Herbie Mania

[Wisconsin Coach]

What is your opinion of a coach that has his Squirt team do a whole hour of "Herbies" and only allows 1 water break?

[O-townClown]

Without knowing any more, I'd say he's nuts.

Conditioning for a whole hour at Squirt age? I'm guessing it wasn't a lot of fun for the players.

Did this happen?

[hockeygod]

I see plenty of youth coaches that think because Herb Brooks did it they should do it to. What they forget is that Herb was almost psychotic the way he pushed players and chose players that he could push like that. When Herb worked with youth teams and individuals he would spend countless hours working on skill development.

For a youth coach to do anything like pushing kids to do an hour of herbies should be grounds for having him replaced. ALL COACHES below college level should use there ice time for conditioning and teaching. not punishment. If theres punishment to be handed out there are plenty of ways to do it without wasting ice.

[Wisconsin Coach]

This was their first practice of the year. I thought it was insane, so I asked a
couple board members and they thought I was crazy for questioning "one of the best coaches in the association"

[hockeygod]

Well that says it all then. who are we to question "one of the best coaches in the association"

It's not right to treat kids like that, sure no one died because of it but what will happen if someone does. It is just wrong to welcome kids to hockey this way and would make me question the whole idea of my kids playing hockey.

[tomASS]

Herbie also coached young men and not boys.

Waste of ice time, money, and development time. We see that in soccer too with expensive dome time in the winter being used for conditioning.

There are economical training (efficient not expense) drills and sessions that can be used to get the players having fun while challenging their skills while providing conditioning.

Training at speed with the puck should be far better than training at speed without the puck.......at least I believe that to be true for squirt age players

[O-townClown]

This was their first practice of the year. I thought it was insane, so I asked a
couple board members and they thought I was crazy for questioning "one of the best coaches in the association"

The natural retort is to ask why they'd sit on the board of an association if that youth coach is the best they can do.

USA Hockey has a magazine. Recently they stressed the point that you cannot work on skating at the same time you are working on conditioning. The stride breaks down. Does this coach even know if he was doing this to make them better skaters or to improve their stamina? Obviously not punishment, as this was the first practice.

Seems to me the dude has no practice plan. Either that or he's making darn sure the kids know "who's boss" from Day One. Like it matters! How many of these kids are looking forward to the next one?

That's the measure of a good Squirt coach. Primarily there to nurture the love of the game. Secondarily there to teach.

Doesn't seem like any of that happened.

I'd have big problems philosophically with this program.

My son is playing in a 9 & Under league. Mostly kids about 7. A few girls, a few older or younger. One grandfather was ticked that they didn't put up goals on the scoreboard once it was 4-0. They do that so the kids don't feel bad if the game is one sided. USA Hockey guidelines are to not even keep score in Mites, so it seems ludicrous to worry. (One time the team that was getting pasted came back for a furious finish. It was exciting BECAUSE they didn't let one team get too far ahead. Kind of like the East-West Shrine Bowl where you keep getting the ball back if you are getting whooped.)

Point is that you can't please everyone every time. Still, it doesn't condone Herbies for kids. I get gassed after one, and I'm a full-grown adult.

[PanthersIn2011]

It is interesting to note that Jack Blatherwick, who spent a lot of years with Coach Brooks (including 1980), has been one of the most vocal opponents of Herbies (the drill) in recent years. Specifically, he believes these drills are too long, produce slow feet, bad strides, and physiologically work the muscles incorrectly. If they had value for the '80 olympic team, it was more from a mental toughness not physical perspective.

Hockey is an interval sport and players need to be conditioned as such. Up-tempo practices can provide this, while simultaneously working skills. I'd prefer an up-tempo game of 3-on-3 any day of the week. Coaches who think they can dawdle for 50 minutes and then get in shape with 10 minutes of conditioning at the end are foolish. Coaches who condition squirts for 60 minutes are insane.

I bet the basketball court (or worse, the Playstation) is looking pretty attractive to a lot of these kids right now.

[watchdog]

that coach should be replaced for being a complete idiot. if hes the best coach in the association its not saying much thats my reply to the board if i were you.

[sorno82]

Sounds like this subject is BS to me. No one is that stupid. If it is true, then any parent let this go beyond 10 minutes without yanking their kid off the ice should have their head examined.

[Can't Never Tried]

Let's see if the super coach himself can do just 1/2 hr. of this drill.
What were the kids suppose to get out of that?

It's sounds a little out there, if it's true.

I also agree if someone is running practice like that they need some guidance, especially at the 1st practice.

[tomASS]

Sounds like this subject is BS to me. No one is that stupid. If it is true, then any parent let this go beyond 10 minutes without yanking their kid off the ice should have their head examined.

I would tend to agree with you but I have seen coaches who lay down the law that it is their way or the highway with both players and parents.

As a parent I didn't really stick around to watch practices unless I heard the kid or other parents complain which didn't happen but maybe once with 3 kids over 13 years.

Let's hope that the incident is just an exaggeration.

[Wisconsin Coach]

Yes, it is an exaggeration. Here is the practice plan:
10 minutes of Herbies followed by 10 minutes of crossovers around the circles, most of which were backwards because the coach thought the kids were horrible. 10 more minutes of Herbies since no one was listening. Water break in which the coach planned out a obstacle course that the assistant coaches didn't even understand, 5 minutes of starting and stopping the drill since the kids kept doing it wrong. back to 5 minutes of Herbies. Then 10 minutes of skating back and forth the width of the rink, and the big finish of 10 minutes of Herbies.

[sorno82]

would tend to agree with you but I have seen coaches who lay down the law that it is their way or the highway with both players and parents.

I would pick the highway. I do not believe NHLers could do Herbies for an hour, so the post is a hoax. However, the point that someone would let a coach do that to a bunch of 10 year olds is even more unbelievable, even if it meant junior wasn't going to play hockey that year.

[Can't Never Tried]

Yes, it is an exaggeration. Here is the practice plan:
10 minutes of Herbies followed by 10 minutes of crossovers around the circles, most of which were backwards because the coach thought the kids were horrible. 10 more minutes of Herbies since no one was listening. Water break in which the coach planned out a obstacle course that the assistant coaches didn't even understand, 5 minutes of starting and stopping the drill since the kids kept doing it wrong. back to 5 minutes of Herbies. Then 10 minutes of skating back and forth the width of the rink, and the big finish of 10 minutes of Herbies.

Sounds like this guy needs a little common sense, and some age specific variety in the old practice plan.
If the kids were not listening, it's probably because they were trying to plan their escape.

Word of advise, have the person responsible in your Association come and observe some practices unannounced, do not let the board brush it off, if they don't come, or won't listen, then take it to the next level.
I believe you can take it to your district if you don't get the situation resolved in house, and with the fact you have already heard "this is the best coach" you may just need some help.

Good luck!


This is not the age you want to be turning kids off the game thru having ridiculus practices like this.

[Northland]

What is your opinion of a coach that has his Squirt team do a whole hour of "Herbies" and only allows 1 water break?

Sounds like a Herb Brooks wanna be to me.


.

[watchdog]

i suppose the tikes werent looking like nhlers so they had to skate for an hour!!!!! lol

[Sudden Death]

Do you think Herb might be laughing at all of us?

[newsguy35]

Do you think Herb might be laughing at all of us?

I hope to god he is shaking his head in disbelief.