Coaches Corner
KISS Principle

By: Dr. Vern Stenlund

In providing this portion of the newsletter we will stick to the KISS principle and keep things simple, rather than inundating you with drill, after drill, after drill. If what you are looking to do is accumulate drills and activities, go back to the "Products" page and you'll see some great resources available in the form of books and curricula.

The main purpose in showing a single activity is to allow coaches to break down an activity in more detail so that you learn more about the "whys" as opposed to the "hows". By showing one activity we can focus on purpose and coaching subtleties and do a more thorough job in explaining some of the advantages of a given activity. Don't be in a rush! Look at the drill diagram then go back to the text page that accompanies it. With each activity I will attempt to pass along some teaching gems that have been given to me by many mentor coaches over the years.

Obviously, choosing a single drill to highlight is a difficult task given that you might be coaching in a mite or novice league while the person at the next computer is a midget or junior level coach. What we will try to do is provide drills that have broad applications, ones that can be modified for a variety of levels. Always remember the learner in the big picture of coaching. It's not always going to be practical or fruitful to run high-end activities when in reality your players require a more basic diet of intelligent repetition. And as always, we welcome any comments or suggestions for future drills to be highlighted.