Blogs

Core strength is an essential physical quality from both performance and durability perspectives. Learning to generate stiffness through the torso can help athletes transfer energy from the lower to upper body, deliver/absorb contract, and prevent undesirable motion of the hips, spine, and rib cage.           View this post on Instagram   […]

The Valslide Skate Position Circle and 2-Way Skater are two exercises we’ll integrate into our prep work or pair with main exercises to help reinforce low position stability of the stance leg.           View this post on Instagram                       A post […]

Med Ball Throws are a great way to develop rotational power. As the off-season progresses we’ll move from static throws, to static throws with a partner pass, to throws with dynamic starts.           View this post on Instagram                       A post […]

One of the many differences between goalies and forwards/defensemen in hockey is that they rely more on short, powerful pushes to move around the crease, whereas skating is characterized by longer pushes. Traditional jump training has a lot of value in improving lower body power in players at all positions, but when this work is […]

Despite this, many athletes succeed without possessing elite speed. Ultimately, speed serves to help create and close space. Making fast/accurate decisions with ball/puck movement can also create space. Being in the right position can minimize the need to travel excessive distances, allow players to win races without being faster. Speed development should be a key […]

Start basic. Eliminate joints, teach control.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Kevin Neeld, PhD (@kevinneeld) ½ Kneel eliminates lower leg and enforces single-leg stance control at the hip/core. Tall Kneel adds in rotational control at […]

Developing strength in multiple planes is important for improving the transfer of strength to sport-specific movements and to improve durability by preparing the tissue to produce and accept force in these patterns. The 1-Arm DB Lateral Squat is an example of an accessory single-leg strength exercise that emphasizes a lateral push.         […]

Every performance coach has a unique background in terms of their education and experience, and as a result, has different preferences for how they design and coach their programs. Over the years I’ve worked with athletes that have found success (in terms of physical development) coming from a lot of different programs. The two key […]

@timlebbossiere shares an important consideration on how to individualize upper body exercise seleciton based on t-spine presentation: From Tim: An easy way to individualize your program can be changing upper body exercise selection based on the thoracic spine.           View this post on Instagram               […]

Bear crawl variations provide a great opportunity to integrate core strength with shoulder stability work.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Kevin Neeld, PhD (@kevinneeld) A few coaching cues on this exercise: ✅ Slightly tuck the […]