Posts in Performance Training

Hockey Training: Year-Round Periodization

Hockey Training: Year-Round Periodization

One of the big mistakes that the most committed youth athletes make is training the same way in-season that they do in the off-season. These graphs are from a talk I gave at the @nscaofficial Training for Hockey Clinic several years ago and provide an overview of how the emphases on specific physical qualities should […]

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Introducing Strength Training to Youth Athletes

Introducing Strength Training to Youth Athletes

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 […]

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Core Training: Frozen Bear Rotations with Stability Ball

Core Training: Frozen Bear Rotations with Stability Ball

This is a core exercise I’ve used for years to help reinforce proper centering/alignment of the rib cage over the pelvis, and breathing through a braced core. The goal here is to rotate as a unit, so the knees, hips, and shoulders all move together. Another way to think of it is that the nose, […]

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The Impact of Youth Training

The Impact of Youth Training

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 […]

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Individualizing Training in Group Settings

Individualizing Training in Group Settings

There are a lot of different approaches to individualizing training in group settings. First, it’s important to recognize that attempts to improve the program shouldn’t get in the way of being able to run it. There are very real logistical and cultural barriers to running what you may envision as the most “optimal” program. The […]

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