I AM PLAYING - Learning to Train Stage
Age:
Early in Stage: Females 8-9 years, males 9-10 years
Later in Stage: Females 10-11 years, males 11-12 years
Athletes with a disability: enter at any age, with or without parent or support person
This is an important stage, one in which participants learn sound basics of ringette, but also begin to play formal games. Many participants in this stage will enter puberty, and it is important that height be monitored regularly to help determine when the player begins the growth spurt. Toward the end of this stage, individual rates of growth and development become quite obvious. Since each player has a different rate of development, it is important to be flexible with training programs to ensure appropriate challenges and to meet the needs of players who are growing rapidly.
General Objectives – Description of the stage
To develop fundamental ringette skills in a fun, participation-based environment
To continue to develop physical and motor capacities
To develop general physical fitness
To introduce the development of mental skills
To introduce and develop simple tactics
To introduce game play with focus on application of skills learned in training
To introduce and develop decision-making skills in standard/controlled conditions
To encourage players to strive to succeed and do their best
Guiding Principles
- Community-based programming
- Game play introduces an environment of competition, but there is no “competitive” program.
- Teams are created based on equal abilities distribution – no tiering
- Practices well organized, varied, game-like, and active participation of all
- Emphasize motor skill development, technical skill instruction, time-space orientation and team play
- Increase skill repertoire through a gradual progression of skill acquisition
- Include activities to develop flexibility during warm-up and cool down
- Introduction to the game – modified rules.
- Ensure that players experience all positions; toward the end of this stage, identify players who show an ability and interest in goalkeeping
- Maintain high frequency of practice and # repetitions: 70% success rate for learning to occur
- 1:6 adult/participant ratio or lower as required to provide quality supervision.
- Throughout the year, encourage players to participate in a variety of school and summer sports
- Toward the end of the stage:
· Introduce understanding of how to use skills to resolve tactical problems
· Introduce balance of individual/team offensive and defensive prep.
· Use game situations as learning opportunities.
Technical Skill benchmarks
Early in this stage: develop good skill technique
Later in this stage: develop accuracy and consistency in skill execution
Skating skills:
Early in the stage: basic stance, falling and getting up, edges, balance on skates, starts, stops, forward/backward stride and glide
Later in the stage: as above plus acceleration, crossovers, sharp turns, double sculling, 2 foot slalom; transitions
Ring skills:
Early in the stage: basic skills, grip, carrying and protecting the ring, passing, receiving and retrieving the ring, checking, shooting – all within a controlled environment
Later in the stage: as above, plus deking – all within a controlled environment
Goalkeeping skills:
Early in the stage: introduce concept and rotate position to all players, basic grip, stance, stick on ice, skating and ring skills, mobility and stick work, positioning and ring distribution
Later in the stage: identify and develop maximum number of players interested – play goal no more than ½ time, continue basic grip, stance and style, stick on ice, skating and ring skills, mobility in all directions, stick work, positioning, ring distribution, communication/interaction
Tactical Skill benchmarks
Offfensive
Earlyin the stage: acquisition of basic offensive skills and tactics, individual1v1 and team offensive skills, individual skills for ring carriers and non-ring carriers, basic team tactics, creating open space and movement)
Earlyin the stage: acquisition of basic offensive skills and tactics, individual1v1 and team offensive skills, individual skills for ring carriers and non-ring carriers, basic team tactics, creating open space and movement)
Later in the stage: Acquisition of basic offensive skills and tactics (1v1 offensive skills/tactics, 2v1 skills, isolate 1 defender and pass or shoot)
Defensive
Early in the stage: acquisition of basic defensive skills and tactics, individual 1v1 skills, maintain goal side positioning, introduce basic team tactics
Later in the stage: Acquisition of basic defensive game skills, defensive skills and tactics, individual 1v1 skills, maintain goal side positioning, team tactics
What does a Learn to Train Ringette program look like?
- There should be at least two seasons, each is 6-12 weeks long. Season 1 runs from September or October to December, season 2 runs from January to March.
- Pre-season training: 2 to 4 weeks for evaluations, team formations
- Participate in an exhibition league
- Practice to game ratio is 70/30. There should be 2-3 training periods of 60 minutes each to 1 game session each week
- Provide developmentally-appropriate, specific technical feedback.
- Strength development should be through body weight activities, medicine balls, Swiss balls, light resistance
- A sensitive period for stamina (endurance) training coincides with the onset of the growth spurt
- Pay special attention to maintaining flexibility during the growth spurt
- There is a sensitive period for speed development in females aged 11-13
- Continue to develop motor skills – agility, balance, coordination, speed, time/space orientation, etc
- Players must play all positions and have equal opportunity playing time
- Focus team social activities on fun and friendship
- Introduce Mental Preparation skills:
· Decision Training - introduce decision making skills
· Goal Setting – team
· Self-Awareness – positive thinking, attitude
· Team dynamics – teamwork, fair play, sportsmanship, values
· Team building and social development activities - Build on these skills later in the stage by introducing:
· Decision making in competitive situations
· Goal setting – individual,team,long/short term, process and outcome
· Focus management / attentional control - concentration strategies
· Anxiety management / emotional control –visualization
· Game preparation and routine – game strategies - Encourage participation in other sports 3x per week; encourage a minimum of 60 minutes per day of play or participation in other unstructured activity
- During off-season, encourage players to participate in a variety of school and summer sports
- Avoid playing ringette year round, but players may participate in a summer ringette camp, or in 4-6 sessions of pre-season preparation
- By the end of this stage:
- One season, 20-24 weeks long
- Single peak periodization (peak for end-of-season league tournament)
- Preparation period = 7-15 weeks; Competition period = 7-20 weeks; Transition period = 1-2 weeks
- Two weekly training sessions to 1 competition (game)
- Maximum 20 competition days during the season
- Pre-season camp for warm-up (4-6 sessions)
- Ringette-specific training 3X per week; 2-3 practice sessions of 60-90 minutes each
Game modifications
Early in the stage:
- Organized game play in a manner to maximize learning opportunities for all participants
- Focus is on fun and on basic ring and skating skills
- Introduction to game format with modified rules
- 2 minute warm-up; 3x10 minute periods with stopped time
- Coaches on ice at beginning of season; gradually decrease time on ice throughout the season
- No stats or standings, no emphasis on win-loss
- Up to 20 days of competition during the year (both seasons combined). One competition day = a day in which one or more games are played against another team. These competition days can include organized league/exhibition game play and a maximum of 2 local/regional tournaments (including year end tournament)
Later in the stage:
- Begin playing regular game format
- Emphasize acquisition of basic game skills – focus on fun and basic ring, skating and game skills
- Rules of play: all basic, regular rules introduced but no shot clock; scores kept unless very lopsided; two officials for every game and they are encouraged to give play guidance to all players
- 6 players per side on a full ice surface, 4 minute warm-up, 3 X ten minute periods of stop time
- Organize game play to emphasize and maximize learning opportunities for all participants
- Begin organized league and exhibition game play; exhibition league until December, then regular league January to March
- Maximum 3 local/regional tournaments, including year end tournament
Monitoring
Ensure development of strong technical skills
Monitor height every 3 months (standing height, sitting height and arm span) and record measurements for future reference related to onset of peak height velocity (PHV)Watch for correct body alignment and symmetrical development of flexibility and strength (i.e. equal on both sides of the body)
What Can Parents Do?
- Continue to expose participants to a range of activities, provide encouragement and show interest in participating in sport and physical activity
- Continue to support the development of sound basics over game and tournament play
- Listen to the participant to help identify sport preferences
- Ensure a balance with school, other sport and non-sport activities
- Understand the need to transport participants to activities, to pay for these activities and to purchase the necessary equipment
- Ensure a balance with school, other sport and non-sport activities
- By the end of this stage, parental involvement increases and parents develop a growing interest in the sport. Some parents may attend coaching or officiating courses. They may be asked to volunteer at activities or help with fund-raising
Coaching (type of coach)
Community Sport Initiation (CSI)
SOC Community Coach
