2: FUNdamentals Stage (Play to Learn, 6U & 8U)
The objective of this stage is to continue to develop fundamental movement skills, general athleticism, and begin to learn and acquire basic hockey skills (skating, puck control, passing and receiving, shooting, body contact, and goaltending). This is the time when a foundation is laid for future acquisition of more advanced movement abilities and hockey skills. A basic understanding of the game is also introduced, including rules and team concepts.
FUNdamentals (Play to Learn, 6U & 8U)
Ages 6-8 females
Ages 6-9 males
USA Hockey Programs
USA Hockey member organizations offer 8 & Under, and 6 & Under programs as well as a
Learn to Play program for first-year participants.
Objective
Continue to develop fundamental movement skills, general athleticism, and begin to learn and
acquire basic hockey skills (skating, puck control, passing and receiving, shooting, body
contact, and goaltending). This is the time when a foundation is laid for future acquisition of
more advanced movement abilities and hockey skills. A basic understanding of the game is also
introduced, including rules and team concepts.
General Description of the FUNdamental stage
- This is the stage where children continue to learn fundamental movement skills
- The skills that children acquire during this stage will benefit them when they engage in
any activity or sport, regardless of their level of participation - Basic sport skill development in this stage should provide a combination of structured
and unstructured play in a positive, FUN and social environment
USA Hockey’s key focus for this stage - Help ensure our participants are becoming physically literate and developing general
athleticism - Participants (kids & families) have fun, enjoy learning hockey and develop an interest for
the game (keep kids & families in the game) - Encourage participation in a variety of sports to help our children maximize their ability to
reach their athletic potential - Develop on-ice balance and coordination
- A focus on basic puck control
Components of Athlete Development: USA Hockey FUNdamental Stage
Technical Development
Skating - Expose kids to a variety of on- ice movements that allow children to explore the
environment though games and fun activities
Basic Puck Control - Learning to handle the puck confidently with their head up and perceiving their
surroundings are a major focus
Tactical Skills - Participants should engage in deliberate play and should learn basic decision-making
skills through activity games like tag and small-area hockey games - Competition at the puck – one-on-one battles and loose puck races for body positioning
- Participants should learn basic appropriate behavior within a team setting, such as how
to support others and appropriate behavior in a locker room setting
Physical Development - Children ages 6 and above should be provided opportunities and encouragement to
participate in physical activities that are appropriate for their age, that are enjoyable, and
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that offer variety. This should include 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical
activity daily. Furthermore, muscle- and bone-strengthening physical activity on at least 3
days a week. As part of their 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity, children and
adolescents should include muscle strengthening. - Introduce fundamental movement skills and general athleticism through play and varying
environments - Encourage participation in a wide range of sports
o Athletics, gymnastics, swimming; ambidextrous sports for developing movement
o Soccer, hockey, basketball, tennis, baseball, lacrosse for developing catching,
passing, kicking, striking
o Biking, skiing, dancing for developing speed, balance and coordination - Bilateral balance must be well developed in this stage though sliding, skating and gliding
sports (skating, rollerblading, two-ski water skiing, alpine and cross country skiing) - Off-ice training activities that provide purposeful games or activities and focused on
fundamental movement skills. In addition, hockey skills can also be incorporated in off-ice
stations (e.g., stickhandling). - Include strength training using the child’s own body weight including squat, lunge, hinge,
pushups, pullups, and med ball rotations - Emphasize the overall development of the athlete’s physical capacities, fundamental
movement and all aspects of athleticism; strength, power, speed, agility, balance,
coordination and endurance. - Movement in 3 planes of balance (linear, lateral, spatial & aerial)
- Develop speed, power and endurance using activity-based games and small-area hockey
games – cross-ice games
Locomotor Skills Stability Skills Manipulative Skills
Walking
Running
Hopping
Skipping
Bounding
Leaping
Jumping
Rolling
Galloping
Sliding
Dodging
Balancing
Landing
Turning
Twisting
Bending
Stretching
Extending
Flexing
Hanging
Bracing
Rotation
Throwing
Catching
Striking
Kicking
Dribbling
Bouncing
Pushing
Pulling
Carrying
Trapping
Collecting
Psychological Development - Participants should learn how to listen and follow simple instructions
- Develop reasoning skills through various sports and activities
- Provide opportunities for activities that:
o Are FUN, positive and motivating
o Are exploratory and allow for self-discovery
o Build confidence through a high rate of success
o Promote individual and group participation
o Introduce participants to simple rules and sport ethics (fair play) - Ensure that games focus on participation
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Ancillary Skills - Participation in other sport activities (gymnastics, public skating, alpine skiing, soccer,
lacrosse, swimming) - Participants, parents and support persons should be well informed about proper
equipment for practice (equipment sizing, how to dress for training, water bottle for
hydration, skate sharpening). Children should be able to dress themselves by the time
they move into the 10 & Under age category.
Lifestyle - Key Concepts:
o Fun
o Safety
o Social interaction
o Creating a love of all sporting activities
o Positive introduction to hockey - Participate in hockey 2 to 3 times per week as long as there is participation in other sports
or physical activities 4 to 6 times per week to help insure overall physical health - Because girls tend to be less active than boys, ensure that activities are gender neutral
and inclusive so that active living is equally valued and promoted for all - Ensure that activities revolve around the school year and are enhanced by multi-sports
though the spring, summer and winter holidays - Healthy physical activity, eating and sleep habits should be promoted to parents and
caregivers
Monitoring - It is helpful to keep track of annual height measurements to provide a baseline for future
growth - Assessment of fitness and athleticism for talent identification and selection of potentially
‘elite’ young players is highly discouraged
Training and Competitive Environment
At this stage it is important to create a fun and engaging environment where participants want to
play hockey. They need to enjoy being at the rink and learning. Play lots of fun and challenging
games. Lessons must be varied; interesting and fun so participants want to come back to the
rink. End each session with a game, with the goal of having everyone leave the ice with a smile
on their face. It is important to build interest in our sport and to provide self-confidence and the
enjoyment of performing while increasing the competency in fundamental movement skills and
basic hockey skills. Keep in mind that early specialization in a late specialization sport such as
hockey will not lead to greater performance later in life.
8 & Under
Training/Competition Ratio No formal competition
Training Volume Formal hockey sessions two times per week.
Session length no longer than 60 minutes in the Learn to Play
Program.
A third session at the 8 & Under level can be held for an
informal competition – cross ice/half-ice games.
Total # of sessions 50-60
Practices 50-60 practices (2 – 3 ice touches per week)
Competitions No formal competition (16-20 cross-ice/half-ice games)
Training Year 4 months/year (20 weeks per season)
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Team Composition Maximum of 9-13 skaters – with no specialized, full-time goalie.
The goaltender position is rotated among team members.
Position sampling is highly encouraged.
Team Structure All players should be grouped throughout this age category as:
o Advanced
o Intermediate
o Beginner & Less Skilled
Teams are divided into groups of equal abilities for halfice/cross-ice competition purposes. Players should be grouped
with the overall focus on evenly distributing the player ability
pool across all teams.
Competition format All competitions are held cross-ice/half-ice with the focus on
skill development not outcomes. At 8 & Under, the occasional
jamboree can be held as a third ice touch for the week.
Overall activity ratios 25% hockey, 75% other sports and activities including dryland
to promote fundamental movement skills
Complementary Sports Players are highly encouraged to participate in several sports
and activities
Quality Coaching
General Considerations
- Create a positive, fun and safe environment for the players
- Encourage active participation by all players
- Be clear and precise in communication and use terminology appropriate for the age
- Limit the amount of technical or tactical information to what is appropriate for the age
- Ensure that the ice surface size is in proportion to the age – cross-ice games
- Ensure that the players have the appropriate equipment when on the ice under your
supervision - Have an organized plan for each ice session
- Provide some opportunities that guarantee success for all participants
- Become knowledgeable with regard to the physical and mental capacities, as well as the
LTAD model for the age category group - Encourage all forms of creativity
- Encourage parents and players to explore a wide range of other sports to assist in their
long-term hockey development - Include planned coordination exercises within training sessions both on and off ice
Coach and Instructor Recommendations - Coaches must all have the appropriate level of USA Hockey Coaching Education
Program (CEP) certification and completed the following:
o On-line coaching module for the age category being coached
o Background check
o Completed the United States Center for Safe Sport online program
o Current year membership registration with USA Hockey - Coaches need a sound knowledge of child growth and development principles for this
age group; having an understanding of how to develop fundamental movement skills and
basic hockey skills is also a key component for coaches at this stage
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Equipment
Proper sizing and fit of all equipment is essential for player safety and playing effectiveness - Skates – must fit properly; used are fine
- Helmet and Mask
- Gloves
- Wooden Stick
- Shin Pads
- Elbow Pads
- Undergarment layers
- Protective Cup
- Hockey socks or sweat pants
- Garter belt or shorts with velcro to hold-up socks
- Hockey Pants
- Shoulder Pads – small & light weight
- Jersey
6U/8U: Unlocking Athleticism
06/12/2024, 3:00pm MDT
By Michael Rand
In his youth, Scott Paluch remembers playing all sorts of sports. It wasn’t really a question of whether he would or not, says Paluch, now a player development director for USA Hockey.
“When I was growing up, it was just a part of what we did,” Paluch says. “You went from one sport to another.”
Being a well-rounded athlete came naturally, and it helped Paluch to a very successful college hockey career at Bowling Green.
What was natural in previous generations is still very much beneficial for modern hockey players. The message for athletes, particularly the youngest ones, to be well-rounded athletes – ideally with some of their play coming in unstructured environments – comes loud and clear from USA Hockey.
NEED TO BE INTENTIONAL
The difference these days, at least sometimes, is that what used to just be part of what kids did all the time now requires a level of intentionality.
For parents of 6U and 8U players who might be tempted to leave their kids on the ice year-round to focus on hockey, knowing that in fact it is beneficial to switch things up can be both a surprise and a welcome relief.
“There is so much value, both physically and societally, to playing different sports,” Paluch says. “You learn other athletic endeavors, you learn different movements, you use different muscles, you meet different people. You have different coaches.”
BENEFITS ARE NUMEROUS
Some of the benefit is in the transfer of skills from sport to sport. But the greater athletic benefit is a general building of the core elements of balance, agility and coordination.
“The kids that can throw, strike, run, have body control, good confidence in themselves athletically, physical literacy, all of those things are important,” says Joe Bonnett, who like Paluch is a player development director for USA Hockey. “There’s no doubt in our minds at USA Hockey that well-rounded athletes tend to be better hockey players as they get older.”
USA Hockey’s push for well-rounded athletes is not new, but it is a message that needs consistent reinforcement – especially as the traditional hockey season winds down.
“This has been out there and the numbers do bear it out, being a multi-sport athlete, especially at younger ages, the value that’s there,” Paluch says. “It’s everything from injury prevention to just understanding, getting different movements, and more strength within your body.”
FREE PLAY
What might get less publicity but is also important is the idea of unstructured play for young kids. Free play combined with the exploration of multiple sports is a winning combination for athletes.
“There’s great value for young kids that can manage a recreational environment themselves, being able to put together a game that actually works for them,” Paluch says. “It’s competitive and fun to be finding ways to be successful in that environment. And there’s a sense of welcoming different players in. I think there’s value and a lot of life skills that go into that.”
Adults often lament that kids don’t have enough free play these days. There is a lot of chatter and research about screens taking over times that might have been used for outdoor neighborhood games. And there is a sense that when kids are active, adults have a tendency to structure their play more than is needed.
With that, a little intentionality goes a long way – as does the recognition that kids are capable of managing their own experiences, and in fact are still doing so in 2024.
“I think that free play environment does still exist. I know a lot of times we always want to say, well, we don’t think that’s still happening, but it is still out there,” Paluch says. “I do agree that we certainly have a lot more structured environments than we may have had 20 or 30 years ago. But I do think there are people out there that recognize that there is value in allowing young athletes in a safe environment to manage their own recreational play.”
