Drilling the game

When I started coaching after 11 years of playing—training 3 or 4 times a week plus 2 or 3 games every weekend—I struggled with coaching on so many levels. But mainly, I struggled with drill design.

A lot of times, I’d realize there was a specific problem on my team, but I couldn't build a drill that actually addressed it and checked if the idea stuck with them. To fix that, I spent hours with my mentors reviewing my drills before taking them to practice. I’d also assist them during their own sessions, constantly asking what the reason behind each drill was so I could better help the players.

And over the years, a pattern kept happening: some of the 12-year-old players had a better understanding of the drills than I did. Across different teams and seasons, kids would actually correct my corrections on the floor.

As coach having players that challenge you keeps you improving

At the time, it was embarrassing, to be honest. But looking back now, I’m glad it happened. It taught me to give players a voice, teaching them that I can be wrong and showing them they can approach me and speak up based on real knowledge.

Coaching Is Hard. Coaching Players Who Think Is Harder.

Understanding the game is one thing. Teaching it so your players can actually make their own decisions on the floor is a completely different story.

When you develop players who truly understand tactics, they start to challenge your decisions based on real knowledge. Having players who think for themselves is powerful—and honestly, a bit scary. But it isn't a bad thing. If you know how to use it, it’s your biggest advantage.

I’m not talking about high-performance polish here. I focus on youth roller hockey skill development: how to plan a season, how to run a training day, and how to build underlying mechanics that actually hold up in a match.

Quick heads up, the skill level is not based on age. Most of players I know are still in the development phase.

check it out to understand fully this post

When Does a Player Actually "Have" a Skill?

Now, I need your full attention here.

Take the slide stop—one of the most critical skills in roller hockey. A young player hasn't learned to slide stop just because they executed it right once in a drill. A player only owns a skill when:

They hit it at least 8 out of 10 times in training.
They can do it consistently from both sides, with and without the ball.
They execute it in a live game situation without stopping to think.

If you can’t tick those three boxes, they don't own the skill yet.

Here is how I design drills: we use them to build new habits in the background or fix the ones that are broken. If your junior team refuses to put up a block, it’s usually not a tactical issue. It’s because they aren't comfortable slide stopping, so they freeze. Fix the slide stop, and the block fixes itself.

How Every Drill Is Delivered

Each drill comes with:

The Diagram: A clear draw of the drill so you can visualize the floor setup, player movements, and ball flow on a quick view.
The Description: A straightforward breakdown of how the drill works, how to execute it, and what to correct when players make mistakes.
Primary & Secondary Goals: Tagged focus areas showing both the main skill you are training and the implicit habit being built in the background.

Every drill follows the exact framework laid out in my season planning methodology, ensuring that whatever you put on the board fits into a bigger, structured picture.

Plese check the first drill

First drill