When first introducing strength training to youth athletes (and everyone else for that matter), it’s important to teach the fundamentals. Basic movements, performed correctly. One strategy to help speed up the learning process is to slow down the movement. This gives the athlete more time to feel different positions throughout the exercise and the coach… Read more
Varying starting positions and incorporating partner chases are great ways to both teach/challenge different movement strategies and keep training engaging/fun for kids. General rule: Pick 2 patterns to reinforce for the day and put the slower start position in the back. Switch positions after each rep, and read the room to see if the kids… Read more
Properly designed training programs should increase performance AND decrease injury risk in athletes. A couple more quotes from research papers looking into this topic. 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 NeeldSpeedTrainingforHockey.comHockeyTransformation.comOptimizingAdaptation.com P.S. Interested in age-specific year-round hockey training… Read more
Early specialization and year-round participation in a single sport are both strategies implemented to help speed up an athlete’s development. The reality is this “short-term” athletic development comes at a cost – significantly increased risk of injury, burnout, and quitting. The first step in finding a solution is agreeing we have a problem. Feel free… Read more
The youth training process should serve two primary purposes: 1) Facilitate long-term development – Start with basic training strategies that lead to consistent, incremental progress. Save advanced training methods for when the athlete has several years of training experience AND the basics stop working. 2) Maximize durability – Break the cycle of constant sport participation,… 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.
“In my mind Kevin Neeld is one of the top 5-6 S&C Coaches in the ice hockey world, It’s not often I turn to younger coaches for advice but, Kevin is a guy I count on to be on top of all the latest info and, to use it with his athletes.”
Michael Boyle, Owner, Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning
Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team