Brantford Minor Hockey Association Announces Improvements to its Grass Roots Hockey Program
To:
Parents – Timbit and Tyke Hockey
Players
Coaches – Timbit and Tyke Hockey Programs
Dear
Parent(s) and Coaches,
The Brantford Minor Hockey Association is excited to announce continued improvements to its developmental hockey program for its youngest hockey participants, the Timbits and Tykes.
The cornerstone changes of the new re-structured program are as follows:
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Provide smaller playing surfaces better matched to the size of our younger players.
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Promote skill development, a positive experience and fun through a strengthened focus on fundamentals.
This approach is strongly supported by both Hockey Canada and Hockey USA with more minor hockey associations than not now using dividers for their younger players and programs. Please see the articles attached and comments from key opinion leaders on this approach.
Matching our Youngest Players with Smaller Ice Surfaces:
The concept of small-ice hockey is simple. Our large Gretzky Center ice surfaces will now be reduced in size for games using rink dividers, thus giving our younger players an opportunity to play the game on a sheet of ice better suited to their size. Players in this program are small and therefore their rinks should be small.
Promoting Fun through a Fundamentals Focus:
In promoting fun through skills development, practices will now have an increased focus on age-specific skills development focused on fun, fitness and fundamentals. Practice and creative small ice games will focus on learning proper movement skills and providing increased time for skills development. Players will handle the puck more frequently and as a result have more fun.
This small-ice program helps young players develop their puck handling and playmaking skills because there are more opportunities to touch the puck. It also encourages them to make quicker decisions because they play in a smaller spaces.
BMHA Grass Roots Program:
During 2013-14, our Timbits were introduced to cross-ice play and increased practice to game
ratios (3 to 1). Last year’s changes were very favourably received by both our players and parents alike.
For the 2014-15 hockey season, our Tyke players will be introduced to a new half ice hockey program and increased practice to game ratios (3 to 1). Timbit practice to game ratios will be increased to 4 to 1, further enhancing movement skills, puck time and enjoyment.
The result is increased skill development, puck time and a 3 year progression to full ice play:
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Cross ice play for Timbits, 3 on 3 with no goalies
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Half ice play for Tykes, 4 on 4 with goalies
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Full ice play for Novices, 5 on 5 with goalies
Brantford Minor Hockey believes that these changes will both strengthen the skills development of its youngest participants, while increasing the enjoyment of the game for both its youngest players and their families.
Sincerely,
Development Committee
Brantford Minor Hockey Association