EliteHockeyDevelopment

I do not see a real difference between HTA and academies overseas. What matters is what they actually do, not whether it is in the Czech Republic or Canada. It is the same as anywhere else: there has to be a methodology. When I was looking for something similar and for a partner in the Czech Republic who shared the same ideas and genuinely cared about the player, individual preparation and teaching hockey, that is how I got to know Jaromír Pytlík. Our projects are very similar in several respects because the underlying idea is similar, and I think that is what matters most. I cannot really say that academies are fundamentally different here or overseas. We do certain things in our own specific way and HTA does the same here. That is why I like coming here and helping them, while they have also visited us for a ten-day internship. We help each other a great deal. I really enjoy seeing different training groups and continuing to learn as a coach. That is important to me.

We have been coming to Hockey Talent Academy for three years and the camps are always of a very high standard. Many quality players come here, not only from the Czech Republic but also from Slovakia, Slovenia, Germany, Austria and other countries, so the overall level is excellent. I think it is very valuable for players because they can compare themselves with others and learn a great deal. If I did not like it, I would not keep coming back. I believe it benefits every player, which is why both of my sons train here. You can clearly see the improvement. HTA focuses strongly on skating technique, an area that I think is sometimes slightly neglected in hockey clubs. It is also something different and extra that definitely helps players. I can say personally that it has helped my sons a lot; their skating has clearly improved and the program really has value.

Jaromír introduced our team to a very good skating program that improves movement efficiency, especially glide. I was very impressed by Jaromír’s skating ability. It is always better when an instructor can inspire players through the way he demonstrates skating exercises, making them want to improve and skate like him. I liked how Jaromír broke movement down into shorter, fundamental skating elements and then put them back together into the most efficient movement possible. Even the best skaters were challenged by demanding skating drills that Jaromír demonstrated carefully, helping them become even better. As the team coach, I was very pleased with the cooperation and genuinely happy with the way Jaromír worked with the players. Thanks to the effective exercises he showed them, the players improved and continued working on their skating independently even when Jaromír was not present. That is always a sign of work done well.

I watched three training sessions with different age groups, from the youngest boys to the older players. You can see that the coaches try to give them varied training and work in several groups. It is good that each group focuses on something different. In skating, the more creative the training is, the more the players benefit because skating is the foundation of hockey. You can see that the boys are being coached well and that the training is high quality. It is a very good thing when they have the opportunity to spend a few days here and try something different. When they return to their clubs, they can keep working on the things they still need to improve.

I am glad I had the opportunity to attend Hockey Talent Academy camps as a guest and I would definitely like to come back in the future. I was able to help a little, but I also learned something myself because I believe Hockey Talent Academy is a very high-quality school for young hockey players as well as developing coaches. The project operates at a very high level from both the player and coaching perspectives. The training sessions are perfectly prepared from A to Z and cover every type of situation that can occur in hockey. I believe the most important thing for a player is to refine something in every skill area and improve through these specialized exercises.