Month: May 2022

Acceleration vs. Max Speed

There are several notable differences in the stride pattern and muscular contributions of acceleration and max speed – both in running and skating.

I shared some of the differences in skating characteristics in previous posts that you can find by clicking on the #SpeedTraining highlight on my instagram account.

The images above are taken from a terrific research paper written by @kenclarkspeed and his colleagues exploring the relationship between acceleration and max speed at the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.

The top graph shows the acceleration profiles of athletes ranging from the slowest to the fastest. Notice that the shapes of the curves are very similar, just shifted up or down for faster or slower max speeds, respectively.

When the acceleration curves are displayed as a percentage of the max speed reached, they are almost identical (bottom graph).

This was one of the key findings of the study – that max speed could very well be a primary limiting factor for acceleration.

In other words – if your goal is to improve acceleration (i.e. “first step quickness”), there is still a place in your program for maximum speed work.

In implementing max speed work, it’s important to recognize both the characteristics of max speed you’re training to improve, and the characteristics of the athlete. For example, many hockey players are not efficient runners. As a result, increasing sprinting distance or speed is likely to also increase injury risk. Running extended sprints (e.g. 40-60 yards) or extended flying sprints (e.g. 10-20 yard build, 15-20 yard flying sprint) may be effective at increasing maximum speed, but the risk isn’t worth the reward.

Two alternatives:

  • Emphasize maximum speed work on the ice, where the patterns are both more specific to the end-goal, and safer for the athlete
  • Perform max speed work on an Assault bike, where the required movement skill is low, and the athlete can focus entirely on maximizing the output.

In both cases, it’s appropriate to use similar methods as sprinting (e.g. longer duration maximum output efforts (4-6s), and flying sprints to allow players to reach and sustain max speeds).

Feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For comprehensive hockey training programs to improve your speed AND repeat sprint ability, check out: Speed Training for Hockey

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Transferring Single-Leg Strength to Sport

Training single-leg strength in a variety of patterns is one of the keys to having strength improvements transfer to the dynamic environment of sport.

This video is of a 1-Arm DB 1-Leg Lateral Slideboard Lunge, a supplementary exercise that serves two primary purposes:

1️⃣ Develop single leg strength, with control against competing lateral forces
2️⃣ Develop eccentric strength of the adductors in a lengthened position

These qualities are important for most team sports, but have particularly value in hockey in both developing strength in sport-relevant patterns, and improving durability by minimizing injury risk to the adductors resulting insufficient stiffness or end-range strength.

Holding a dumbbell in the opposite hand helps drive a weight shift and a slight rotation of the torso over the stance leg, both of which help load the hip.

A few key coaching points:

✅ Set-up with the majority of the weight on the outside leg (think 80/20).
✅ The outside leg should be actively pushing down into the ground through the entire range of motion.
✅ As the hips drop, the dumbbell should move toward the outside leg.
✅ Keep downward pressure into the board with the straight leg throughout the rep to maintain active tension through the adductors.

Typically performed for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps OR 6-8 reps with a 3-5s eccentric.

Feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For more information on in- and off-season program design, training and reconditioning for injured players, and integrating sports science into a comprehensive training process, check out Optimizing Adaptation & Performance

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Curiosity, Humility, and Success

Great quote from my friend @dmcconnell29 in an interview he did with @fergus.connelly for the @teamsportmasterclass.

The most successful people I know in the performance and rehab fields have continued to learn, grow, and evolve throughout their career.

They recognize there’s always more to learn, have the curiosity to pursue new information, and the humility to change their methods when appropriate.

The most successful athletes I’ve worked with possess the same characteristics. They’re constantly looking for ways to grow their game – whether that’s improving specific physical attributes (speed, strength, repeat sprint ability, etc.), honing specific skills (in hockey. – edgework/puck protection through traffic, one timers from specific areas on the ice, tipping pucks in front of the net, finishing from in tight, etc.), studying opponent tendencies (on individual and team levels), or improving supporting behaviors (nutrition, supplementation, sleep, etc.).

They have the curiosity to ask questions, the humility to recognize/identify gaps in their game, and an unwavering desire to improve.

They do this despite their past success.

The reality is that no one will ever have it all figured out. There is always opportunity for growth.

And pursuing this growth may very well be the key to sustained success.

Feel free to post any other comments/questions you have below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For more information on in- and off-season program design, training and reconditioning for injured players, and integrating sports science into a comprehensive training process, check out Optimizing Adaptation & Performance

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!

3 Exercises to Improve Internal Rotation

Hip internal rotation has many important implications for athletic performance.

➡️ Loading through the stance phase to maximize the efficiency of push-off.
➡️ Creating power in cross-over patterns as the drive leg pushes under the body.
➡️ Improving single-leg stability by allowing the body to center over the foot/base of support.
➡️ Minimizing risk of developing and suffering symptoms of hip impingement.

In short, internal rotation is important, and will impact both performance and injury risk in sport.

I recently connected with @fittywithschmiddy, who has done an outstanding job of using the concepts taught by @drandreospina in his Functional Range Conditioning course to share exercises that help improve joint health and function by unlocking range of motion and increasing end-range strength.

In these videos, Emma shares a quick warm-up exercise and 3 exercises to improve hip IR, along with coaching cues/explanations below.

Coaching Cues/Explanations from Emma…

“We don’t always need to open up more space. Sometimes we have available ranges of motion but do not own those positions with control. Here are my favorite top 3 ways to improve hip internal rotation.

1️⃣ Always start with Controlled Articular Rotations as an assessment and warmup up for joint care. This involves taking the hip joint through the full arc of motion, while maintaining some tension through your core. This is talking with your Nervous System at the deepest level.

✅Start with 3 reps per direction preside.

2️⃣ Half Kneeling PAILS/RAILS: Here we can do 1 of 2 things:

➡️ Open up capsular space if there is limited availability
➡️ Use positional Isometrics to OWN different degrees of Internal Rotation

Protocol: Find stretch, then hold for 2 minutes. After 2-mins, use isometric efforts to push into block gradually with foot for 10-seconds, building up to max tension (Progressive Angular Isometric Loading; PAILs). Then, using the opposing muscle group, pull yourself into further Internal Rotation (Regressive Angular Isometric Loading; RAILS) by rotating over the down leg for 5s.

✅ Start with 2 sets of 2 cycles of PAILs/RAILs on each side.

3️⃣ 90/90 Passive Range Holds: This is where we identify and fill in the gaps between active and passive range of motion. We use the band to pull ourselves into a passive ROM, try to hold and actively fail (eccentrically loading this tissue).

✅ Start with 1-2 sets of 6 reps/side.

4️⃣ Hovers: This is all active effort. Squeezing out and using as much workspace we may have created

✅ Start with 1-2 sets of 6-8 reps of 5-second holds per side.

Always finish up with your CARs to upload all the new info to your nervous system!”

Give these a shot, and as always, feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For more information on how to assess movement and integrate specific strategies to improve mobility and movement quality in training, check out Optimizing Movement. Don’t have a DVD player? Send me a note through the contact page after you checkout here Optimizing Movement and I’ll get you a digital copy of the videos!

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