I try to sit down at around 6:00 a.m. every Saturday morning and write a blog post for my website and social media. I have been, for the most part, pretty successful at getting to my office and getting about 750 words down “on paper” about coaching and hockey. And although there are some Saturday mornings where the words aren’t flowing and the ideas aren’t right there, I do enjoy writing about the game I love and my experiences coaching over the past 36 years.

I have read a lot about blogging, being an online entrepreneur and being a successful online presence. At the core of all the material out there, the theme is always that you have to really love what you are doing and have a burning desire to change the world for the better.

In my heart, I truly want to make the experience of playing the game of hockey, and the experience of coaching the game of hockey, the best it can be.

So, this morning, I am very excited to launch my new website at www.ricktraugott.com. It’s a little more modern, a little more navigable, and easier to update for the webmaster (me). I am keeping it tight and succinct and hopefully you will find the content helpful in your hockey life.

There are a few themes that pop up regularly in my writing. Here is a quick encapsulation of five of them:

1) Scoring goals is fun (and wins games). I say this a lot: “9-8 is way more fun than 1-0”.

2) Playing full speed is paramount to becoming better hockey players.

3) As coaches we need to find ways to encourage (and in some ways insist on) creativity while still providing a framework for team play.

4) You don’t have to win every game to win a championship. You just have to make sure you win the last game of the season.

5) Everyone has to look forward to coming to the rink every day. If it’s not fun, we are doing something wrong.

I try to write blog posts that are applicable for the time of year in relation to the hockey season. The last couple of weeks I have been trying to focus on two things: the tryout process and season planning. Many of my “reposts” to social media have been past posts about these subjects.

Season planning is crucial to the success of a team, just like strategic planning is crucial to the success of a business or organization. As coaches, I think we have an idea that we can show up at the rink 30 minutes before a game or a practice and everything can be figured out then. To be truly effective, that just doesn’t work. Thought and planning needs to be part of our job as coaches when we are given the responsibility of taking care of young people.

Here are four tools, in the form of eBooks, that I have put together specifically for hockey coaches to assemble and execute a comprehensive season plan.

First, Creating a Culture of Confidence is a road map to mental preparation for your players. You don’t have to have a PhD in sports psychology to be able to positively affect your players and get the most out of them at practice and games. One reader of the book commented “Easy to read and follow. Some books on similar subjects seem to be more about the author trying to sound smart versus providing practical information.” Many of the subjects in the book are directly tied into season planning and coaches will undoubtedly find some great nuggets of information.

In a nutshell, Torpedo Hockey is a system that uses four forwards and one defenceman. Originating in the Soviet Union in the 1960’s and perfected by the Swedish national team at the 1992 Olympics, this system is a “run and gun” offensive weapon that develops individual skills, tactics, and a player’s ability to “read and react”. If nothing else, the book is a “how to” manual for an outside of the box system. If you are looking for something new, this is it.

First Team to Ten! is a collection of my blog posts from the past 18 months. Why not just read them online? This eBook organizes all of the posts in relevant sections and, they are all in one place. Looking for help with Team Building, or Skills and Tactics? This book can help.

Finally, Essential Hockey Training is the classic drill book with the best I have from the last 36 years. What makes this book different? Each drill is easily explained and demonstrated. Each drill comes with teaching points and focus areas. Each drill works on multiple skills and tactics. Each drill can be used at all levels. One reader commented “(Drills) focus on basic skill development as applied to playing the game.”

Thanks for supporting this endeavour. It wouldn’t be worth the effort if it wasn’t for you. Good luck with tryouts, season planning, or just enjoying some nice weather. As always, I am happy to connect by e-mail if you have any comments or questions at thehockeycoach14@gmail.com.

All the best,

Coach Traugott

All four of Coach Traugott's eBooks are available in a bundle at 30% off. Click the image below for more.