On Monday, October 9, 2023, the U16 national team will start their next activity. The young talent team led by U16 national coach Robin Beckers is traveling to a 2-nation tournament in Vierumäki, Finland. In addition to various training sessions, the team plays three international matches against the hosts from Finland. The games against the Finnish selection take place on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Robin Beckers: “In Finland we will have some new players in the squad as we want as many of our players as possible to test and play at international level. Our goal is to further develop our U16 national team, especially with regard to good habits. Technically and tactically we will continue to improve our defensive work, because that will be extremely important against the Finnish national teams. In terms of long-term development, these are exactly the areas in which we want to enable our players to make good decisions, which will later be of essential importance in the higher U-teams.”
"As an outsider you only see what happens on the ice or on the boards, but the reality is different.”
Robin Beckers has been the national coach of the U1 national team since May 2023, 16 - he has now completed two training sessions including three international matches. The 32-year-old previously looked after the players DEB-Young talent teams already in the role of assistant coach. Robin Beckers talks about his start as head coach and gives insights into his everyday work.
Let's look back again - you've completed your first training sessions in your new position as head coach, what's your conclusion?
Robin Beckers: “I always try to do everything as perfectly as possible and that’s why I was a little nervous the first time I did it. But that went over relatively quickly and I settled in well. Especially with my coaching team it works really well and we support each other. I also get a lot of feedback from DEB-Sports director Christian Künast, that also helped me a lot to find my way into my new job. So overall it got off to a really good start, including with the team and the content that we want to convey to the players. Of course, it also helps me that I've been there as an assistant coach for two years and already know most of the processes. My second measure then went more smoothly.”
What are the advantages of already knowing your working environment from your time as an assistant coach?
Robin Beckers: “It is a great advantage that I already know the procedures and I know roughly what to expect as U16 national coach. I also know what is required in the areas of training, tactics and technology. As an outsider, you only see what happens on the ice or on the boards, but the reality is different - we sometimes sit until midnight and edit game scenes or talk about what we can do better or what the players can improve. We also have meetings with the players every now and then to be prepared for anything.”
What things would you like to keep and what would you like to do differently in the future?
Robin Beckers: “In the future, we want to work even more individually with the individual players, including with video support – during the measures but also beyond them. We will also be interacting more with club coaches to share what we have developed with the U16 national team. We all want to speak a consistent language here to make the players better overall.”
What is special about working with such young players and what do you have to take into account?
Robin Beckers: "It is the threshold from youth ice hockey to adult ice hockey, where a lot of things become more tactical and the players have to learn to play more maturely and not be so "playful". Some things on the ice have to be easy to solve and not complicated or particularly beautiful - that is our challenge for the next season. All athletes are at a good level in terms of playing and technique, but they have to become even smarter tactically and start playing a bit more straightforwardly. But that is also a fine line, because of course we don't want to take away any player's individuality."
What do you mainly want to convey to your U16 players and give them for their sporting future?
Robin Beckers: “What we want, of course, is to further develop the players’ personalities. To create foundations that are important not only here, but throughout life. We already have a lot about ours DEB-Values, but also about respect and discipline, not only in relation to the sport, but also to the bigger picture.
This also includes behaving sensibly both on and off the ice. This has always been an important task for me to prepare for. Of course, working here is different than in a club because they are all guys who really have the potential to play high-class ice hockey. Many people may already be focusing on their sporting career, but nevertheless I think it is important that every player is prepared for life in general.”
What does your everyday working life look like outside of measures and international matches?
Robin Beckers: “When I'm in the office, I work on all the topics that were on the agenda in previous measures. I try to talk to each player individually afterwards. In addition, I contact the respective club trainers to let you know what we have been working on and what goals we are pursuing. Transparency is essential here so that everyone is on the same page. Of course, I also analyze our international matches afterwards and see what we need to do better next time. A large part of my current work is my club tour. I visit all the clubs where current or potential national players are trained. In the teams, I speak to the players themselves as well as to the coaches and supervisors.”
How does the exchange with others work? DEB-National coaches?
Robin Beckers: “I talk to our U20 national coach Tobias Abstreiter on the phone every week. I also exchanged ideas with Philipp Kipp, the U17 fee trainer, after the last event and Harold Kreis even visited us at our first event in Füssen. He supported the team and me with lots of tips, gave us valuable feedback and was even on the ice with us. So the exchange is really very good and that is something that I find extremely positive because then we can of course support each other very well and help each other move forward.”