Tag: Leadership

The Future of Sport Performance

Coaching is a people business.

Click here to share: Future of Sport Performance

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For more information on in- and off-season program design, training and reconditioning for injured players, and integrating sports science into a comprehensive training process, check out Optimizing Adaptation & Performance

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Commitment Continuum

Stumbled upon this picture the other day of the “Commitment Continuum.” This was something Dr. Colleen Hacker shared with USA Hockey’s Women’s National Team, and serves as a powerful tool for all team sport athletes to self-evaluate their own commitment.

The off-season is a time when players in all sports can completely re-invent themselves through training. Taking a few months to dial back the volume of sport work and increase the attention on improving raw physical capacities (speed, power, strength, conditioning, movement efficiency, etc.) can change the course of an athlete’s career.

There is a small segment of athletes that will OBSESS over training. Some will COMMIT fully. Many more will just show up and do the work; they’ll comply. The rest, frankly, will get left behind.

Where do you fall on this continuum?

Being fully committed means different things at different ages, but if you’re >13 years old and have aspirations of fulfilling your athletic potential, you should be following a structured training program, at least 2-3 days/week in the off-season; 4-5 days/week if you’re competing at U-18 levels or above.

If you’re a hockey player and need help with programming, check out the link below.

Feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it or tag a friend in the comments section so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. If you’re OBSESSED with making this your best off-season ever, check out the comprehensive hockey-specific training programs for players at different ages here: Ultimate Hockey Transformation.

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!

Winning Culture

The picture below is a throwback to (2012?) USA Hockey Women’s National Team Camp in Blaine, MN.

Great memories working with this group alongside @michael_boyle1959, @anthonydonskov, and @smcstrength.

Yesterday I shared a quote from the @hph_podcast discussing how testing can be used to both drive and assess a groups commitment and culture. You can check it out here >> Testing & Culture

The above picture is an excerpt from my book Speed Training for Hockey, and shows the progress one of the Women’s National Team players made through an Olympic cycle. Most notably – the player added 8″ to her vertical jump and substantially decreased her on-ice acceleration/sprint time.

Incremental gains made consistently over time leads to substantial, career-changing progress.

One of the key features of a winning culture is that the players are continuously pushing for the next level. When enough players adopt this mentality, it becomes the dominant voice in the room – the expectation for the group.

Performance testing certainly isn’t the only barometer for this type of commitment, but it is a simple, effective way of establishing standards, reinforcing expectations, and providing an opportunity for players to own an area of their performance that is COMPLETELY within their control.

Feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For comprehensive hockey training programs to improve your speed AND repeat sprint ability, check out: Speed Training for Hockey

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!

Curiosity, Humility, and Success

Great quote from my friend @dmcconnell29 in an interview he did with @fergus.connelly for the @teamsportmasterclass.

The most successful people I know in the performance and rehab fields have continued to learn, grow, and evolve throughout their career.

They recognize there’s always more to learn, have the curiosity to pursue new information, and the humility to change their methods when appropriate.

The most successful athletes I’ve worked with possess the same characteristics. They’re constantly looking for ways to grow their game – whether that’s improving specific physical attributes (speed, strength, repeat sprint ability, etc.), honing specific skills (in hockey. – edgework/puck protection through traffic, one timers from specific areas on the ice, tipping pucks in front of the net, finishing from in tight, etc.), studying opponent tendencies (on individual and team levels), or improving supporting behaviors (nutrition, supplementation, sleep, etc.).

They have the curiosity to ask questions, the humility to recognize/identify gaps in their game, and an unwavering desire to improve.

They do this despite their past success.

The reality is that no one will ever have it all figured out. There is always opportunity for growth.

And pursuing this growth may very well be the key to sustained success.

Feel free to post any other comments/questions you have below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For more information on in- and off-season program design, training and reconditioning for injured players, and integrating sports science into a comprehensive training process, check out Optimizing Adaptation & Performance

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!

Embrace the Monotony

The athletes that SUSTAIN success commit themselves to doing the little things right, consistently.
 
They warm-up with intent before practice. They train regularly in-season. They hydrate, eat, and sleep with purpose, with a performance mindset.
 
Often times, these acts are monotonous. They’re repeated on a daily basis for months in a row.

The best athletes do them anyway. They commit to the process. They EMBRACE the monotony because it lays the foundation for consistent, long-term success.
 
And that means more to them than the perceived loss of the small sacrifices along the way.
 
These are all simple decisions, completely within the athlete’s control.
 
Make the right choices. Embrace the monotony. Succeed.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. One of the areas where “embracing the monotony” is especially crucial is nutrition. Fueling for health, performance, and recovery requires making good choices, consistently. If you’re interested in highly effective sports nutrition strategies, check out this manual from renowned nutritionist Brian St. Pierre: Ultimate Hockey Nutrition

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!