Tag: hockey training program

Core Strength Variations

Core strength is an essential physical quality from both performance and durability perspectives. Learning to generate stiffness through the torso can help athletes transfer energy from the lower to upper body, deliver/absorb contract, and prevent undesirable motion of the hips, spine, and rib cage.

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The Slideboard Bodysaw is an advanced “anti-extension” progression to a front plank that emphasizes generating stiffness through the core to prevent the hips from falling down or into anterior tilt.

The goal here is to actively push the chest away from the ground and keep the hips level and square to the ground while pushing the body backward. The further back you push, the harder it is.

Typically performed for 3 sets of 8-12 reps or 3-6x5s holds.

The Slideboard Jigsaw is a variation of the Bodysaw that adds a component of lateral flexion/rotation control. The coaching cues are the same (i.e. push the chest away and keep the hips level).

Typically performed for 3 sets of 6-10 reps/side.

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 Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. If you’re interested in year-round comprehensive hockey-specific training programs for players at different ages, check out Ultimate Hockey Transformation.

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Speed Training for Hockey: 3-Year Anniversary

Hard to believe it’s been 3 years since Speed Training for Hockey was released.

When @fitness_pollenator and I sat down to map out the book, our goal was to put together a comprehensive resource that details all of the factors that can improve a player’s speed, written specifically for youth players, parents, and coaches.

We included a 12-week off-season training program to both illustrate how all the pieces fit together into a cohesive training plan, and to provide readers with a program they can follow to start making immediate improvements. We also included a comprehensive video database of all the exercises referenced in the book, so readers know exactly how each exercise should be performed.

Over the last 3 years, we’ve received great feedback about Speed Training for Hockey from players, parents, coaches, performance specialists, and rehab professionals alike.

✅ If you’re interested in grabbing a copy, you can find the book on Amazon, or check out http://SpeedTrainingforHockey.com (which also has more information about the book).

✅ If you already have a copy, feel free to share your thoughts about the book in the comments section below, or tag a friend that you think would benefit from grabbing a copy.

???? We appreciate all your support over the last 3 years, and look forward to hearing from more players about the results they get from using the Speed Training for Hockey program this off-season!

Feel free to post any comments/questions below.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For comprehensive hockey training programs to improve your speed AND repeat sprint ability, check out: Speed Training for Hockey

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!

Hockey Conditioning: Off-Season Goalie Training Progression

In viewing the game demands for hockey goalies, it’s apparent they do not need the same focus on anaerobic capacity that is often essential for forwards and defensemen to integrate into their training programs.

This picture is adapted from the “Performance Profiling as a Platform for Program Design” presentation I gave at our Optimizing Adaptation & Performance seminar, and shows examples of off-season training progressions for players with 3 different training goals.

As a general rule, goalies should follow the progression outlined in the Speed column. There are several unique features to this off-season progression, but the most notable is that when players transition to anaerobic capacity work (typically the last 2-3 weeks of the off-season), the goalies transition back into another speed phase.

Typically during the late off-season phases, goalies are also starting to spend more time on the ice, so the overall volume of off-ice work AND the emphasis on lateral movement should decrease.

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 Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For comprehensive hockey training programs to improve your speed AND repeat sprint ability, check out: Speed Training for Hockey

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!

Hockey Conditioning: Goalie Considerations

The goalie position has unique physical demands compared to forwards and defensemen that should factor into the training process.

This image shows heart rate data (courtesy of @dmcconnell29) from a goalie in a game and a practice. Clearly there are differences in the conditioning demands in how goalies are being utilized in practices compared to games, but there’s another key takeaway:

Goalies are required to move at high intensities in short bursts, but generally not for sustained periods long enough to drive heart rate up, and then have LONG breaks to recover.

While there are some considerations for preparing goalies for “worst case scenarios”, goalies should really be trained more like sprinters – major focus on raising the ceiling for their speed/power, with supporting aerobic work to help with recovery and consistency.

Feel free to post any other comments/questions you have below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For comprehensive hockey training programs to improve your speed AND repeat sprint ability, check out: Speed Training for Hockey

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!

Analyzing Game Demands of Ice Hockey: Sprinting Emphasis

In a professional hockey game, players perform around 7 high intensity skating efforts per shift, including 1-2 sprints around 20-30m, accumulating over 2000m in high intensity skating throughout a game.

These sprinting efforts often have an impact on possession, scoring opportunities, and ultimately the outcome of the game.

Ice hockey is a repeat sprint sport, and as a result, hockey conditioning programs should be built around an understanding of the limiting factors to repeat sprint ability.

There are two other important considerations:

Positional differences
The impact of body position and contact during “slow to moderate speed” skating