Practice Planning

The effectiveness of a good practice plan is one of the top differences between good and great teams. We often think that more is best, but the quality is what matters above all. We are here to help; we do not expect you to do this alone. Our program is stronger when all of our teams, coaches, and players are moving together in a similar direction. The BAHL centers its practice philosophy around six core principles, and usually in the order shown below. Athletes often focus too much on things like stick handling and shooting, but when it comes to game time, they can't skate and move up the ice, so they never get a chance to shoot, making all that work seem pointless.

"The day you hear someone call you 'coach' is the day you have made a difference in someone's life." — Mike Babcock

"You find that you have peace of mind and can enjoy yourself, get more sleep, and rest when you know that it was a one hundred percent effort that you gave – win or lose." — Gordie Howe

“It’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts; it’s what you put into the practice.” – Eric Lindros

"Hockey is a unique sport in the sense that you need each and every guy helping each other and pulling in the same direction to be successful." — Wayne Gretzky