Congrats on being named head coach! You now have the honor of leading a charge of young boys and girls onto the ice. Maybe you’ve played hockey before. Maybe you have a kid on the team. Maybe you are just looking to help out and get involved. Regardless of the reason, taking the reins of any team is a significant responsibility.

South St. Paul boys’ high school head coach Scott Macho has some advice for coaches getting behind the bench.

Educate Yourself: Resources are plentiful from both Minnesota Hockey and USA Hockey, so don’t be afraid to use them. The popular Thoughts From the Bench blog offers great behind-the-scenes insight from Hal Tearse and other experts. USA Hockey’s coaching department provides manuals, videos and other materials to make your job easier and help answer questions.

Practice Plan: The three keys to practice plans at all levels – productive, age-appropriate and fun! The American Development Model (ADM) provides coaches the necessary tools to accomplish just that.

Following the ADM’s structure at each age level fosters the best environment for long-term athlete development.

“To me (the ADM) is a no brainer,” said Macho, who is also the director of boys’ high school hockey for Minnesota Hockey. “It’s the best thing to come out of hockey in years. It might be hard for coaches to adjust to it because it’s different, but it’s so incredibly helpful to developing our athletes.

“You see kids learning more and touching the puck more by dividing them into stations and small-area games. You get more kids on the ice at once with cross-ice practices. It’s just great to see and lead.”

Don’t Forget Dryland: There are age-appropriate guidelines for off-ice training as well.

“There are so many times people think of off-ice training as lifting weights and jumping but you have to be careful with that, especially when you are coaching the younger kids,” Macho said. “The main thing in dryland training is to promote different forms of balance and agility and to make a better athlete all around.”

Looking for ideas? USA Hockey has you covered with their Dryland Training guide. The free Mobile Coach app also provides age-appropriate drills and exercises.

Get Mom and Dad on Your Team: Make sure you communicate with your parents and let them know how the season will be going under your direction. Remember that parents only want the best for their children and assure them that you have the same goal.

Here are some tips to developing a Positive Parent-Coach Relationship.

The Parent-Coach Trap: It is fairly common at the youth level to have coaches who also have kids on the team. This can be a tough situation for everyone involved. The best way to avoid any potential issues is to separate the ‘coach’ and ‘parent’ roles.

Don’t try to be Mom or Dad when you’re at the rink. You owe it to the rest of the team to treat everyone fairly. On the other hand, avoid coaching at home. Once you walk in that front door, kids want and need you to be their parent, first and foremost.  Continuing to use your coaching ‘hat’ away from the rink can put unnecessary strain on your relationship.

Don’t Do It on Your Own: Macho admits that in his first year, he wanted to handle everything.

His advice: don’t.

“I don’t think a team can function without good assistant coaches, plain and simple,” said Macho. “When I first started, I felt like I had to control everything and felt pressure to have everything on me. Now, I love the fact that I don’t have the pressure of running the penalty kill or all different areas of the game. I also think it’s good for kids to get information from other people and not just one while they are learning and developing.”

Learn how to best utilize assistant coaches here.

Seek Advice: Join up with other coaches in the state and across the nation. Ask questions. Learn from your peers and utilize the resources available to you.

“The biggest thing for me was to get involved with Minnesota Hockey and USA Hockey,” said Macho. “Reach out to coaches that have been around for awhile and get to know people who are doing what you’re doing.

“Coaching is like a brotherhood. It’s a good group to be a part of.”

Thicken Your Skin: Criticism comes with the job title. Stepping into that coach’s role, you’re going to be met with people’s thoughts of how the job should be done. Don’t let it get to you.

“I think it’s a skill you have to learn,” said Macho. “I know when I was starting off, for sure people make comments to you. Whatever they might say, you might take it very personal – or at least I did. It’s something I had to learn. You have to remember that there is such a different perception in the stands than what is taking place on the ice or happening in the locker room.

“You have to learn to not care about it all and stay with what you know is right.”

Be a Role Model: Most importantly, remember that you are someone these players look up to. Don’t take that role lightly.

“What you learn in athletics goes so far beyond the wins and losses and what happens on the ice,” said Macho. “You have to be a positive role model for the kids. Teach them to work hard, deal with adversity and be respectful of the game and its players.

“It’s a whole side of coaching that some people don’t understand but you’re not just developing hockey players, you’re developing them into people. Lead them to be good people and good hockey players.”