Posts in Hockey Player Development

Hip Assessment for Hockey Players

A couple day’s back, I proposed the idea that the underlying assumption that hockey players (and athletes in general) are structurally and neurologically symmetrical was grossly misguided. In fact, structural asymmetries in conjunction with asymmetrical movement tendencies can be an underlying factor in a lot of the dysfunction our players present with and in common […]

Read More


Hockey Research: Shot Accuracy, Joint Pain, and Atherosclerosis

Monday’s post presented research that represents what I believe is the first attempt to analyze a connection between various testing measures and actual in-game performance. If you missed it, check it out here: Breakthrough Hockey Training Research Sticking with the research theme, I came across a few other studies that may interest you. Whole-body predictors […]

Read More


Breakthrough Hockey Training Research

Last week I came across a recent research article that I think is a real breakthrough in the hockey training world. Before I get to that, I want to quickly touch on the importance (or lack thereof) of testing. First, let’s distinguish between assessing (screening for ROM, structural, or movement impairments), and testing (assessing performance). […]

Read More


Exercise Adaptations for Hockey Players

A few years back I heard Mike Boyle describe the primary goals of a strength and conditioning program as: Prevent injuries to the athletes during the training process Minimize injury risk during sports practice and competition Improve performance This list is presented in order of importance and represents a philosophy that I’ve completely adopted at […]

Read More


Pre-Puberty Hockey Training

Last week I had an opportunity to speak with the parents of two local teams with ’98 and ’97 birth-year players. After that talk, I got a great question from a well-read mom with regards to the effectiveness of training before the athlete has reached puberty. Her thought was that because the hormonal profile of […]

Read More