In this episode, Coach Andy and Eric discuss age appropriate training and development from both a parent and player perspective. They cover how to make the jump to the next level, parents pushing their kids vs. going overboard, parenting guidelines to judging their own behavior, what types of training are appropriate at which age, and other topics!

The boys get into this episode with a discussion on ‘power forwards’ in hockey. Coach Andy references players like Jordan Greenway and Tom Wilson to point out the value a bit of grit can bring to your team. With this framework, they answer a listener question on how to make the jump from Jr. B to Jr. A, and specifically what on-ice characteristics they can exhibit to be noticed. From here, Coach Andy branches into a discussion on hard work and what true “hard work” really means. He and Eric provide a few guidelines to measure whether or not you are up to par in the work ethic department. 

Moving on, they start to discuss topics related to age appropriate development. They share their thoughts on where to draw the line between pushing your kid and going overboard using several common examples. Coach Andy then provides a framework for judging yourself as mom and dad in terms of your behaviour as an athlete parent. The boys finish off discussing what types of training is appropriate at which age including on-ice skills, off-ice strength and conditioning, and nutrition. 

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