A couple weeks back I posted a video of a lateral speed training starting position. If you missed it, you can check it out here: Hockey Speed Training: Lateral Start Progression. At the end of that post, I mentioned that we eventually go into strictly dynamic starts, or probably more accurately, we progress to an increased focus on transitional movement patterns.
This can be a bit difficult to describe sometimes, so I shot some video last week to give you an idea of how we incorporate transitional movements into our speed training.
5-Yard Back Shuffle->5-Yard Forward Back Pedal->10-Yard Forward Sprint
5-Yard Forward Sprint->5-Yard Backward Back Pedal->10-Yard Forward Sprint
5-Yard Lateral Back Pedal->10-Yard Forward Sprint
The goal here is to emphasize moving through similar patterns that hockey players face on the ice as quickly as possible. In the first two videos, this is the first time these players have performed these drills so their movements aren’t as refined as they would be with a bit more practice. With that said, I try not to lose sight of the fact that each player is going to move a little differently and that my job isn’t to make them all run like robots, just to make them move as quickly and efficiently as possible.
I go into detail about how I design my speed training programs for hockey players in Breakaway Hockey Speed.
To your success,
Kevin Neeld
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This Week at Hockey Strength and Conditioning
Another great week over at Hockey Strength and Conditioning! This week we added:
This is the 3rd phase of our off-season hockey training programs at Endeavor. I’ve now posted 12 weeks of the EXACT programs we use to develop our elite level hockey players at HockeySC.com!
Working with pro athletes has made Mike a master of variation. These videos include several great hip training exercises to help prevent some of the common hip flexor and groin strains we all see so much of.
As always, the forum has been hopping with great questions and contributions from people like Mike Boyle, Brijesh Patel, and Maria Mountain. You can get access to all this information for only $1!
Kevin has teamed up with Michael Boyle (Boston University), Sean Skahan (Anaheim Ducks), and Mike Potenza (San Jose Sharks) to put together what people are calling “The Greatest Collection of Hockey Strength and Conditioning Coaches on the Planet!” HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com is the first ever hockey training membership site LOADED with tons of programs, innovative exercise videos, hockey-specific articles on training, injury prevention, mental training, and nutrition and supplementation, and an open forum for players and coaches to communicate with experienced hockey experts. With contributions from over a dozen NHL and NCAA Division I Strength and Conditioning Coaches, this site is REVOLUTIONIZING hockey player development.
Off-Season Hockey Development
As the chaos typical of off-season hockey training starts to die down, I wanted to share some “Wednesday Wisdom” with you.
1) Hockey Development includes, or should I say necessitates, taking time AWAY from hockey! My friend David Lasnier talks about this and other great hockey training tips in a podcast he recently did with Perry Nickelston. Check it out here: Stop Chasing Pain Podcast with David Lasnier
2) I recently got an email question from my colleague Dennis Adsit asking about heart rate responses to slideboarding compared to shuttle runs. There is a very long-winded response to this question which outlines what we’re really looking for out of our conditioning, but the simple answer is you can get comparable heart rates if you really push the tempo. While this isn’t always possible as fatigue really starts to infiltrate, this is the tempo we want to aim for on EVERY interval (at least, every interval under 30s).
20s Slideboard
3) About 6 weeks ago, Robert Morris University goalie Marissa Angel set a personal record with 2 chin-ups. The next week she set a PR with 3 chin-ups. The next week 4. The next week 5. Last week 6. And just yesterday 8. I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work she’s put forth this Summer. Getting strong isn’t only for male hockey players. For most females, doing 8 chin-ups seems like a tall feet. As with any long-term goal, the most important step is the first one!
4) Being an explosive hockey player on the ice starts with being explosive off the ice. Check out the videos below. In the first video, where (from left to right) Dave Macalino (URI), Jeff Buvinow (Brown), and Charlie Vasaturo (Salmon Arm Silverbacks; BCHL) perform a 1-Arm DB Hang Snatch with an 80, 90, and 90 lb dumbbell (respectively).In the second, Colby Cohen (in the Colorado Avalanche system) does a Hang Clean with 230 for 2 reps.
1-Arm DB Hang Snatch
Hang Clean
5) You don’t need to wait until a certain age before you can start getting strong. This video is of ’96 Conor Landrigan doing DB Reverse Lunges with 65 lb DBs. Conor had zero lifting experience before starting with us about 3 months before this video was taken. We have about a half dozen ’96 hockey players that are of comparable strength. It’s no coincidence that these players are amongst the top players in the country. The work ethic that goes into building strength like this also transfers into other aspects of hockey.
DB Reverse Lunge
6) Last week I was driving on a state highway in Maryland and was abruptly stopped by a red light at a 4-way intersection. One of the “ways” was a parking lot. The quick red light caused about a half dozen cars on each side of the road to come to screeching halt. I looked at the perpendicular lights to see who triggered it and saw it was the car coming from the parking lot. I looked at the driver, who was texting on a phone inconspicuously positioned on his lap. I looked at his green light. I looked at him, back at the green light. Hilariously for him, and enragingly for me, he glanced up to see if the light had turned green right after it returned back to red. This struck me as a great symbol of current sociological norms. As we make an effort to occupy every second of our time, life is often passing us by.
7) Speed training with a crossover and transitional emphasis is a must in any hockey training program. I outline a lot of the dynamic starts and transitional speed drills in my hockey speed training manual Breakaway Hockey Speed.
10-Yard Sprint (5-Yard Back Run Start) 1
10-Yard Sprint (5-Yard Back Run Start) 2
To your success,
Kevin Neeld
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This Week at Hockey Strength and Conditioning
If you aren’t a member of Hockey Strength and Conditioning, you’re missing a lot of great stuff. Over the last two weeks we’ve added:
I’m not sure how long this will last, but as of today, you can get access to all of these articles, programs, and videos, for only a $1! Click the link below for more information about Hockey Strength and Conditioning!
