positional-type play is good for kids' education in the sport and fosters a truly creative player rather than an automaton.
Mr. Arnold's revised attitude to coaching is emphasized rather than explicit counselling on the "options" they reviewed with each player after a failed play. Yet the anecdotes culled from hanging around a bunch of 7-9 year olds make for entertaining reading. Mr. Arnold does state that the book is based on a diary he kept during the season which accounts for the slightly disjointed format but as it is chronologically organized I did not find it difficult to read. Yes, I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who attends kids' sporting events and we would all realize that a positive compliment to a kid, coach, or referee after a game will go miles farther than criticism.
Rating:
Summary: More parents & coaches should read this book!
Review: Having sidelined several years worth of US kids' hockey games, I picked up this book with great interest. In it I found useful self-reflection for parents and coaches alike. Parents trying to out-coach the coaches and berating their kids and referees alike is a common problem that needs to be held up more often for examination and I think these issues are well-addressed in this book. Coaches with a "win-at-all-costs" attitude -- yelling at players and shortening the bench need to realize the emotional damage they are inflicting on a kid who just wants to play for fun. (And we wonder why inactivity and childhood obesity is such a growing problem?) It also helped me understand why not using a strictly enforced positional-type play is good for kids' education in the sport and fosters a truly creative player rather than an automaton.
Mr. Arnold's revised attitude to coaching is emphasized rather than explicit counselling on the "options" they reviewed with each player after a failed play. Yet the anecdotes culled from hanging around a bunch of 7-9 year olds make for entertaining reading. Mr. Arnold does state that the book is based on a diary he kept during the season which accounts for the slightly disjointed format but as it is chronologically organized I did not find it difficult to read. Yes, I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who attends kids' sporting events and we would all realize that a positive compliment to a kid, coach, or referee after a game will go miles farther than criticism.
Rating: 
Summary: inspiring, but thin
Review: I picked up this book to learn a little more about hockey, and about Canada's hockey culture. I can't say I learned much about hockey itself...I'd agree with the reviewer who said he wished Arnold had said more about what they *did* do. But I did learn a lot about the intensity of being committed to kids and their sport. The coaches' philosophy of hockey is commendable. Perhaps their hugely successful season (not only, or even primarily, in terms of wins) will inspire other coaches to try emphasizing skills, growth, and fun.I enjoyed reading this book, and of course fell in love with the kids. However, I gave it three stars because I felt it was very poorly written. This was a real surprise since the author is a professional journalist of considerable experience. The writing was choppy, and many ideas were only mentioned rather than developed. I realize this was meant to be a coach's journal, but surely Arnold (or his editor) could have done more to adapt his telegraphic, daybook style into a better narrative. That said, I've already recommended this book to someone else. And I'd buy it again. My recommendation: read it to absorb the atmosphere of Canadians loving and living their national sport, but expect to wade through some awkward prose along the way.
Rating: 
Summary: Whose puck is it anyway ?
Review: This book is a terrific account of how the game of hockey should be treated. It's all about fun and enjoyment. As a coach, I found myself wondering if I could make the types of change that Ed and his coaches did. They tried something different and it worked. The kids and the coaches had fun, and sometimes too many coaches lose sight of that. Read this book if you are a hockey parent, coach or player.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and entertaining
Review: Wonderful if you've ever coached youth sports, or had a kid in youth sports, or played hockey. There are no X's and O's in here, just an expanded "journal" of the season with some philosophy thrown in. Lots of fun anecdotes about the kids and the coaches, some about the parents, and road trips in the Canadian Winter (brrr). I picked it up on a whim, blew thru it in a day or two. This book might have been more useful for the prospective coach if showed exactly what they DID do in practice. Arnold discusses what they DIDN'T do - "positional hockey" and systems - but does not go into what they did. It would have been nice to know what skating and stick-handling drills etc the coaches decided did mesh with their "equal ice time, learn and have fun" approach; especially with Steve Larmer and Greg Millen having input into how the team spent practice time. That way a coach might be better equipped to follow in their footsteps. Still a very fun read. And - highest compliment - if I had a kid in sports, I wouldn't hesitate to let him or her be coached by Arnold.
<< 1 >>
| 
