Write the book

I was playing pick up hockey the other day. We call it pick up, pay $5 bucks and there we have it. There was a guy flying around the ice smooth as silk. The puck made no sound against his stick as he cupped and dragged it all the time spinning and shifting always toward the goal. As he approached defenders he shifted down lower and seemed to get even smoother as he hit another gear.

One of the guys next to me said, "that guy plays like a ranger, don't he?" Meaning he plays like someone from the Iron Range where he grew up on pick up rather than instructional style youth hockey, his skating, puck handling was his own, smoother, cleaner more efficient, more skillful, and somehow suited just for him. A player like that would bedevil anyone, he was not playing hockey taught from the book, he was writing the book. I thought the comment nailed him, and what better compliment can we give to someone.

How does pick up and free play develop exactly? How does it teach the highest skill levels? How do we replicate it so that kids in soccer, hockey and all sports experience that joy?

Is instruction and drills even worth it at all? How exactly did this guy get to skate so well?

In the next few weeks I want to look closely at the learning behind pick up. How does it work, what are the essential and non essential ingredients? Is it relevant today? Can kids today find that joy? How do we get kids to write their own book? Let's see...