Follow Me!
Sep
1
Hockey Training Tips
Filed Under Off-Ice Hockey Training | 2 Comments
Sometimes things don’t always go as planned. I always say that my “programs” are really just templates because we constantly have to adapt things based on a player’s needs and abilities.
As much as I love (and all of our players loathe) Bunkie Side Planks (I talk about this in a previous post: Hockey Core Training Exercises), players with elbow or shoulder problems have a hard time getting into this position. In an effort to find other ways to get a similar training effect, I’ve had to design “bunkie alternatives” for these players. The adductor->opposite side oblique connection is hard to mimic, so we generally just use a 2-way med ball crush to get the adductor stress we want (on your back with knees maximally flexed and on your stomach with knees extended). The lateral stabilization system can be trained easily from an upright position. By standing on one leg, you challenge the lateral hip musculature of the stance leg. By holding a dumbbell in the opposite hand and standing up tall, you activate the obliques and quadratus lumborum on the side opposide to the dumbbell. Viewed together, you’re training the entire lateral stabilization system on the side opposite of the dumbbell, just like in one of the 2-Way Bunkie Side Planks.
Upright Lateral Bunkie
As players reach higher levels, they need to interact with the media more. While some players seem to pick up this skill pretty easily, I think we should be making a greater effort to coach our players on how to conduct themselves in interview situations. Here’s a quick “how-to” for players approaching elite levels:
We work with a lot of young players at Endeavor. After a training session that concluded with squat holds (an infinitely more beneficial alternative to the all-too-commonly-used “wall sit”), one of our other coaches mentioned that many of the players descended into a squat position that looked more like a reaction to getting hit between the shoulder blades with a high speed wind (my words, not his) than a controlled squatting motion. I suggested that he use this little trick to help force them into a quality squatting posture.
Squat with Hands on Wall
Intensity is everything. It doesn’t matter how well-written the training program is, if you go through it half-ass you aren’t going to get the results you want (although you will get the ones you deserve). I can tell when players are really focused when they start to get that sick look in their eyes.
Rotational Incline Cable Press
Side Standing Med Ball Scoop with Partner Toss
To your success,
Kevin Neeld
Please enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE hockey training newsletter!
May
14
Hockey Core Training Exercises
Filed Under Hip/Lower Abdominal Injuries, Off-Ice Hockey Training | 4 Comments
A couple weeks ago, my colleague Dr. Jeff Cubos told me to check out a relatively new assessment protocol called the Bunkie Test. I had never heard of it before so I took a look and found some interesting stuff. We haven’t integrated these “tests” into our assessment protcol at Endeavor, but I am integrating a few of the concepts into our hockey training programs.
The whole idea behind the Bunkie Tests is to assess the performance of different functional lines within the body. As an example, there is a well established connection between the external obliques and contralateral (opposite side) hip adductors (“groin” muscles). They frequently serve integrated functions in athletic movements. If you look at this picture of me taking a slap shot while at Delaware, you’ll see that my upper body is turning to the left, while my right leg extends and external rotates. This means that my left external oblique and right hip adductors are decelerating the movement. On the opposite side of things, my right external oblique and left hip adductors are both shortening.
This is just one illustration of this connection between the trunk and hip “core” musculature. Below is a video of an advanced core training exercise we’ve been using with a lot of our athletes recently.
There is also a lateral connection between the obliques and same side hip abductors. A great core training exercise to strengthen this functional path is:
To your continued success,
Kevin Neeld
Ice Hockey Training
Hockey Strength and Conditioning
Feb
15
Three Keys to Ice Hockey Success
Filed Under Must-Have Resources, Off-Ice Hockey Training | 2 Comments
Congrats to the U.S. Women’s Ice Hockey Team for getting off to a great Olympic start!
In an effort to get more incredible contributors to Hockey Training Expert, I’ve been talking a lot with hockey coaches and instructors with hundreds of years of combined experience.
Hockey players and coaches recognize the benefits of having a fast team. When it comes to individual skill, nothing is more important than speed. This is EXACTLY why I put together “Breakaway Hockey Speed”, so players and coaches could learn to how develop game changing speed, and get access to the exact drills that I use with my players.
Breakaway Hockey Speed
Breakaway Hockey Speed is a 25-page manual that outlines how to change your body position to maximize the power of your stride and reveals the truth about which stride pattern is better: short choppy strides vs long powerful strides (this will surprise you!). Breakaway Hockey Speed includes 6 Linear Speed Drills, 15 Transitional Speed Drills, and the information you need to integrate a comprehensive speed training program into your current training program. This manual is exactly what you need to become faster and more explosive on the ice! Speed is your 1st key to ice hockey success.
This is a FREE gift for everyone that signs up for Hockey Training Expert before Friday!
Click here to sign up now!
Hockey Nutrition 101
All the speed in the world won’t matter if you don’t give yourself the fuel to use it. Proper nutrition is the most commonly recognized, but least practiced aspect of high level athletic performance. My colleague and friend Kim McCullough wrote Hockey Nutrition 101 to give you practical information on how to improve your diet to improve your performance. Kim brilliantly discusses how proper eating and hydration can have a huge impact on your performance, recovery, and overall development. Hockey Nutrition 101 gives you all the tools you need to figure out what you should be eating/drinking, how to make simple changes in your current diet, and how to track your intake so you can monitor your new high-performance diet! Proper diet and hydration habits are your 2nd key to ice hockey success.
This is a ANOTHER FREE gift for everyone that signs up for Hockey Training Expert before Friday!
Click here to sign up now!
Mental Performance Package
Now you have the tools to develop incredible speed and give yourself the fuel you need to dominate. You’re one step away. Most players recognize that between 50-90% of their performance is mental. Most players admit that 0-10% of their training time is spent on mental preparation. Kim McCullough developed ANOTHER incredible resource for you, the Mental Performance Package, that gives you step-by-step instructions on how to develop the focus and confidence of a champion. This is your 3rd and final key to ice hockey success!
Guess how much this incredible resource will cost you? NOTHING! This is a ANOTHER FREE gift for everyone that signs up for Hockey Training Expert before Friday!
Click here to sign up now!
P.S. For only $9.95/month you get these THREE incredible bonuses IN ADDITION to the customized hockey training programs, hundreds of innovative hockey training exercises, incredible articles and access to some of the greatest minds in ice hockey player development. Joining Hockey Training Expert is a NO BRAINER and you know it. Stop dragging your feet and join our dedicated community today!
Click here to sign up now!
Feb
11
Top 3 Reasons to Join Hockey Training Expert
Filed Under Must-Have Resources, Off-Ice Hockey Training | Leave a Comment
The snow by Endeavor, the facility in Sewell, NJ that I work at, is out of control! Luckily we were able to sneak in yesterday morning to get a quick lift in before NJ officially went into a “state of emergency” and it was illegal to be on the roads.
With the launch of my new hockey training membership site this week, a lot of people are curious about what the site has to offer them. Check out the “Top 3 Reasons You Should Join Hockey Training Expert.”
1) Customized Hockey Training Programs
I think of training programs as a roadmap to success. If you aren’t following something structured you aren’t making the progress you could be. In other words, you’re wasting time and energy getting worse results. Hockey Training Expert has custom-written training programs for hockey players of all ages: Pee Wees, Bantams, Midgets, Junior/College, and Pros. You can’t find that anywhere!
The only problem with writing programs for people all over the world is that some players have access to different equipment than others. Not an issue! That’s one of the reasons I made sure the site had a forum, so you can personally contact me with any questions you have about the programs and I could give you the best answer possible based on your situation.
2) The World’s Largest Collection of Effective, Innovative Exercise Videos
Over the last 10 years, I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on CDs, DVDs and books, and countless hours volunteering under brilliant strength coaches and gaining a ton of personal experience with hockey players at all levels. Throughout that time I’ve come across and developed exercises that I rarely see other coaches using that just flat out work. I could easily compile a DVD series of all these exercises and sell it for $199, but I don’t want to do that. It’s hard enough to get access to quality information. For $9.95/month, you get continuous access to videos of the most current, effective exercises out there. You can’t beat that!
3) Constantly Growing Database of Incredible Hockey-Specific Information
I’m lucky to have such a diverse list of “experts” as contributors to the site. Hockey Training Expert hosts some of the most brilliant strength and conditioning coaches in the world, experts that specialize in both men’s and women’s hockey, experts on different training practices for players of different positions, and experts on proper nutrition and supplementation for hockey players.
In the next week, I’ll be adding three new experts: One is a great physical therapist who will provide great information on how to prevent and accommodate hockey-related injuries; one is a master of individual skill work and team systems; one has helped place countless athletes in Prep, Junior, NCAA, and Pro programs where they can flourish.
I promise to make this the ultimate site for hockey players, to make sure EVERYTHING you need to succeed is available to you through the site. You can’t find that anywhere else!
Click here to sign up now!
To your continued success,
Kevin Neeld
P.S. Don’t forget about the bonuses! If you sign-up today, you’ll get THREE incredible bonuses. I’m only offering these bonuses to the fast action takers; they won’t last long!
Bonus # 1: Breakaway Hockey Speed
Discover the secrets to the number one question most players ask: How do I get faster? This 25-page manual from Hockey Training Expert founder Kevin Neeld outlines how to change your body position to maximize the power of your stride and reveals the truth about short choppy strides vs long powerful strides (this will surprise you!). Breakaway Hockey Speed includes 6 Linear Speed Drills, 15 Transitional Speed Drills, and the information you need to integrate a comprehensive speed training program into your current training program. This manual is exactly what you need to become faster and more explosive on the ice!
Bonus # 2: Hockey Nutrition 101
Proper nutrition is the most commonly recognized, but least practiced aspect of high level athletic performance. Kim McCullough’s Hockey Nutrition 101 is an INCREDIBLE resource for hockey players and coaches. Kim brilliantly discusses how proper eating and hydration can have a huge impact on your performance, recovery, and overall development. Kim gives you all the tools you need to figure out what you should be eating/drinking, how to make simple changes in your current diet, and how to track your intake so you can monitor your new high-performance diet!
Bonus # 3: Mental Performance Package
What percentage of your performance is mental? If you’re like most players, you’ll say anywhere from 50-90%. But how much of your training time is dedicated toward improving your mental performance? If you’re like most players, you’ll say anywhere from 0-0%. Kim McCullough’s Mental Performance Package gives you step-by-step instructions on how to develop the focus and confidence of a champion!
Click here to sign up now!
Nov
25
I recently caught up with Maria Mountain, another great mind in the world of hockey training. I asked her if she’d put together an article for you on goalie training.
Check out the article below. I always love articles with material that is instantly usable. This is definitely one of those!
Three new ways for hockey goalies to improve hip flexibility.
Look at any of the spectacular saves from the highlight shows and you will see hockey goaltenders displaying their great hip flexibility. Does this happen by chance? It shouldn’t. If you want to steal more wins for your team, then you must have amazing flexibility, so here are my top three stretches to help you make those impossible saves.
Standing Groin Stretch
If you are a hockey goaltender, then hopefully you are not making many saves from your butt, however if you look at goalies stretching routines, they spend much of their time sitting down with their feet in a wide ‘V’ position to stretch their groins. I am not saying that is a bad stretch, I just think it can be better by taking the athlete into a standing position.
Seated Hip Internal Rotation
If you play with the butterfly style, then you need hip internal rotation which means you must stretch your hip external rotators. The stretch I will describe below is an active stretch meaning that the hockey goalie will contract his hip internal rotators to help him stretch his hip external rotators.
- Begin by sitting on a trainers’ table or your kitchen counter with your knees right against the edge of the counter.
- Pull your feet and knees together.
- Sit up tall.
- Try to keep your knees touching as you pull your feet apart (keep the knees bent to 90 degrees).
- Pull the feet outward for five seconds and then relax. Perform 15-30 repetitions.
Self Myofascial Release with the Foam Roll
Any of you goalies out there stretch your hips but find that your flexibility still doesn’t improve? Frustrating isn’t it? The problem may not be that your muscles are tight at all, but rather your fascia may be stuck. Fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds every muscle and every individual muscle fibre. It can get tight or get bonded down to the underlying muscle and unless you actually get the fascia moving you will have trouble making gains through traditional stretching. If you do not have a foam roll, get one. If you are serious about your sport then you should have one.
Now, check out the video below so you can learn exactly how to do the stretches described above and learn more about how hockey goalies can implement foam rolling to increase hip flexibility.
Maria Mountain, MSc, CSCS is the owner of Revolution Conditioning and a professional fitness coach who is trusted by hockey players to help them compete at levels beyond their expectations while reducing their risk of injury. Her training methods have been proven at all levels from the NHL to AAA. If you are a goalie looking to take your game to the next level visit www.ultimategoalietraining.com or get your free 5-Part Hockey Training Insider’s Report at www.hockeytrainingpro.com.