Slavomir Lener Edit
Thu, 11/4 7:41AM • 23:38
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
coaches, team, game, hockey, sports, players, spontaneous, parents, learning, philosophy, skate, role, play, seminars, dressing room, rules, people, soccer, kids, suddenly
SPEAKERS
Paul Barnett, Slavomir Lener
Paul Barnett 00:00
Good morning, Mr. Slawomir Atlanta. Welcome to our podcast. How are you today?
Slavomir Lener 00:04
I'm good morning, everyone. And obviously, New Day New Energy, sun is up again. So we are ready to do what we planned.
Paul Barnett 00:13
Could I start by just asking you where in the world you are today.
Slavomir Lener 00:17
Right now I'm in the office of the Czech Ice Hockey Association. And we are preparing actually the money for our yearly event, we call it what your ad hokey, which is, let's go and play hockey. So you have to rewrite it, we are focusing and aiming towards the parents actually, because the kids five, six years old, we need to convince the parents that this is the right sport for them to do.
Paul Barnett 00:41
I'm going to talk to you later on about your philosophy when it comes to coaching young people, because I know that you're very passionate about it. But I'd like to start by actually asking you about your experience because you've coached all over the world, Canada, America, Sweden, Germany and in Czech and these are the ones that I was only able to find on the internet. I'm sure there's others as well. But what do you think the great coaches do differently? Well,
Slavomir Lener 01:07
it's actually it's very interesting question different coaches, different countries, I would say the differences, their personality, and right away, you find out what is their philosophy, what is their, the way of thinking about the game itself, and especially the way of communication, I see the differences among the coaches in the communication part of it, not the way they are the drills, they around the way they coach, whether they are allowed. There's their quiet kind of coaches or whether they use the different teams strategies, the way they communicate the media, the way they communicate with other coaches, with the management. And when we talk about the youngest players, then the way they communicate with parents, that's beside the differences. And obviously, I've learned a lot when I was in North America for seven years as a coach in the NHL and four years in Sweden. So it's been a great lesson for me to observe the way that people communicate with others.[PB1]
Paul Barnett 02:08
So what defines great communication?
Slavomir Lener 02:11
Well, definition I'm not a big fan of definitions, because it's like an essence of what do you think but a great communicator is a great first of all, great, listen, he listens. Then he answers back. So good discussion, open mind coach, I would say not just for the players, but for the other coaches to talk about his open to discuss about everything, and he's eager to learn. Just like myself, I get my own opinions, so I can and kind of strict opinion. But I'm always open to listen some other experiences, and try to change maybe some part of my philosophy, but not everything.[PB2]
Paul Barnett 02:50
So in a sport like ice hockey, what is the role of the coach? And what's the main difference they can make to the team? Well, again,
Slavomir Lener 02:57
it's a general question to get coaches coaching, the kids are starting to play hockey, they're 567 years old, and we've got Junior coaches, and then we are pro coaches. So different roles. What is their role in common is to work with people found as soon as possible what they need, they need more just to have fun, which is the New START hockey, have fun, fun, you don't need to actually teach them how to skate right away. You teach them to roll the ball on the ice surface, you teach them how to how to move on, you can move on your knees, you don't definitely need to skate from the very beginning. So you just want them to have fun and feel comfortable. Obviously, when you come to the junior level, your goal is to convince them that they should start to work hard, they have to have their responsibility, they must have discipline, and they are right on the edge to make the pro level. And when it goes the NHL, you need to try to put all those so called star players are really greatest players on the planet to work for the team. Obviously, you teach them still you work on their skills on their skating and those habits, long term habits. But most of your major focus is to put them together.[PB3] Okay, we're
Paul Barnett 04:10
here in the Czech Republic where I live, you're probably most famous for your involvement with the 1998 team that won the gold medal. What was so special about that team
Slavomir Lener 04:21
is probably what I've said as the last point. This is the pro level and we were really fortunate that the team, as a coach, you can say anything you want. If the dressing room is not convinced about your strategy or your plan. It's never and the advantage for us as coaches was that the team they wanted they wanted to prove that they're the best players on the planet and they can beat anybody. Obviously we want to Nagano with the goal not to be I would say when we come back we will say we have done everything possible. We didn't have a goal tomato plants. No way. You just wanted to play a good hockey and you just wanted to convince me advantage that we are a good team, we get good scales and the whole management is to maximum for best results possible. We felt starting with goalie and defenseman and all the leaders upfront that the team wants to do it. And we were there as a coaches to support[PB4]
Paul Barnett 05:17
it, as that tournament went on, and your forming improved, and the team got more excited and the expectation started to grow. How did you keep the team focused and not let them get ahead of themselves?
Slavomir Lener 05:30
You know, you had a feeling a new blade that round robin, who kind of testing what you can achieve in this tournament. And even though it was the first game against Finland and last game in the group against Russia, that suddenly we knew that we can go really, really far and that time there was the atmosphere that I think that but I still remember that the players and the team went to the game, what a final and semi final. And the final end at how to not to lose the game, we went to the total, we were approaching the game, how to find a way to win the game. So it was almost like, we knew we're gonna win. We just didn't know how we're gonna win. We were so convinced that we can do it. Obviously, we were not in before the qualifier game, we were not thinking about the gold medal, or at all. But approaching the US game. We just tried to look how we can be us. Obviously, after the first period, it was really tough because they were just running us and they were just so much better. But since we start to score some goals, it was actually we were like on the way, it was just positive thinking. We are here to when[PB5]
Paul Barnett 06:41
you started coaching way back in the 1980s. I'm interested to know how your philosophy has changed over your coaching career.
Slavomir Lener 06:51
Well, I'm a more and more multi sport kind of quote and preaching that everybody should do some other sports, not just hockey. When I started to coach, it was natural for me because myself I've done a lot of other sports like soccer and volleyball and tennis and the A you name it all the individual sports and team sports I've played. And it was very common that every single player nine out of 10 played some two, three other sports. But my philosophy had to change because the last decade, a lot of players, they just play hockey. They start when they are 567 years old, and they're mums, they drive them to the arena, they carry their bags, they tie their escapes, and then they skate for 15 minutes. If it's not a good coach, then he's standing in the corners for 40 minutes. So all the kids does all day long for from 24 hours is maybe 15 minutes moving on the ice somehow. And that's why we are preaching right now to and we are strongly recommending all the or send the parents to let the kids through some other activities, other sports other games. Because the previous generations, there was been a lot of spontaneous movement. It was three times a week, one hour practice maybe one game Saturday or Sunday. But other than that 4567 hours a day, every day all those years and right goes in a routine skis and you name it hashtags have done everything on their own. I know we cannot get that back. It's not that anymore. So we are forcing our coaches to make sure that it's not just hockey before every practice, there should be some spontaneous game soccer, whatever basketball and after the game as well. We are talking to the parents, please let your kid go through some other events in your garden in your neighborhood try to organize some small groups of friends so the play soccer, mini soccer, mini basketball, whatever they can ride a bike. This is the biggest challenge for us right now in these days. And this is what really focus[PB6]
Paul Barnett 08:59
in 2010 you were appointed the union coach and you set up the famous 10 rules to advise youth coaches managers and players on how to improve Could you tell us about those 10 rules and how you set them up?
Slavomir Lener 09:10
While it was going on spontaneously as someone they asked me what would you think would be 10 things that chick hockey should do to get better? If someone would have asked me the next day probably would have been a little different than next year would be another three four or five things but this has been like really base with the check hockey should do and I don't really know right now I don't have it written in front of me but but it was like offensive minded. Try to work with your defense men don't play any defensive systems until years 1617 talking about the approach of the approaches say should work to get better study. So there's been 10 Different things which I felt and I still think it works right now and nine out of 10 It's still in place, but I could name you, then other areas where we should get better.
Paul Barnett 10:05
So when you speak to people that are coaching youth and young people, what do you say to them is the most important thing they need to focus on
Slavomir Lener 10:13
recently, it's definitely their skill level, improved players skill level, but I'm talking about the age of 1314. And then the managers and major juniors, that's really the focus our focus these days, at the same time, fun, we are missing the fun in our practices, and it's starting to play. It's so much coaching so much restrictions. So so many comments what the kid should do, what he cannot do, where he should skate, very cannot skate. And it comes down to who the kid should play with. We are teaching our coaches that let the kids decide who they want to play with, for example, they go to the same school, they sit next to each other, or their neighbors and their friends outside hockey, let them decide that they would love to play together, hockey as well. So from the very, very beginning, our coaches, they are too strict. They say, this is a Team A, this is a team B, this guy is playing forward, this guy's playing defenseman, and it's too much teaching too much Island skating around the violence. Too many comments, let them make their own decision. I think for our coaches, the biggest challenge is to organize the practice, which looks like it's not organized. It's like a mess. It's very spontaneous. So this is the biggest challenge to set up the spontaneous atmosphere.[PB7]
Paul Barnett 11:44
You've been involved with some adult teams that have experienced great success in Canada and Sweden, just to name a couple of places. And those teams had good culture, when you read about them, the culture was described as being very high performance orientated. So when you're trying to improve a team's culture, what do you think coaches should do?
Slavomir Lener 12:04
First, obviously, he must set up the rules, the culture, as a coach, as a head coach, you must have very clear mind what kind of atmosphere should be in the dressing room, if you talk about the positive atmosphere, it's not like having fun and a lot of smiles and a lot of high fives. Now these are actually strict rules. And then you can be positive. So everybody knows everybody's buying into those team roles. [PB8]
And it's the first thing that coach has to do first of all, is has to pick up the right coaches or himself, assistant coaches, video coaches and conditioning coaches, and then agree those 567 coaches, they have to agree that this is our philosophy. This is the way we want to coach this is the way we want to practice and play the games. Secondly, you have to convince the core of the team captains, Assistant captains and the experienced guys on the team, that this is the way you want to want to go and, and obviously, you have to discuss it with the team. These days, you must discuss with the players, what kind of game you expect, what kind of approach delivers the every single day you expect from the players. And if the team buys into it, you have the general rules for everyone. So you're tied up as a coach and as a player, and same time you get the same responsibility. So this is the way I think you should approach. And you can control the dressing room environment.[PB9]
Paul Barnett 13:30
Sometimes in the dressing room. Or in practice, you can have players that are disruptive that become a negative influence on the team. How have you managed to influence on or coach teams when that started to happen,
Slavomir Lener 13:43
it's in every team, in my personal experience in actually generalife. And the same role for me are in the dressing room, you get to 1/3 of the players who are really eager to learn work hard, they always do some extra you have to actually slow them down. Sometimes you have to kick them out of the weightlifting room and out of the extra ice sessions. Then you get like a middle group, which is kind of leaning towards hope this is zero as a coach, this is your role, make them lean into the first group be as close as possible to that first driving group I call them and they go to 1/3 of the players. Somewhere it's three players summer, it's five players, seven players, they are either they think that they're too good, or they can offer the team something else then you would expect from them or they are lazy. They just kind of they come in and out and they don't have that interest. And this is the group you're talking about. And among those, let's say five players, you get one really good player who's got great skills or he's a great goal scorer or whatever, be a great goaltender but he is totally out of the picture and out of the team's philosophy. And now obviously it's up to you as a head coach to talk to him, show him teach him discuss with him whether he wants to buy into the team roles or not. And this is a you must spent tons of hours, tons of videos with him, he positive show him, this is what you can do. This is what you can do better, you can do it more often. This stuff kind of turnovers, if it's over or passing it back the ball over and passing over instead of trying to shoot once in a while. And being a good guy in the dressing room. It's another kind of topic. So it's up to coach, it's up to the assistant coach, it's up to the team leaders at the core of the team to try to convince these guys that this is a team play. Obviously, it's different. When you have a team 10 to 14 years old, you have to rebuild another choice, you have to live with him all the way through maybe one year, maybe four years, because you have not enough players and you have to talk to the kids parents that the kids should change, or even the parents should change because they got a lot of troublemakers among the parents. And if they want to leave, let them leave. But it could hurt you because you might not put the team together different stories a pro level when you can talk to the player, as I said, and tried to convince him showing videos and spend hours and hours discussions with him. But if it doesn't work, we just send him off you trade him or you do not invite him to the national team anymore. It's a little harder.[PB10]
Paul Barnett 16:19
We've had other coaches talk about how parents have changed over 2030 years that mean coaching, and that parents are a lot more demanding and vocal involved with their children's sport. Is there any particular tips you've got on engaging with parents or even other stakeholders early when you're setting up the team to set those rules and those foundations,
Slavomir Lener 16:43
the sooner you set up those rules the better for you. Because instead of the rules once the train is already driving the way, it's all the stuff. So the best is we've talked about the team philosophy or team culture. As soon as you can, you must set up the culture. And then everybody has to buy into it. Or you must convince the player or the parent or the spend sponsor, that this is the way you're driving the machine. So yeah, you can do it. It's more work. It's more time to put together. But you have to set it up as early as possible.[PB11]
Paul Barnett 17:20
Many of the coaches in the Czech Republic talk about you as being a mentor, and especially with your work through the union and engaging with other coaches and helping everybody improve across all sports. I'm interested to know what are the main things are the coaches want to talk to you about?
Slavomir Lener 17:37
Well, I must say unfortunate, there's still a lot of coaches they want from you, parents from let's say, other coaches or other countries, but instead of being curious, what is the environment, about the mental skills about the nutrition, about the buying into the team philosophy, they are still asking about the systems, the way that we should play the game, about the different drills during Passing Drills, stuff like that goaltending drills. So it's actually still very, very big challenge, not just for myself, but for all the coaching staff in the trick is the association preach more about other stuff, then the stuff on the edge.
Paul Barnett 18:26
And what about yourself? I mean, what resources do you find useful to make sure that you keep learning and keep evolving as a coach? Well,
Slavomir Lener 18:35
obviously, every day I'm trying to learn and to study something and sometimes spontaneously, something comes to my computer or something you'll answer my desk, some written material, some book, but obviously I am following a lot of clinics, a lot of seminars, I'm regularly going to leaders London or Los Angeles every year where it's fantastic what you can learn in those three days you spend there. Just an example. There's always some themes, some topic of that, and for example, how to work under stress under pressure. It's amazing how many ideas you can use in hockey from other sports, even if it's soccer or American football or New Zealand sir rugby or, or some other team sports, and obviously from others like doctors and pilots and the military people. It's amazing to know how important is for example, when there is a operation of the heart. It's not just a major Doctor Who does it but it's how important is the tense in the role the dental assistant and I think it's very valuable in hockey too. If everything goes the right way, everything goes well. You're winning the game, you're one nothing to nothing 3142 You don't need to be on the bench. Even just one coach is enough. But when it doesn't go your way, then it's important that second assistant, the masseur or whoever is around the team. Same is with this surgery, if suddenly heart stops pumping, and it's something's wrong, then it's very important that everybody, all those 10 or 15 people around in that cell is involved and knows, everybody knows what to do. And everybody knows that if the plan A doesn't work, you have a Plan B, Plan B doesn't work, there's a plan C, D, whatever. So this is what I learned a lot. And same as the military in Americans galliston their experience to to listen to it. It's amazing an airport, those guys work in in the tower, how complicated everything could be, suddenly, some small aeroplane jumps right into their schedule, and then suddenly, everything is different. So you must be really, really prepared for all those situations.[PB12] So just an example of the leader seminars in clinics, those are the ones I love to visit. And then I share with my coaches, I always put the notes down. And then we have our clinics, our seminars, hacking seminars, and we try to spread it out to among our coaches, I mean, learning for me, it's it's constant.
Paul Barnett 21:13
Nowadays, I think it's fundamental for everyone to keep learning, I think it's a great lesson to show people that are younger as well, that you need to keep learning throughout your life,
Slavomir Lener 21:22
I jump back to, because I think no matter if you're 25, or if you're 65 years old, today, just before this, our talk our speech, we have a coach in Sparta Prague, who is 78 years old. And he just finished study the license b which is our second top level, and he was perfect. And he works with the kids. 5678 years old, those youngest one, he's jumping on the ice under the whatever it takes any. He's just like, he's physically and mentally, especially mentally. He's like, he's 30 years old, and still learning. So this is like a great example that the learning never never had all this some challenge in front of him
Paul Barnett 22:09
and serve him if I could ask you one last question. And it's about legacy. What legacy Do you want to leave as a coach,
Slavomir Lener 22:17
maybe I am maybe overdoing it now. But I think if you want to, if you want to do something which could eventually happen is to be as spontaneous as possible. Try to do everything from your heart, from your stomach from your inside. And you'll love it yourself, then do it. Don't play hockey, if you don't love it. Don't play hockey, if you don't like it, if you're a soccer player, and you have this hockey as your second and third sport is great. You don't need to really love it. You just do it because it's interesting, for example, but if you want to be a hockey player, if you want to be a hockey coach, you must love the game. And actually, it must be a little bit forbidden for you. You will have to do everything possible so you can find a way to get on during get there and forget some other duties you have you do everything possible that your passion comes through.[PB13]
Paul Barnett 23:19
Slava. Melina, I'd like to thank you very much for your time today. It's been a wonderful discussion. And I look forward to following your career and listening to more and more of the great work that you're doing with the coaches union here in the Czech Republic.
Slavomir Lener 23:32
Thank you very much, everybody, and looking forward to see you soon