You just had a great off-season of strength training, sprinting, plyometrics and medicine ball exercises. You feel strong and ready to compete this hockey season. But now what do you do to keep all that strength and power during the long hockey season? Unfortunately, many hockey players see a drastic decrease in their strength and […]
Complex Training: Use It To Maximize Performance
Complex training, one of the most advanced forms of sports training, integrates strength training, plyometrics, and sport-specific movement. It consists of an intense strength (resistance) exercise followed by a plyometric exercise. Complex training is a great way to make sure that you are training more than just muscles with your workouts as it affects the nervous system. To capitalize on a muscle’s […]
Tryouts: Are You Ready?
For those of you, who have followed my principles, hopefully you’ve been training throughout most of the off-season. At this point, you should be at a point of tapering, where you’re likely preparing for the season with more on-ice work. If not, you may have put yourself at a deficit. However, there’s still hope! Many […]
Creating a Winning Athlete
Athletic prowess is defined by several factors. Some you’re born with. Others are achieved through hard work and tenacity. There’s no perfect answer to becoming a winning hockey athlete. But it’s clear if you don’t have these attributes, you’re putting yourself at a great disadvantage. Passion-Hustle-Discipline-Leadership-Vision Passion is something that can’t be taught. It’s a […]
Golf is a Great Transition Sport for Hockey Players
For those of you that follow my articles (thank you very much by the way), you know that I often write about transition, be it in the gym, on the ice and in game situations. For those that are fairly new, hopefully I can provide you with a new outlook on the game of golf. […]
Deceleration Training: Taking a Page from Hockey Players?
Deceleration training is all the buzz. So much so, that the NSCA has been talking about it for years. The basic premise is that we, strength coaches, have been and continue to focus on concentric actions of muscle groups. These are the actions that result in say, your bicep contracting, flexing or otherwise reacting to […]
Progressive Off-Season Training
If you’re reading this, then your season is probably over. Sorry about that. You put a lot of blood, sweat, and maybe even a few tears into the season. Unfortunately, things don’t always seem to go the way you may have planned. Just don’t use it as an excuse to delay the inevitable. If you […]
Are You Prepared for the Playoffs?
It’s playoff time. How do you prepare to have a successful playoff run? How can you maximize energy without sacrifice? How long should you rest? For many hockey players, the long road to the “real” season is just beginning. In short, all the tension the playoffs can build is here, as teams prepare at all […]
Stay Strong All Hockey Season Long
As coaches, its our goal to develop as much strength, conditioning, and agility during the off-season. Though, it is difficult while in-season to build strength due to the intensity and duration of practices and games. So, how can players manage to maintain the strength that they have built during the off-season? In the off-season, you […]
Off-Ice Fitness Testing Goals for Female Hockey Players
Female athletes have a different physiological profile than their male counterparts. As a result, female athletes have their own testing percentile scores in the HockeyOT.com training system. On some of the fitness tests, i.e. front & side planks, 1-leg balance, 90° squat and jump rope, their scores should match their male counterparts. On the tests […]
A Quick & Effective Locker Room Warm-Up For Hockey Players
Warming up your muscles for hockey is an important factor in preventing injuries on the ice. Most hockey players do not spend enough time warming up for hockey and this contributes to on-ice injuries, including groin and abdominal strains/tears, knee, back and shoulder injuries. Many of these injuries can be avoided by performing a proper […]
The Best Off-Ice Tests to Measure Hockey Fitness
I love to do fitness testing on athletes! It is a great way to assess physical strength and weaknesses. It is also a feedback loop to measure progress as a result of off-ice training. If you are a hockey player, no doubt you have seen the NHL Entry Draft Combine. The combine measures the incoming […]
Getting Back Into Hockey
There are few sports that challenge the physical and the mental prowess of its athletes like ice hockey, making the process of getting back into hockey quite demanding for any participants who have been away from the game for a while. Anyone interested in coming back to the game after an extended period of time […]
Full Body Hockey Strength Training
Hockey is one sport that truly uses the entire body. Full body hockey strength training is one way to improve your game off the ice and during the offseason. Building strength in your legs, torso and upper body will not only improve your game, it can help prevent injury, too. The torso is referred to […]
Dryland Stickhandling Tools Keep Players Sharp
Every hockey team faces a time during the offseason or between games when they don’t have access to the ice, no matter the level. Even professional players have days where they only have their home gym or a local training center to work out. They have to find ways to keep their skills sharp – […]