I really think that transitional speed training should lay the foundation for speed training for almost all athletes. For ice hockey players, this is especially important in the offensive and defensive zones when all your movements are rapid bursts of speed interspersed with stops and direction changes.
I’ve played with and against countless players that were ridiculously fast goal-line to goal-line, but blended in with everyone else in smaller areas of play.
Check out this article on transitional speed training I wrote for Maria Mountain’s site.
It includes a few videos of my favorite transitional speed exercises.
-Kevin Neeld
Kevin has rapidly established himself as a leader in the field of physical preparation and sports science for ice hockey. He is currently the Head Performance Coach for the Boston Bruins, where he oversees all aspects of designing and implementing the team’s performance training program, as well as monitoring the players’ performance, workload and recovery. Prior to Boston, Kevin spent 2 years as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Jose Sharks after serving as the Director of Performance at Endeavor Sports Performance in Pitman, NJ. He also spent 5 years as a Strength and Conditioning Coach with USA Hockey’s Women’s Olympic Hockey Team, and has been an invited speaker at conferences hosted by the NHL, NSCA, and USA Hockey.