THE FIVE: WORST CHARACTERISTICS IN A JUNIOR HOCKEY COACH So, what are some bad coach characteristics?

I was very fortunate in my life that I never had any bad coaches. Sure, I had coaches that weren’t my favorite, but I believe they all had my best interest at heart. Most hockey players aren’t so lucky. If you ask a kid about some of their least favorite coaches, a couple of names usually come to mind.

One potential indicator of a bad coach is someone who prefers giving negative over positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement isn’t the end of the world but it’s more effective with older players who can take constructive criticism and apply it to themselves.

This type of reinforcement, however, is much less useful with younger players who take most things at face value. For the younger age groups, coaches should build players up instead of breaking them down.

They should highlight what players do correctly and build upon those positives. Be wary of bad coaches who are overly aggressive with young players. After safety, the priority of coaches should be to create an environment where players can excel and develop.

Players will continue to improve the more they play. While coaches who employ negative reinforcement are trying to help their players improve, they’re also likely taking the fun out of the game for many of them.

That’s the last thing that you want coaches to do for junior level players who are getting their first opportunity to really concentrate on their game without the distractions of school, family, and hometown drama.

Negative reinforcement may encourage some players to better themselves, but it’s more likely to have the opposite effect on most of the team. With all of that said, coaches shouldn’t be afraid to help players improve their abilities by talking with them.

Coaches should do this calmly and avoid yelling at their players. Yelling in and of itself isn’t bad, but it shouldn’t be directed at players.

Coaches should utilize yelling so someone or the entire team can hear them, not to berate players. Berating others can make coaches appear less credible in the eyes of their players and lead to players getting down on themselves.

Coaches shouldn’t call players out in front of the rest of the team. While it doesn’t necessarily earn coaches the title of being a bad coach, coaches should try not to embarrass players in front of the rest of the team. Good coaches can get their points across by pulling players aside and talking to them in private.

The rest of the team will understand what’s going on and respect the coach for not making it a public matter. The more coaches show compassion and respect for their players, the more likely they’re to receive it. Watch out for coaches that like to belittle or humiliate their players.

An indicator of a bad coach is one with a drill sergeant mentality. These coaches are easy to recognize as they like to shout out orders and demand everything is done their way.

Situations such as this put a lot of pressure on players and make them afraid to make mistakes. This is counterproductive though, as players need to make mistakes to get better in any facet of life.

Working through the adversity that comes with losing a big game is what makes players better. Not winning a game by ten goals against a less-skilled team.

These types of bad coaches are less receptive to advice or constructive criticism than your average coach. The reasoning behind this is that they believe they already have all the answers.

This could manifest itself in the coach messing with player mechanics or giving poor instruction. After the season comes to an end, you may find that the coach did more harm than good.

Good coaches prepare players the best they can for games but realize that they can’t help their players become perfect in all aspects of the game. This is the approach you should look for in coaches.

These coaches believe players should have fun and naturally get better throughout the season, while not holding players to impossible to reach standards.

A bad coach makes promises they can’t keep. It doesn’t look good, and it hurts their credibility with players. If a coach tells a player he’s going to be a top-six forward or lead the power-play in the upcoming game, he needs to keep his word and utilize the player like he said he would.

Not doing so will lead to a disappointed player who’s likely going to think he did something wrong or that the coach’s word doesn’t account for much.

Try to think about it from the player’s perspective. They were looking forward to playing more or playing in a certain situation. To have that pulled away from them at the last moment can be tough.

From time-to-time, there might be a legitimate reason for coaches to make a last-minute change but they should talk with the player(s) in question. Coaches should explain their decision and what they plan on doing to rectify the situation going forward.

Don’t believe everything a prospective coach has to say. Promising playing time is one thing but promising that a player is going to earn a scholarship because of their coaching is a whole different game.

I prefer taking a more relaxed approach to coaching as I believe it offers a better opportunity to bond with players and create fun and inviting environments.

With that said, coaches being too casual is a thing. When coaches start making it a routine to show up late for everything, forget necessary items needed for practice or don’t’ even attend schedule practices for that matter, there's a problem.

We should be thankful for all of those who coach, but those who do need to realize the time commitment they’re agreeing to.

Coaches need to realize the time commitment involved with coaching and have a general game plan for practices and games. Just winging it isn’t a viable option and could lead to others thinking of you as a bad coach.