Kevin Neeld — Hockey Training, Sports Performance, & Sports Science

This Week in Hockey Strength and Conditioning

I hope you had a great week. It was a busy one for us at Endeavor. David and I spent the week coaching from around 8am through 9pm. Long days, but it’s been great having so many of our off-season hockey players come back from their junior and college teams. It’s funny to hear comments like “this is the best part of playing hockey”. I’m proud that we’ve been able to create an environment where players can train hard, develop, and consider the process as much fun as playing itself.

With that in mind, over the last week I’ve written a couple important posts on long-term hockey development and on a few powerful tips to improve the most important skill in hockey. If you missed them, check them out at the links below:

  1. Understanding USA Hockey’s ADM
  2. 3 Keys to Developing Optimal Skating Technique

We’ve added some great stuff at Hockey Strength and Conditioning over the last week as well.

Darryl Nelson kicked things off with a video of one of his ’94s doing loaded jump squats. There’s a lot of weight on the bar for this exercise!

Check out the video here >> Jump Squats from Darryl Nelson

Mike Potenza followed up with an outstanding article on new technology to help facilitate regeneration. This is one I’m going to refer back to frequently, as there is a lot of great information on new products that you’ve probably never heard of before. This is a must-read if you compete at an elite level or work with high level players.

Check out the article here >> What’s New in Regeneration Training? from Mike Potenza

I added the first phase of our 2012 “Early Off-Season” training program, which is heavy on mobility and corrective work, and includes a 5th day of conditioning. This is one of the first times I’ve really incorporated a lot of work from the Postural Restoration Institute in a group setting, and our players have really taken to it (or at least…accepted it).

Check out the program here >> 2012 Early Off-Season 4-Day Training Program: Phase 1

Lastly, I added the second half of my article on the process of moving an “old school” hockey program into a more current approach of functional training. This article series highlights a progression for suggesting changes to specific physical qualities and specific language to help strength and conditioning coaches explain the benefits of various components of their program to hockey coaches that may not have the same background in exercise science. The first part of this series was really well-received so I think you’ll enjoy phase two here.

Check out the article here >> Training Overhaul: Making the Transition from Old School to Current Principles without Pissing off the Coach! (Part 2)

That’s a wrap for today. As always, if you aren’t a member yet, I encourage you to try out Hockey Strength and Conditioning for a week. It’ll only cost $1, and if it’s not the best buck you’ve ever spent, I’ll personally refund you!

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

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Kevin Neeld

Kevin Neeld Knows Hockey

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.