03 – Private Hockey lessons are worth the money when they fix a specific weakness

REAL QUESTIONS. REAL RESEARCH. REAL ANSWERS.™

Private Hockey lessons can be expensive, so Parents reasonably want to know whether the extra instruction actually improves development or simply adds another bill to an already expensive sport.

A better question is not:

“Are private lessons good?”

Ask instead:

“What specific problem are we paying this lesson to solve?”

THE ANSWER

Private Hockey lessons are worth the money when they fix a specific weakness, provide better instruction than the Player is already receiving, and the Player actually applies what they learn. More lessons alone do not guarantee better development.

WHY THIS QUESTION MATTERS

Hockey families have access to additional development opportunities.

Private skating Coaches.

Shooting instructors.

Stickhandling sessions.

Position-specific trainers.

Summer programs.

Small-group sessions.

Another lesson can quickly feel necessary because other Players are doing one too.

That is the wrong reason to spend the money.

Private instruction has the greatest value when a qualified Coach can see something that needs correcting, explain the problem clearly, teach a solution, and give the Player something specific to practise afterward.

Paying for more ice without a clear development purpose is simply paying for more ice.

WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH TELL US?

Motor-learning research supports two ideas that matter here: task-specific practice works, and useful feedback can improve skill learning.

A systematic review of motor-skill learning found that feedback significantly improved skill acquisition in physical education settings. Corrective, visual and combined verbal/visual feedback were among the approaches associated with improvement.

Another 2024 systematic review found that task-specific practice improves motor skills and examined how additional feedback can further influence learning. Although that research involved children with developmental coordination disorder rather than Hockey Players specifically, the learning principle is relevant: quality feedback matters when someone is trying to correct or acquire a movement skill.

Hockey Canada also provides skill-development progressions, practice plans, and evaluation tools designed around developing specific Hockey skills rather than simply accumulating ice time. Its Player Development resources emphasize learning skills, accomplishment and enjoyment.

None of that proves that an expensive one-on-one lesson automatically creates a better Hockey Player.

It tells us something more useful:

QUALITY INSTRUCTION + PURPOSEFUL PRACTICE MATTERS MORE THAN SIMPLY BUYING MORE LESSONS.

THE ANSWER BY AGE

U5–U7: PRIVATE LESSONS SHOULD BE THE EXCEPTION

Young Players primarily need skating, movement, puck touches, confidence and enjoyment.

A seven-year-old usually does not need a weekly schedule full of private specialists.

If a child has a specific skating difficulty, confidence problem or fundamental movement issue that regular programming is not correcting, a few targeted lessons may help.

Otherwise, free play, age-appropriate practices, skating and simply enjoying Hockey may provide more value.

At this age, Parents should also be careful not to turn development into a job.

THE ANSWER FOR U5–U7

Use private instruction only when there is a clear need that normal practices are not solving.

U8–U10: TARGET A SPECIFIC SKILL

Private instruction starts becoming more useful when a Coach can identify a real technical weakness.

Examples might include:

stopping on one side

poor skating posture

difficulty receiving passes

weak backward skating

shooting mechanics

puck protection

One focused lesson can identify the problem.

Several weeks of purposeful practice can then reinforce the correction.

Parents should resist the belief that the Player needs another paid lesson before improvement can occur.

A good instructor should eventually make the Player less dependent on the instructor.

THE ANSWER FOR U8–U10

Pay for instruction when it teaches something specific the Player can continue practicing afterward.

U11–U14: PRIVATE LESSONS CAN BECOME MORE VALUABLE

Technical differences become easier to identify during these years.

A Player may have enough experience to understand detailed instruction, recognize weaknesses and deliberately work on corrections.

Position-specific development can also become more relevant.

Private instruction may offer real value for skating technique, shooting mechanics, puck skills or other deficiencies that Team practices cannot spend enough time correcting individually.

Still, the Player has to want the instruction.

Dragging an unmotivated 13-year-old to additional training because everyone else is doing it is an expensive way to manufacture resentment.

THE ANSWER FOR U11–U14

Use private lessons to close identifiable development gaps, not to keep up with other families.

U15–U18: MAKE THE TRAINING PURPOSEFUL

Older competitive Players can benefit considerably from specialized instruction when it addresses performance needs.

At this stage, useful areas might include:

skating efficiency

shot release

position-specific skills

puck skills under pressure

video-supported technical correction

skills related to a Player’s role

Training should connect directly to game situations.

A Defenceman who needs a better first pass has a clear objective.

A forward trying to improve scoring from specific areas has another.

“Getting extra ice” is not an objective.

THE ANSWER FOR U15–U18

Invest when the lesson addresses a weakness that affects the Player’s actual performance.

JUNIOR: THERE SHOULD BE A PERFORMANCE REASON

Junior Players should know why they are buying private instruction.

Maybe skating is limiting their ability to play at pace.

Perhaps puck handling under pressure is costing possessions.

A shooting adjustment could help convert more scoring chances.

Whatever the issue, instruction should connect to performance, role or advancement.

Generic extra sessions become increasingly difficult to justify when the Player is already practicing and training heavily.

Recovery also matters. Hockey Canada’s elite training guidance specifically recognizes recovery as an active part of development and warns against overlooking it.

THE ANSWER FOR JUNIOR

Private training should solve a performance problem, not simply add another workout.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THE LESSON IS WORKING?

Parents should look for more than whether the Player enjoyed the session.

Ask:

What weakness did the instructor identify?

What correction was taught?

Can the Player explain what they learned?

Did the instructor give the Player something to practice independently?

Can you eventually see improvement during practices or games?

Those questions turn a lesson into an investment in development.

Without them, families may simply be purchasing activity.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD A PLAYER TAKE PRIVATE LESSONS?

There is no magic number.

One excellent lesson followed by several weeks of proper repetition can sometimes accomplish more than weekly lessons that constantly introduce new material.

Frequency should depend on:

the skill being corrected

the Player’s age

how quickly the Player learns

access to practice time

family budget

how much Hockey the Player is already doing

A Player needs time to practice the lesson before collecting another one.

Recent Hockey discussions reflect exactly this concern. Players and Parents repeatedly ask whether occasional private instruction is worthwhile when lessons are expensive, and whether one-on-one Coaching provides enough benefit to justify the cost.

WHEN ARE PRIVATE LESSONS NOT WORTH THE MONEY?

Think twice when:

• Nobody can identify what the Player is trying to improve.
• Sessions simply repeat what the Team already teaches well.
• A child doesn’t want the extra training.
• Lessons replace opportunities to practice independently.
• Family finances are being stretched unnecessarily.
• Instruction constantly changes without enough repetition.
• Marketing promises matter more than actual teaching.
• Parents buy lessons mainly because other families do.

More spending doesn’t automatically mean more development.

WHAT SHOULD THE PARENT DO?

Before paying for the first lesson, ask the instructor:

“What do you see that my child needs to improve?”

Afterward, ask your Player:

“What did you learn?”

A strong answer from the Player is encouraging.

“I don’t know, we did some drills” should tell you something too.

Then give the Player time to use the lesson.

Watch practices and games for evidence that the skill is improving.

Only then decide whether another lesson is worth buying.

THE TAKEAWAY

DO NOT BUY PRIVATE LESSONS JUST TO BUY MORE HOCKEY.

Buy instruction when:

a problem has been identified

instructor knows how to correct it

the Player understands the correction

the Player can practise it afterward

improvement matters to their development

One great lesson can be valuable.

Ten unfocused lessons can be expensive noise.

HOW WE REACHED THE HOCKEY ANSWER™

Our research can reach across Hockey organizations, development programs, current studies, expert guidance, public discussion and real-world Hockey experience to find the strongest information available. We compare the evidence, challenge the obvious answer, consider how age, level, position and circumstances may change it, and then combine everything into one clear Hockey answer designed to help you make a better decision.

As always, thank you for being part of The Hockey Resource Community.

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