A 2013 study from Philippon et al. found that over 1/3 of 10-12 year old hockey players have a structural change in their hips that limits hip flexion range of motion. Roughly 1/2 have hip labral tears. In players aged ~16-19, nearly all players had both diagnosable hip impingement AND hip labral tears. There are… Read more
The Alternating MiniBand Elvis is another exercise we integrate into our prep work. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kevin Neeld, PhD (@kevinneeld) There are a couple things this exercise can help accomplish: 1️⃣ Help athletes learn to dissociate between hip and lumbar range of motion. Keeping the pelvis stable while moving… Read more
The 90-Degree MiniBand Step-Out is an exercise we’ll integrate into our prep work both in the off-season and during the year. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kevin Neeld, PhD (@kevinneeld) The goal here is to teach the player to “hold strong” on the front side knee as they open-up in the… Read more
One of the primary goals of the early off-season is to re-establish full joint range of motion and control. A consistent (i.e. daily) focus on hip mobility work during the season can help players maintain their range of motion throughout the year; however, for players that are NOT consistently doing this work, it’s normal to… Read more
One thing a lot of athletes struggle with is maintaining a stable pelvis while pushing laterally. It’s common to see the torso bend back toward the pushing leg in exercises ranging from Lateral MiniBand Walks to Lateral Bounds and lateral cutting in transitional speed work. While there’s a time and place for emphasizing this type… Read more
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.
“Kevin provides a unique blend of knowledge and practical application that produces both exceptional educational content for his respective audience, and tangible athletic results for his training populations.”
Anthony Donskov, Founder, Donskov Strength & Conditioning, Inc.