Suburban Ice Farmington Hills Information

At Suburban Hockey Schools, the students are not the only ones who receive specialized training. The instructors are required to participate in a two-day training session to work on their teaching skills. "Playing the game and teaching the game are two totally different animals," says SHS Director Lyle Phair. "There are plenty of hockey players playing at the junior, college or professional levels, who are very good players and can provide outstanding demonstrations of what to do, but often they are not capable of breaking those skills down and communicating them in a 'how-to' progressive format to their students. It's not enough to say "Do this.' Teaching is much more than that." Teaching experience, or coaching experience, is invaluable and many SHS instructors bring that to the ice with them from day one. In addition to having over 20 years of hockey school instructional experience, SHS Directors Phair and Tom Anastos have both coached at the college level. Phair was an assistant coach at the University of Illinois-Chicago and Anastos as an assistant at his alma mater, Michigan State, and as head coach at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Program Managers Cal McGowan and Ryan Pardoski have also served as assistant coaches at the collegiate level. "From a preparation and organization standpoint, there is no better training than coaching or teaching," says Anastos. "You know what you want to accomplish and how much time you have to do it, so you need to formulate the best possible plan to get it done in the most efficient and effective manner." With over 30 years of experience in power skating and hockey instruction, that plan is very firmly in place and communicated to all instructional staff members. "It is very important that we are all on the same page when we are on the ice to ensure that the class runs smoothly and there is no wasted time," said McGowan. "From that respect, it is a little like being on a hockey team. There is a structure, or system, in place that serves as the guideline for how the ...