RESET. RECOVER. KEEP PLAYING.™ Keep Playing after a mistake instead of allowing one error to control the rest of the shift. Coach Jane™ teaches girls to reset quickly and find the next useful action.
Keep Playing After the Error
Keep Playing because the next useful action can arrive immediately. Therefore, recovery habits help Players move from frustration back into the game.
Coach Jane™ 10-Second Hockey Lesson™
Presenter script: “Hi, Coach Jane here. Made a mistake? Reset, recover your position, and make the next play. One mistake does not need to become two. Keep playing.”
Turn the Mistake Into the Next Action
A turnover, missed pass, or lost battle can pull a Player’s attention backward. Practice a simple reset cue: recognize the mistake, find your responsibility, and rejoin the play.
Learning still matters. Repeated mistakes should be reviewed with the Coach later. During the shift, however, the next useful action usually matters more than replaying the last error in your head.
Coach Jane™ by Age
U5–U7 • U8–U10 • U11–U14 • U15–U18 • Junior
U5–U7 + U8–U10 — Find the Next Job
After a mistake, look for the puck, your position, or the Player you should support next.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
What should you do after a mistake?
U11–U14 — Reset Quickly
Use a short cue such as “next play” and return your attention to your current responsibility.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
What should a reset cue do?
U15–U18 + Junior — Learn Later, Compete Now
Recover immediately during the shift, then review recurring mistakes with your Coach when there is time to learn from them.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
When should you analyze a repeated mistake in detail?
5 Smart Ways to Keep Playing After a Mistake
Keep Playing after a mistake because the next useful action may arrive immediately. One bad pass, missed assignment, or lost puck should not control the rest of the shift.
1. Find the Next Job
Instead of replaying the error in your head, identify what the Team needs now. That may be a backcheck, support route, puck battle, or defensive assignment.
2. Use a Short Reset Cue
A simple phrase such as “next play” can help a Player move attention away from the mistake and back to the game.
3. Make One Simple, Useful Play
Keep Playing by doing something productive quickly. A safe pass, strong backcheck, or good line change can restore rhythm and confidence.
4. Do Not Let Frustration Create Another Mistake
Anger and embarrassment can lead to reckless decisions. Recover emotionally as well as physically so one mistake does not become two.
5. Learn Later, Compete Now
There is a time to review what happened, but it is usually not while the play is still moving. Finish the shift first. Learn from the mistake afterward.
Practice the Reset Habit
During drills and scrimmages, Coaches can praise the response after a mistake, not just the perfect execution before it. Ask Players to identify their next job immediately when something goes wrong.
Continue with Backcheck Through the Middle and Use Your Voice on the Ice. For more player-development resources, visit USA Hockey training materials.
Coach Jane’s Takeaway
Keep the lesson from the mistake, but do not give the mistake the next shift too.
RESET. RECOVER. KEEP PLAYING.™
Keep Learning With Coach Jane
Take this lesson to your next practice, then continue with Backcheck Through the Middle and Use Your Voice on the Ice.
ONE LESSON. ONE INSTRUCTION. ONE TAKEAWAY.™
Part of Coach Jane™ 10-Second Hockey Lessons™. Presented by The Hockey Resource™.
