A Hat Trick of Hockey Educational Opportunities

By Jordan Mann, SFS, HS1, HS2, HS3, HS4 | PSA Hockey Skating Committee Chair

Over the last decade there has been a seismic shift in the game of hockey. The speed and skill at all levels has risen exponentially, and the demand for “power skating” coaches amongst hockey players has grown right along with it. More and more frequently, individuals and teams are turning to figure skating coaches to assist in teaching skating skills to aspiring NHLers. Whether you are currently working with hockey players, looking to start getting into the power skating world, or just trying to expand your coaching perspective, we have something available for you.

The PSA Hockey Skating committee is made up of four active coaches from across the country. Tara Lane (CO), Paul Paprocki (MN), Donna Helgenberg (PA), and myself, Jordan Mann (IL). We are committed to assisting our fellow PSA members to become comfortable and effective hockey coaches.

“... we are thrilled to announce three new initiatives to keep our hockey coaches engaged!”

The committee’s Hockey Skating certificates are a series of four manuals and exams, increasing progressively from hockey equipment basics to elite athlete development and building a coaching brand. This certification progression is designed to be similar to the Registered, Certified, Senior, and Master rating designations you are used to seeing from the PSA. Hockey Skating 1 and 2 are both currently available online, and have been passed by dozens of coaches in the past few years. Now, we are thrilled to announce three new initiatives to keep our hockey coaches engaged!

Hockey Skating 3 Certificate Online

This certificate, traditionally offered in-person at conferences, will now be joining Hockey Skating 1 and Hockey Skating 2 as a course that can be done at any time, from anywhere. With the new Summit format staying virtual, this provides a great opportunity to further your education and dive a little deeper into the sport. The Hockey Skating 3 course sheds light on more details of the game and more advanced skating concepts than Hockey 1 and 2.

Mini-Modules

The Hockey Skating Committee will roll out a series of “mini-modules” devoted to specific skills and situations. These short video presentations will each have a narrow focus. Examples include “Skating for Defensemen” and “Quick Start Mechanics”. These will be quick, inexpensive, and exceptionally useful for coaches who want to get more information about certain topics.

Virtual Hockey Skating 4

We are looking to offer virtual Hockey Skating 4 courses by early 2022. This program will consist of both webinars and an exam. For coaches interested in the content but not the completion certificate, there will be an option to purchase the webinars only at a discounted rate. Hockey Skating 4 addresses the elite level player, longterm coaching, as well as the business side of building a brand.

Be on the lookout for further communications from our committee and announcements about the release dates of these three new endeavors. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to any of us if you’d like to discuss how the committee can help our fellow PSA members. Stay well!

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