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What is "Controlled Aggression" and why is it Important?
"RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes spent two weeks crashing into Buffalo Sabres, pinning them against the boards and creaming them whenever feasible. Controlled aggression and 11th-hour puck control finally delivered the goods Thursday night, a 4-2 comeback in the Eastern Conference's decisive seventh game. The victory propelled the Hurricanes into the Stanley Cup finals against Edmonton ………………"(Lenox Rawlings Winston-Salem Journal 02-Jun-06, Scripps Howard News Service)
What Does Controlled Aggression Mean to Me As A Coach?What, you ask, is the "controlled aggression" to which Mr. Rawlings attributes a win for the Canes against Buffalo? What does it mean to me, as a coach?Controlled aggression is an attitude of mind that drives individual players and teams to set their opponents back on their heels. It's an in-your-face attitude that is relentless and never lets up. It controls the speed of the game, ties up the defense and constantly attacks. Controlled aggression is all about taking control of every game and never letting the opponent come up for air. A team that allows itself to be intimidated or is hesitant cannot win against a more aggressive team. Defense must have the attitude that they will never allow themselves to be scored on. Offense is convinced that they will score on every possession. We hasten to point out the obvious. We are talking about older players here. Very young players should not be coached with a philosophy of controlled aggression. Players must be old enough to integrate this principle within an overall philosophy of fair play and good sportsmanship. This could be difficult for younger age groups to assimilate in a way that would be beneficial to character development.
Caveat: Do Not Allow Aggression to Get Out of ControlA team may have talented players but without controlled aggression they will not produce to their highest potential. The trick in winning through aggression is for the coach not to allow it to get out of control……. in other words, take the game to the edge but don't fall off. Admittedly there is a fine line that separates the two. That fine line is exemplified in the saying that a team that isn't drawing penalties won't win. Well, maybe.This does not mean playing with the intention of drawing penalties which is a good definition of playing dirty. It means playing with full force where penalties may be called as a result of aggressive play. It's up to the coach to maintain a level of control that exemplifies fair play at all times and under all circumstances. Controlled aggression is an attitude of mind that can be taught. Physical skills have their limitations but the mind plus motivation are powerful forces that can propel a player through his physical limitations to heights of excellence.
The Magic of Controlled AggressionWhen you think of controlled aggression think of Magic Johnson and Michael Jordon, two of the most aggressive basketball players to ever hit the floor. They took every game to it's limits, yet, aggressive as they were, they both showed themselves to be players of high character. Both retired from the game well liked, well respected and role models for other players to emulate.
See You At the Top!! Coach Matt Copyright 2005(c) by Matt Hawk and Hawk Planners.com. All rights reserved. Articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: (1) a proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to http://www.hawkplanners.com/ (2) content may not be arranged or mirrored as a competitive online service.
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