This was a really cool week at Hockey Strength and Conditioning. Last week I mentioned that the content slowed a bit, at least in the form of programs, articles, and videos, but that I really got a lot out of the forum discussions. This week was almost the exact opposite-TONS of new stuff added.
Webinar: Case Study-Pro Hockey Player from Jim Reeves
Admittedly, I don’t know much about Jim Reeves other than knowing that people I speak very highly of speak very highly of him. This webinar was a great introduction to his experience, philosophies and methodology. He presents Pre- and Post-FMS scores for the same player across two-consecutive off-seasons, details the player’s dysfunctions and impairments, and shows EXACTLY what he did to restore function and rebuild performance. This will be one of those resources that takes me a few viewings to truly let everything sink in. Great stuff!
Video: More Dryland Skating Exercises from Mike Potenza
This has been a popular topic on the site for the last several weeks, and one that I find especially interesting. From a training standpoint, I go back and forth on how important these exercises are. There is a large specificity component to training skating-like movement patterns off the ice; on the other hand, players should be spending time working on these things ON the ice. I don’t think an entire training program should be built around these, but including them as 5% of your program under the umbrella of hip stabilization or work capacity exercises (depending on the exercise and how you implement it) is a great idea. Getting athletes to buy-in to your programs ultimately decides the results they will get. Including exercises that hockey players will clearly see an on-ice translation will help with buy-in. That was a long-winded way to say that I think having a variety of “skating exercises” to pull from will keep things interesting for the players, and Coach Potenza presents a lot of great choices in this video series.
Program: Pre-Game Warm-Up from Sean Skahan
Great dynamic warm-up from Coach Skahan that players of all ages could use to best prepare for their game (or practice for that matter). This is very similar to warm-ups I’ve used in the past with my players. In the accompanying text Coach Skahan mentions that some players that have gone through this with him continue to use the exact same warm-up, despite having moved to a different team. In my opinion, that’s one of the greatest testaments to a quality warm-up (or program), when players continue to do it because they see the benefit, not just because they have to.
Article: RFE Progressions from Devan McConnell
Like we do at Endeavor, Devan uses the “Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat” as a foundational lower body lift for his athletes. This is a great six-step progression for athletes that have trouble mastering the “back squat” bar position right away.
Getting the Most Out of Your Hockey Strength and Conditioning Membership!
By now, you’ve likely experienced the huge benefit to getting access to the information at HockeySC.com every week. In addition, there are two other things you can do to improve your experience:
- Network on the site by posting something on the “Introduction” thread on the forum, and by asking well-thought out questions on other forum threads. There are a lot of “big names” in strength and conditioning that check the site regularly. Whether your goals are hockey-specific or not, this is a great place to meet professionals that can help you advance your career.
- Check out contributor’s youtube channels. I get a lot of great ideas from watching other coach’s exercise videos. The articles provide a great opportunity to hear the coach’s rational for using certain exercises and learn how they integrate them into their program. Because many of the coaches use youtube as their video hosting platform, you can get access to ALL of their public videos by clicking directly on the video while it’s playing. You’ll be redirected to their youtube channel, which you can then subscribe to. I actually have two youtube channels (“EndeavorPerformance” and “HockeyTrainingCoach”) that I post videos to pretty regularly. I recommend you subscribe to as many quality channels as you can to get new ideas on a regular basis!
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To your continued success,
Kevin Neeld
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