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In
1970, Lukas became a volunteer hockey coach to a Westdale
Kiwanis house league team of 9 and 10 year olds. It
was there where he created the original Chalk-Talk,
a portable teaching and coaching aid which enabled
him to teach and communicate his knowledge effectively
to his young players. The apparatus consisted of a
clipboard with a chalk backing, a patented, hand-mounted
eraser and a plastic chalk holder. The hockey Chalk-Talk
was used in the 1972 Canada-Russia series; used in
the 1976 Canada Cup hockey series; and used by many
universities, colleges and schools throughout Canada
and the U.S.A.
I
believe it was Lukas' teaching ability which proved
to be his success in coaching. His philosophy was
"You must teach first, then coach". In 1975
Lukas met his largest challenge while coaching a new
team of 13 year olds in Ancaster, Ontario. His team
was overmatched in a tri-county league of 6 teams.
The town of Ancaster had a population of approximately
13,000 and the other 5 teams were from cities with
a much larger population to draw players from. Something
had to be done in order for the team to compete in
this powerful league and that was when The
Hockey Smarts was written.
The
focus of the booklet was on becoming a smart hockey
player and good person which resulted in better teamwork;
players gaining self-worth, character and confidence;
and, of course, having more fun. Lukas tells me that
it was the parents that motivated him into having
the original manuscript printed into a booklet. What
happened was that each player was given a copy of
the typewritten manuscript of The
Hockey Smarts, which most parents
read out of curiosity and henceforth, called the coach
with their compliments and encouragement to go to
print.
The
Hockey Smarts is a book that can benefit
teachers, coaches, parents, players and even non-players.
The Hockey Smarts
2001 edition is filled with rules and positional smarts
which have been presented in an original style. Lukas
really knows his hockey and I would recommend his
book to anyone involved in youth hockey.
Harry
Howell
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