„This is the skill I started with as a coach, and in many ways I owe my coaching success to it. I built a practice area at home, took a golf ball, and taught players to work with the stick, move and reposition their hands, use different dribbles, carry the puck, deceive opponents, deke, pass and receive. I knew I had to transfer all of that to the ice with the players. We also moved our puck-control program forward significantly thanks to Yogi Svejkovsky, who coached with us and now works behind an NHL bench.“
The training program, prepared directly by Jaromír Pytlík, is designed for young hockey players who want to improve their skills under the guidance of top skill coaches, recruited mainly from professional players or the HTA Coaching Academy. An automatic system assigns players to courses precisely by age and then to small groups within each course. Thanks to the training organization and group rotation, six coaches—specialists—work with the players during a single training session. Two head coaches lead the session and supervise the entire training process. This ensures excellent feedback and correction of mistakes for every player. In addition, players complete specific OFF-ICE training as part of the camp, with content tailored to the focus of the program. Regeneration is also crucial in such a demanding schedule, and it starts with quality nutrition. That is why HTA sports nutrition and hydration are available during the training programs under the supervision of a leading nutrition specialist. This makes the HTA training process highly effective.
„We always talk about skating, but practice shows that players often have even bigger problems with puck control and stick work. Our testing confirms this every year: combining skating with puck control is one of the most difficult skills. We teach players how to work on this skill off the ice as well. The program is original, which is why I can strongly recommend it.“
HTA training focuses on individual skills. It is not a week-long camp; due to the high intensity and demands, it runs for three days. The program is comprehensive and includes skill instruction, games on small and full-size ice, and specific OFF-ICE preparation.
Preliminary and indicative group division:
In the interview, Jaromír Pytlík shares his approach to developing young players, focusing on detail and finding his own paths in training. He explains why it is important to build the right habits from an early age, test new methods over the long term, and base player development on quality, patience, and a genuine understanding of hockey skills.
At the same time, he shows the principle HTA has followed for years – not doing things simply because they have always been done that way, but looking for methods that genuinely move players forward.
