PRACTICE PLAN – JACKRABBITS 3 & 4
TEAM: LTS Jackrabbit Coaches
DATE: 12 December 2015
TIME: 1:30 to 3:30pm
LOCATION: Timing Hutt
LTAD STAGE: FUNdamentals builds all fundamental movement skills, overall motor skills and all basic cross-country ski skills; Levels 3 & 4 mostly skate skiing;
developed in parallel with Community Coaching (CC)
SAFETY NOTES: No poles in first couple of lessons; games and drills are the primary tools to develop skills (more drills and activities with this age group); slowly
add distance with each lesson
PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY: FUN, Agility Balance Coordination
PRACTICE GOAL(S): Individual development through safe play
INTRODUCTORY MESSAGES: Play helps to increase children’s awareness and to steer them away from aggressive, risky performances. While children may still
be drawn to high-speed action and high-flying jumps, they won’t necessarily rely on those activities if there are other activities from which to choose. This is an
important issue in young skiers’ continued learning and safety.
WARM-UP: All coaches, main entrance to stadium
ACTIVITIES
Director Intro
TIME
1:30pm
PURPOSE
Organization
COACHING POINTS
 Lesson plans provided online as template, old, need more
games, and to be updated to new format
 Work with the team you have, lots of games/activities early
in season, building distance over time
 Setting up Slack team for open communication?
 Emergency Action Plans in coach bags (flow chart), chalet
(mind map)
 Snap photo of cell# on whiteboard
 More that can be done, suggestions?
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
 Lesson plans
 Team lists (thanks coordinators!)
Ski Patrol
1:45pm
Safety
PURPOSE
COACHING POINTS
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Speed, coordination
 Select technique, appropriate terrain, break into two lines of
4-6 skiers each
 Short sprints build speed and endurance, don’t let kids stand
around too long or they will get cold/bored
 Start in open area, mass start, then funnel into a tight
section of trail, loop to start
 First to arrive placed on outside of mass start, last to arrive
on inside (get to corner first or stuck on outside)
 A focus on personal bests!
 Racing to drive personal growth/improvement
Cones
 Maps for all coaches
MAIN PART: Coaches will move to West of Timing Hutt
ACTIVITIES
Stations of 20 mins each
Race Ready (Racing Rabbits)
Relays
TIME
2:00pm
20 mins
Mass start
Comfort in large group,
cornering
Talk: two stars and a wish
Positive attitude
towards racing
Going the Distance (Adventure)
Backcountry
20 mins
Fun with classic
Biathlon
Pacing, coordination
Talk: débrouiller
Positive attitude
towards adversity
Skirting Skate (Youth)
ABC’s of Skate
 Classic-only trails (2, 8, waterfall to the jump, Haycock),
otherwise some kids will skate
 Mix it up: go off-trail, 1-step double pole, CSM, telemark
 Survival: please remember what’s first, hasty shelter, fires
 Select technique, appropriate terrain, target activity, and
time to do two/three loops, penalty for missing shot
 Taking the shot: natural alignment, natural breathing, at
exhale hold and shoot, follow through, 2-3 breaths repeat
 Sort it out and get things done!
 Small challenges to learn how to cope with adversity
 Wax for athletes that show up
with skate skis
 Thin sheets of plastic for hasty
shelters, dryer lint for fires
 Depends on target activity: throw
three balls into hole in snow, roll
balls into hula hoop
 Need enough for four stations
 Bend knees for push off, balance on one ski (flat ski), stand
tall in glide
 Ski over left/right alternating cones (forced to glide on one
ski), salute, picking apples, chariots
 1-skate: lift/pole/step, high hands, narrow v, hips forward,
row left/between legs/right
 Double pole: hands/hips/crunch/squat,
 Adult coach to help organize the group, teach leadership
 Youth coach can assist/lead, teach skillz, be silly fun!
Cones, long rope for chariots
COACHING POINTS
 Carry a map: new trails and renamed trails
 Look for remote play parks: Dave’s Den, Alcove, shout hill!
 Lead or Assist, we are all coaches!
 Community Coaching is the best way to learn, Technique
Clinics will help you develop skills
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
20 mins
Agility, balance,
coordination
1-skate, 2-skate, double pole
Skate technique
Talk: youth coaches have skillz
Leadership
development
Athletes need ski poles
COOL-DOWN: All coaches, main entrance to stadium
ACTIVITIES
Talking Trails (Trails & Facilities)
TIME
3 :00pm
PURPOSE
Learn the trails
Talking Training (T2T)
3 :15pm
Coach development
CONCLUDING MESSAGES:
 Jackrabbit Level 3 is 50% classic (4-5 lessons) and 50% skate (4-5 lessons)
 Jackrabbit Level 4 is 20% classic (2 lessons) and 80% skate (7-8 lessons)
 Include the ABC’s in every lesson (agility, balance, coordination)
 On average, 50% of the season should be focused on developing and refining skills (mostly games/activities early in the season)
 Eliminate poles to develop better balance and keep play safe, even for a long ski using classic or skate (same applies to coaches)
 Always have backup activities on hand, for when things aren’t going to plan
 Double poling (more write-ups to come): https://xcskicoaching.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/double-poling/ (by Grant Williams, Racing Rabbits)