The Deutscher Eishockey-Bund continues to push forward with the establishment of a uniform philosophy and game identity even in times of the corona pandemic, but at the same time it also takes great consideration of the enormous difficulties for many clubs. After the introduction of the online framework training concept (RTK) in the spring, a DEB-Training day for the young talent classes U15 and U17 started - with the aim of catching up with the top nations in areas such as tackling and game structure.
When it comes to the requirements for the clubs in DEBstar program, the leading ice hockey association reacted to the current circumstances and has frozen the awarding of points for the current season, as various criteria cannot be met to the extent actually specified. This means that the young talent clubs will keep the stars they achieved in the 2019/2020 season. The prerequisite for this is that all criteria that are not influenced by the pandemic are met, as in the previous year. If a club improves compared to last season despite the Corona conditions, this will be taken into account.
The DEB maintains close contact with the clubs through Ernst Höfner, the head coach responsible for talent and club support, and his team. In the past few months, since the start of the season, in addition to regular online discussions, between 100 and 120 club visits have been made across Germany, with an almost seamless exchange of information. In addition, there have been repeated discussions with the state coaches in order to be up to date with regard to the respective squad development and player scouting. "Especially in these challenging times, it is extremely important not to stand still, to take new paths, to act digitally and at the same time to take into account the current circumstances in young talent training," says DEB-President Franz Reindl.
The DEB-Training day should also lead to a uniform language and communication between the federal, state and club coaches. Training content between the teams of the clubs, the regional associations and the national teams should be standardized. The content was created and developed by the national trainers and is available on the DEB-Knowledge platform at DEB-Training day visible. It should be once a week DEB-Training day can be integrated into the process. “The trainers have five different training plans available for each age group, and many of the exercises are illustrated with videos. We have identified some areas of improvement in these age groups and we are addressing them. We are seeing the introduction of one DEB-Training days as a further, essential development step in our training concept,” says U16 national coach Thomas Schädler.
Furthermore, he has DEB A cooperation with the platform “The Coaches Site” (TCS), a North American portal for the further education and training of ice hockey coaches, has been concluded for one year until November 2021. Part of the agreement includes 300 accesses to the platform for coaches in Germany, which gives them the opportunity to develop further and, for example, to participate in the experiences of NHL head coaches. Karl Schwarzenbrunner, national coach for science and training, was also a guest on the “Glass&Out” podcast, which is part of “The Coaching Site” portal.
Photos: City-Press