I’m breaking my usual Monday-Wednesday-Friday update routine because I wanted to let you know about something I’m really excited about. As you know, I’ve been a huge promoter of Body By Boyle Online since it was first launched several months ago.

Mike Boyle’s work has had a profound impact on my training philosophies and methodologies. I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to read his books, watch his DVDs, attend his seminars, and visit his facilities at BU and MBSC. He’s also been an incredible mentor, always making himself available to me if I have questions about anything from sports hernia referrals to running a private training facility. Moreover, I’ve learned and continue to learn a lot from his disciples (Sean Skahan, Mike Potenza, Darryl Nelson, Devan McConnell, Kim McCullough, and Jaime Rodriguez…to name a few).

In short, Boyle has had a remarkable impact on the hockey training and development industry as well as strength and conditioning as a whole. This is, in large part, a result of his dedication to continuing education. In fact, if there’s one thing that he taught me that I had to highlight as THE most important thing, it’s that I should never stop learning. In this way, I’ll always stay on top of my game, be aware of new information, and put my athletes in the best environment to succeed.

It is for that reason that I place so much value in Body By Boyle Online and why I know you’ll benefit so much from it as well. That brings us to today’s exciting announcement.

A couple weeks ago, I got an email from Boyle and Kevin Larrabee about them relaunching their site in a way that makes the content more easily accessible and costs less. Instead of having me try to describe all the changes to you, I thought it would be easier if I had Kevin (the other Kevin) come on and do a quick interview about it.

Enter Kevin:

Me: First off, congratulations to you and the rest of the Michael Boyle Strength and Conditioning staff for being ranked the #1 Gym in America. That’s quite an honor! As you know, I’ve been a huge supporter of BodyByBoyleOnline since you guys first launched it. Looking through the programs provides invaluable insight into Coach Boyle’s underlying philosophies and methodologies, and the constant content updates are outstanding. In fact, we use many of the presentations as continuing education for our staff during our weekly meetings. Can you talk a bit about what changes you’re making to the subscription options with this “re-launch” and what lead you to make these changes?

KL: Thank Kevin! We are bringing everything that has helped make MBSC the #1 Gym in America to BodyByBoyle Online. With the relaunch we had two major goals. First off we wanted to make the content as easy to assess as possible. For us, that meant duplicating all of our content for a website, and in doing so offering multiple qualities of the videos for those with fast or slow connections.

Second, we wanted to created a second membership level for those that might not want to do online training and just want the rich educational content that we have put together. To be honest over half of our members simply come to watch the staff meeting videos as well as the exclusive seminars that we film. For example we just filmed the 2011 MBSC Winter Seminar that featured Dan John as well as Mike. We understand that many people want to go to more seminars, but the time and cost of travel is just too high. So for those people, we now offer a standard version of BodyByBoyle Online at a reduced rate of $39.97/month (for now). Of course all of our current members will also be given access to the website as part of their Platinum membership ($59.97/month).

Me: Although the site is “Body By Boyle”, he’s not the only content contributor to the site. Can you provide some insight into some of the other guests you have add content?

KL: I think that is what makes BodyByBoyle Online so great and a pleasure to produce. We have had speakers come in to the facility to do private seminars for our staff. In the last couple months we have had Sue Falsone form Athlete’s Performance present and do a hands on about the thoracic spine, Nick Tumminello came in to talk rotary training, Chris Frankel did a lecture and hands on about suspension training, and always have guests stopping by, especially when the Perform Better Circuit is coming through town. This just goes to show you how much Mike values continuing education and how important it is for you to be one of the best in this field.

Me: I think one of the things that causes people to hesitate sign up for sites/services with monthly memberships is a fear that the information will stagnate. Can you talk about what plans you guys have for the site in the future and what members have to look forward to?

KL: Trust me when I say you have an ongoing stream of new content. We film our staff meetings each week, our guest speakers, F.A.Q. with Mike where he goes in depth on subjects and answers questions from the members, and we are even dipping into the vault with some classic Boyle videos. All you need to do is take a look at Mike’s shorts to see the videos are 15 years old or so. But the best part, is that the videos from the past are even more relevant now than they were then. One of the VHSs that Mike has converted to digital video is his olympic lift video where he goes through the various lifts. Guess what, we still use the same coaching steps as he did back then.

We have also made digital versions of Mike’s current DVD offerings such as the three DVD set he just produced and released a few months ago.

Me: Thanks Kevin. I appreciate you taking the time to be with us today. I look forward to seeing the content additions over the upcoming months!

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

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Ahhh, Thanksgiving is near. In addition to being a time to pursue morbid obesity, Thanksgiving is also a time to think of all the things we have to be thankful for…and to go shopping for great deals. In reference to the latter, I have something special for you. Read on…

Tomorrow, I will eat you.

I recently had an opportunity to read through Maria Mountain’s new Rapid Response Goalie Training program. I was planning on doing a tele-interview with Maria for today, but I’ve been sick for the last week and didn’t have much of a voice. Hopefully I can steal some time from her over the next few days and get something up on Monday.

Hockey training for goalies can mean a lot of different things to different people. Unfortunately, most of the goalie training I see is complete garbage. It over emphasizes unstable surface and flexibility training and completely overlooks strength and power training.

Great flexibility…but I bet she’s a terrible goalie (and a definite surgery candidate!)

Maria’s program is a breath of fresh air. From a training perspective, Maria really “gets it”. She understands the requirements of the goaltending position and is an expert in preparing players for these demands. She recognizes the need for strength and power training for goalies, and seamlessly integrates these things into a comprehensive development program. The power of Maria’s program comes from it’s ease of use. She put together a 78-page manual outlining exactly why and how (and how not!) goalies should be training, and walks you step by step through her goalie training system. Rapid Response Goalie Training also comes with a ready-to-use goalie training program, including videos of all the exercises that can be loaded onto iphones (for the technologically savvy) and forms for you to document progress along the way. And because no training program is complete without nutrition recommendations, she even included an easy-to-understand 26-page nutrition report as a bonus.

In short, Maria’s Rapid Response Goalie Training program is clear, comprehensive, and effective. It’s the perfect solution for goalies that don’t have access to a ton of equipment or a strength and conditioning coach. As an added incentive for the goalies (as well as goalie parents and coaches that train goalies), and because I know you like free stuff, if you buy Maria’s program before next Friday (December 3rd), I’ll send you a download link for my entire Ultimate Hockey Development Coaching Program for free.  This includes two great bonuses: Breakaway Hockey Speed and Kim McCullough’s Mental Performance Package.

To take advantage of this limited time offer, click the image or go to the link below. After you order your copy of Rapid Response Goalie Training, come back to this page and click here to send me an email to let me know you’ve ordered it so I can get your additional bonuses to you right away.

Rapid Response Goalie Training

For those of you that I don’t get emails from by tomorrow, I hope you and your families have a great Thanksgiving!

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

Please enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Athletic Development and Hockey Training Newsletter!

Picking right up where we left off on Monday:

18. These are two interesting abstracts on outcomes of manual therapy in chronic groin pain populations. I think every athlete should get manual therapy work performed on a regular basis, especially once they reach their Junior and Senior years of high school. If you’re in the mid-Atlantic area and need a recommendation, shoot me an email. I have a handful of professionals that I think are top-notch.

Abstract 1: A Manual Therapy Technique for Chronic Adductor-Related Groin Pain in Athletes: A Case Series

Abstract 2: Manual or Exercise Therapy for Long-Standing Adductor-Related Groin Pain: A Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial.

19. I recently started taking girth measurements of a few of our clients at Endeavor to better track their progress. While measuring the arm circumference, one of my clients said “You better call the vet, because these puppies are sick!” as he flexed. I’ll probably never forget that!

20. I recently had somewhat of a revelation that I needed to find more “balance” in my life. For the last several years, balance meant balancing various parts of work with other parts of work (e.g writing, article reading, DVD watching, coaching, etc.). I say “somewhat of a revelation” because my mom and Chris Boyko have collectively been politely reminding me of this for the last 15 years of my life (originally with hockey, now with strength and conditioning). This Summer I spent most of my weekdays training for 10+ hours; then I’d spend a good chunk of my weekend getting all my writing done.  When the Summer ended, I was ready for a slow time, which to me meant:

  • Writing a comprehensive hockey training book
  • Taking the Postural Restoration Institute’s Myokinetic Restoration Course
  • Taking the Precision Nutrition Certification Exam
  • Developing and implementing a Nutrition Coaching Program at Endeavor
  • Going through Mark Joyner’s Simpleology 101 Course (and reading the accompanying book)
  • Two other HUGE projects for Endeavor that I can’t even talk about yet because their still in their infancy

Not exactly a healthy break in the action. Over the last month, I’ve actively planned time away from anything training related and tried to spend more time doing things I enjoy, despite not having professional benefits.

21. This is the first time I’ve publically mentioned the book that I wrote. I’m more excited about this than I have been about any other project I’ve ever worked on. I’m still not sure if it will get picked up by a publisher or if I’ll self-publish it, but I whole-heartedly believe it will be a game-changer when it comes out.

22. They say behind every good man is a good (or better) woman. Frankly, I don’t know where I’d be without Emily, but I know I wouldn’t be as happy or have as much fun.

From our cruise a couple years ago. (first time I left North America)

I probably don’t thank her enough. I consider myself exceptionally lucky to have a best friend that is supportive when I need her to be, and that drags me away from textbooks when she knows I need her to. As much as I respect her, it’s still embarrassing when she beats me in bowling.

Over the line! Mark it zero dude.

23. Over the last couple years there has been a rapid increase in the number of websites dedicated to hockey development information. The two best FREE resources out there are Kim McCullough’s Total Female Hockey Club (incredible information for MALE hockey players too!) and Maria Mountain’s Hockey Training Pro. The best slightly-less-free resource is Hockey Strength and Conditioning.  If you’re involved in hockey in anyway, check out all three of these resources on a regular basis.

24. Spike…For when coffee feels like Nyquil

25. One of my dreams has always been to get invited to speak on hockey training in Europe. A couple weeks ago I received an email asking if I’d be interested in speaking in Denmark. I don’t know if it’ll work out or not, but I’m pretty psyched about the opportunity.

26. Stephen Covey once said, “We judge others by their behaviors. We judge ourselves by our intentions.” Think about the implications this has regarding our perceptions of EVERY behavior that goes on around us and how our own actions may be perceived by others. This may be the single most profound thing I’ve ever heard.

27. On a similar note, Michael Boyle summed up sports nutrition by paraphrasing someone: “Eat food. Mostly plants and animals. Not too much.” I urge everyone reading this to analyze their diet in that light and see how close they are. Most will find that there is less food, and more “food products” than there should be.

28. This is my new favorite stretch. Great way to improve full-body rotation range of motion.

Brettzel 2.0

29. You make everything I do possible. I’ve politely asked for people to forward my posts/newsletters that they’ve liked to other people. Because of these forwards, I’ve been introduced to a handful of NHL Strength and Conditioning Coaches, a couple of the higher-ups in USA Hockey, and countless other people that are equally important to me. When I started writing online, I made a promise to myself to always put out quality information that will truly benefit the people reading it. Regardless of what I write, it doesn’t matter if no one sees it. Because of your help, quality information is reaching more people. Thank you!

To your continued success,

Kevin Neeld

Please enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Athletic Development and Hockey Training Newsletter!

I always like free stuff, and research has shown that I’m not alone in that area. In fact, the word free is the single-most powerful word in all of marketing today. Ever go into the grocery store needing 1 of something and fall victim to the buy 3 get 1 free offer? “I don’t even know what I’ll do with 4 12-packs of toilet paper…but it was FREE!”

…Maybe that one’s just me, but I still think you’ll appreciate a few free samples of the Coaching Calls from my new Ultimate Hockey Development Coaching Program:

Eric Cressey (Cressey Performance)


Jim Snider (University of Wisconsin)


Joe Heiler (Sports Rehab Expert)


Kim McCullough (Total Female Hockey)


Jared Beach (Endeavor Hockey)


Brian St. Pierre




These are just small pieces of what this program has to offer, and you can access all the calls for FREE. Click the link below to register for the program now; you’re running out of time!

=> Ultimate Hockey Development Coaching Program <=

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

Please enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Athletic Development and Hockey Training Newsletter!

If you play hockey, coach hockey, or train hockey players, this is for you!

If you’ve been reading my blog recently, you know that I recently launched Hockey Training Expert, a site that I knew would training hockey player development forever.I have great news!

In an effort to truly raise the bar for providing the hockey community with the best information in the world, I’ve recently teamed up with Michael Boyle (Boston University), Sean Skahan (Anaheim Ducks), and Mike Potenza (San Jose Sharks) to develop HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com!

We’ve literally put together the greatest collection of hockey strength and conditioning coaches in the world! Check out the incredible list of contributors:

-Michael Boyle (Boston University)
-Sean Skahan (Anaheim Ducks)
-Mike Potenza (San Jose Sharks)
-Chris Pietrzak-Wegner (Minnesota Wild)
-Chuck Lobe (Tampa Bay Lightning)
-Jim Reeves (Mind to Muscle)
-Brijesh Patel (Quinnipiac)
-Cal Dietz (Univ. of Minnesota)
-Chris Boyko (UMass Amherst)
-Maria Mountain (Revolution Sport Conditioning)
-Tim Yuhas (Yuhas Performance)
-Matt Nichol (former Toronto Maple Leafs)
-Kim McCullough (Total Female Hockey)

I’m blown away by the amount of incredible information already on the site. There are articles on a variety of topics, including Strength and Conditioning, Programming, Youth Training, Injuries, Female Training and Coaching.   There are webinars, audio interviews and videos up as well, all about hockey!

Each week, we’re going to add videos, articles, and programs. None of these coaches are shy about questioning the norm, so I know the Coaches Forum will be hopping right from day 1. We also have plans of adding hockey-specific webinars and audio interviews every month!

To let you test drive HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com we’re offering a $1 30-day membership, after which it’s only $9.95/month! This offer only lasts until March 31st and the $9.95 price may jump up soon, so don’t wait. Head over to HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com and sign up today. It’s only a buck!

I look forward to seeing you inside the site!

To your continued success,

Kevin Neeld

P.S.  If you have a Hockey Training Expert membership, check your email! I personally sent you an email letting you know the details about the change. As of Friday, March 19th, Hockey Training Expert will officially merge with Hockey Strength and Conditioning!

P.S.S. It’s only a buck! To get access to over a thousand years of collective hockey training experience, you only need to INVEST $1. Go to HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com and sign up now!

Please enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Athletic Development and Hockey Training Newsletter!

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