TALK EARLY. HELP YOUR TEAM.™ Use Your Voice is a Hockey communication skill. Coach Jane™ teaches girls to call for the puck, warn teammates about pressure, and give useful information before the play gets crowded.
COACH JANE™ BY AGE
U5-U7 • U8-U10 • U11-U14 • U15-U18 • Junior
U5-U7 + U8-U10 — Use Simple Words
Use short calls such as “time,” “man on,” “middle,” or a teammate’s name. Speak early enough to help before the puck arrives.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
What makes communication useful?
U11-U14 — Communicate Before the Pass
Scan the ice and talk before your teammate receives the puck. Tell her where pressure is coming from or where the next option is.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
When should you communicate?
U15-U18 + Junior — Communicate the Next Play
Use your voice to organize support, switches, coverage, and puck movement. Strong communication should make the whole unit faster, not louder.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
What should advanced communication do?
Why Use Your Voice Matters
A Player can only see part of the rink at one time. Teammates can add information from different angles. Therefore, early communication can reduce turnovers and help the Team play faster.
For additional age-appropriate skill and practice ideas, review USA Hockey Training & Practice Materials. Then bring one communication cue into your next practice.
Girls Hockey Focus
The skating and passing fundamentals do not change because the Players are girls. However, Coach Jane™ wants every girl to become comfortable giving useful information on the ice. Leadership is a skill that can be practiced, just like passing or shooting.
Make the Message Useful
Do not talk simply to make noise. Use a teammate’s name, identify pressure, or point out the next option. For example, “time” tells a Player she has space, while “man on” tells her pressure is arriving.
5 Smart Ways to Use Your Voice in Hockey
Use Your Voice to give teammates information they can act on. Good Hockey communication is not about talking constantly. It is about saying the right thing early enough to help the next decision.
1. Talk Before the Puck Arrives
A teammate can use information before receiving the puck. A warning after pressure arrives is usually too late. Call early enough to change the next play.
2. Keep the Message Short
Useful calls such as “time,” “man on,” “middle,” or a teammate’s name work because they are fast. Long instructions rarely fit a game moving at full speed.
3. Communicate Away From the Puck
Players without the puck can see different parts of the rink. Use Your Voice to identify pressure, open ice, support, or coverage that the puck carrier may not see.
4. Make Communication a Leadership Skill
Leadership is not reserved for captains. Every Player can help the Team become clearer and faster by sharing useful information respectfully and consistently.
5. Match the Message to the Situation
Do not yell the same cue on every play. Read what your teammate needs to know. Sometimes the best information is pressure. Sometimes it is time. Sometimes it is where support is available.
Practice Using Your Voice
Build communication into normal drills instead of creating a separate talking drill. Require Players to call a teammate’s name before a pass, identify pressure during small-area games, or communicate coverage during transition.
Keep building the skill with Protect the Puck With Body Position and Look Before You Pass. For additional development resources, visit USA Hockey training materials.
Coach Jane’s Takeaway
Useful communication makes everyone faster. TALK EARLY. HELP YOUR TEAM.™
Keep Learning With Coach Jane
Continue with Protect the Puck With Body Position and Play Through Contact With Control. Each lesson gives girls one skill to try at their next practice.
Coach Jane™ 10-Second Hockey Lesson™
Presenter script: “Hi, Coach Jane here. Help your Team: call your teammate’s name, then share one useful word before the puck arrives. Talk early. Help your Team.”
TALK EARLY. HELP YOUR TEAM.™
ONE LESSON. ONE INSTRUCTION. ONE TAKEAWAY.™
Part of Coach Jane™ 10-Second Hockey Lessons™. Presented by The Hockey Resource™.
