Squirt B2 Strategy

[jBlaze3000]

Teach them all of their options: deke, pass or put it somewhere safe where they (or a teammate) can go get it. Never panic as the puck carrier. If you are late in a shift, it is good to get it over the red, dump it, and get to the bench. Give the decision making responsibility to the players.

There is a book called Whose Puck is it Anyway? where a AAA Mite (Novice) team in Canada - comparable skill level to Squirt B2 in Minnesota - had a Head Coach that felt this way. His assistants were Steve Larmer and Greg Millen. They wanted to make sure they let the kids play how they wanted to play. Emphasis was on helping kids understand the options available to them rather than dictating what the right play would be.

Pass, carry, shoot, dump, etc...

Panthers, you are wise to make this point. Sports today are "overcoached and undertaught". Your suggestion fixes that.

These responses seem reasonable. Lettign kids no what there options are and then letting them figure it out for themselves is part of skill development to me. The original poster led me to beleive a SYSTEM of dump and chase was being implemented and that is what I disagree with. That leads me to believe they are being taught to always and only do this. In turn I dod not advocate a player always and only trying to take guys on one on one or 1 on 3 or 1 on 4 or whatever. If it sounded like that then I didn;t make myself clear and apolgize. Teachign skills, letting kids know the options but then letting THEM figure it out at these ages is what I advocate. I think that is what these two posters are saying anyways.

Correct, the coach is teaching the kids to immediately think dump and chase when they cross the red line unless they have a break away or a favorable 1 on 1 matchup. A previous poster said he saw a game that should have been 12-0 but was only 2-0 because the outmanned team iced the puck every time they touched it. I would hate to have my son on a team like that because the coach obviously cares more about stroking his own ego than developing his players. At this level it should not be about winning but about seeing the most improvement from the beginning of the season to the end. It's important to encourage these young kids to be creative, even if that means losing a few more games at the beginning of the season. In the long run, it is better than teaching the kids to be robots.