Passion Points: High Performance and Youth Hockey Development with Mark Fitzgerald

10/14/24 • 86 min

What is the best way to set up the next generation of high performing athletes for success? Joining me today is Mark Fitzgerald, head coach for Kelowna High Performance + founder of Elite Training Systems in Ontario, who has spent the last 15 years working with athletes from a variety of sports at every level. We have an educational hour diving into long-term athletic development for youth hockey. We’ll unpack everything there is about coaching young hockey players, from the pitfalls of the “more is better” mentality to the current state of affairs and its future. Mark also shares his game plan for developing athletes, building team culture, and training for sustainable success on and off the ice. Whether you’re a coach or a parent, you’ll gain key information to best support your young athlete!

HIGHLIGHTS

00:00:00 Youth development: long-term process over short-term success.

00:04:00 How did you step into your current appointment?

00:11:35 How to build culture + relationships in a new position.

00:21:00 Building team culture then versus now.

00:28:50 How do you build trust with your athletes?

00:33:05 Reframing the “more is better” mentality in youth hockey.

00:45:45 The common pitfalls of coaching youth hockey.

00:52:30 How do you teach + train for long-term success?

00:59:45 The most consistent way to get results.

01:05:20 How can we make youth hockey better?

01:10:00 What advice would you give to young coaches?