Okay so last summer I signed up my kid for Shattuck hockey camp, honestly? Wasn’t sure what to expect. Felt kinda nervous dropping him off that first morning, you know? Big campus, tons of kids flying around with gear.
The Gear Grind Right Off The Bat
First thing they hit us with: organization. Got shuffled into this equipment check line. Coach immediately spotted my kid’s skates – blades dull as butter knives. Didn’t just point it out, mind you. Yelled over to this guy near the rink entrance: “Hey Mike! Fix ’em before lunch!” Boom. Sharpened skates back in his hands 20 minutes later. No wandering around asking where to go. They did it.
Mornings: Less Talk, More Reps
Watched from the stands later. Forget long lectures. Drills started FAST. Coach blew the whistle – peep! – and kids exploded into skating patterns. Felt like barely a breath between drills. Coach Pat kept barking quick, simple stuff:
- “Knees bent, Jimmy!”
- “Push sideways, Sarah!”
- “Look where you wanna GO, Liam!”
Over and over. Then, immediate switch to stickhandling cones. Again, rapid fire. Kid stumbled? Coach grabbed his arm quick, physically showed the right knee bend for a second, then shoved him back in line. Zero wasted time.
The Secret Sauce? Details After Lunch
Here’s where it clicked for me. Afternoon sessions got hyper-specific. Saw them split into tiny groups of maybe 5 players. Coach focused solely on backward crossovers for like, 30 minutes straight with one group. Not just “skate backwards.” Nah. Broke it down:
- Exactly where your inside edge digs in on the push.
- How low your butt needs to get almost sitting.
- Twisting your upper body separate from your legs.
One kid kept getting tangled? Coach stopped everyone, had him demo slowly on dry land while pointing at his feet. “See? Criss-cross clean! Now try slower on the ice.” That granular attention? Pure gold.
Final Thought: Why It Stuck
Picked him up after day three, exhausted. His gear reeked worse than ever. But he jabbered nonstop about “crushing the crossover drill” and how Coach Pat finally made edge work “click.” Didn’t just practice hockey. They dissected the absolute nuts and bolts of every movement, corrected micro-mistakes instantly, and forced insane repetition until muscle memory kicked in. That intensity, that precision focus? That’s why you pick it. Kid never worked harder, or learned faster. Simple as that.
