One of the more consistent findings in determining what differentiates elite and sub-elite skaters is that elite skaters adopt a lower skating position. This study from Upjohn et al (2008) found that high caliber skaters had a deeper skating position, which translated into longer/wider strides with more extension range of motion through the knee/ankle. Ultimately, […]
Blogs
Hockey Speed Training Pyramid
I hope this finds you well, and that you’re as excited as I am for the start of the hockey season. Over the last few years, balancing my work responsibilities with family time and wrapping up my PhD has not left a lot of extra time for writing. When I started this site back in […]
POSTED BY KEVIN NEELD Oct 16, 2021
12 Hours to Save $50 on Optimizing Adaptation & Performance!
I hope you’re wrapping up a great week. This is a FINAL friendly reminder that the launch sale for Optimizing Adaptation & Performance ends in 12 hours (midnight tonight). Get INSTANT Access and Save $50 Here >> Optimizing Adaptation & Performance James LaValle, Mike Potenza and I sought to create a learning environment that we […]
POSTED BY KEVIN NEELD Nov 8, 2019
3 Keys for a Successful Return from Injury (NHL Reconditioning Model)
Mike Potenza (San Jose Sharks) recently shared an article on 3 powerful strategies he’s used to successfully return his players from injury. Unfortunately, it’s still extremely common for athletes to be told to rest for several weeks until the injury “heals”, and then receive a green light to fully return to sport. While time may […]
POSTED BY KEVIN NEELD Nov 6, 2019
The Biggest Mistake in Program Design
On Friday, Eric Cressey published an article I wrote on the biggest mistake people make when designing training programs. Before I get into that, I wanted to let you know that we’ve extended the launch sale for our new video series Optimizing Adaptation & Performance through this Friday (11/9) at midnight EST. With Halloween in […]
POSTED BY KEVIN NEELD Nov 3, 2019
The Myth of In-Season Maintenance
Today I’m excited to share another guest article from Mike Potenza, which he wrote for Mike Robertson’s site this week. How athletes address their in-season training can have a profound impact on their speed, power, strength, and overall energy throughout the season. This is particularly important as a failed in-season plan will lead to maximal […]
POSTED BY KEVIN NEELD Nov 1, 2019
Podcast: Speed training, transitioning to the NHL, and more!
Last week I was a guest on the Strength Coach Podcast with Anthony Renna. During our conversation, we talked about: Speed training misconceptions Key differences between running speed and skating speed The importance of transitional speed work (not just running straight) Strategies to monitor rest to maximize speed development, on and off the ice Transitioning […]
POSTED BY KEVIN NEELD Oct 31, 2019
Hear from NHL S&C Coach Mike Potenza
Mike Potenza, who is in his 14th year as Director of S&C for the San Jose Sharks, recently did an interview for Robbie Bourke’s ‘All Things Strength & Wellness’ podcast. Check out the interview here >> Mike Potenza – Optimizing Adaptation & Performance In the interview, they covered a lot of great information, including: Mike’s […]
POSTED BY KEVIN NEELD Oct 30, 2019
Optimizing Adaptation & Performance is Live!
I’m extremely excited to share that today Optimizing Adaptation & Performance is officially live! Optimizing Adaptation & Performance features over 7.5 hours of video and PDFs from all of the presentations from a a seminar I did last Summer with James LaValle and Mike Potenza at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning. There’s more health and […]
POSTED BY KEVIN NEELD Oct 28, 2019
Training Around Hip Pain for Hockey
Hip pain is exceedingly common in hockey players. Due to the repetitive nature of the skating motion, every player – even the “healthy” ones – flirts with some sort of overuse or under-recovery of their hip musculature over the course of a season. Click here to read: How To Train Around Hip Pain for Hockey […]
POSTED BY KEVIN NEELD May 23, 2019

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