Tag: off-ice training

Diagonal Core Progression

Start basic. Eliminate joints, teach control.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Kevin Neeld, PhD (@kevinneeld)

½ Kneel eliminates lower leg and enforces single-leg stance control at the hip/core.

Tall Kneel adds in rotational control at the hip.

Standing adds in lower leg, but still emphasizes control (shoulders turn over a stable pelvis).

Rotational teaches loading through the hip and transfer through the core.

There are many Cable Lift variations not shown here, but this is the structure of a great off-season core training progression, and demonstrates how changes in position can emphasize different areas of the body.

Typically performed for 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps.

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 more information on in- and off-season program design, training and reconditioning for injured players, and integrating sports science into a comprehensive training process, check out Optimizing Adaptation & Performance

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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!

    Goalie-Specific Power Training: Lateral Pushing

    Lateral and rotational jumps can help goalies improve the speed at which they get across the crease.

    One piece of feedback I’ve heard from goalies over the years is that after going through a training phase to improve speed/power, they OVER push, and end up past the position they need to be in.

    A couple years ago, I had a conversation with my friend @goalietraining about this issue and she mentioned integrating more “short amplitude” lateral pushes. With these, the goal is to cover a shorter distance as fast as possible, instead of attempting to cover as much ground as possible. This better replicates the patterns goalies go through most commonly.

    This video (Click here to see video: Goalie-Specific Power Training) from Maria is of a short-amplitude lateral push resisted by the @ancoretraining cable (which has been an awesome addition to both our training facility and my home gym).

    Any significant off-ice changes will take some practice time to transition those improved qualities to the ice, but integrating both maximum effort jumps AND short-amplitude lateral pushes provides goalies with a more versatile movement skillset that better transitions to the ice.

    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!

    Goalie-Specific Power Training

    Goalies need to generate power in lateral and rotational patterns.

    The Lateral Bound with Rotational Rebound is an example of a jump progression that emphasizes both patterns along with body control through the transition.

    The goal is to cover as much ground as possible in each jump, while controlling the transition and the landing. We’ll start from a low position (opposed to tall), and cue the player to move “eyes first”, a strategy that helps reinforce the goalie finding the puck with their eyes as quickly as possible.

    Typically performed for 3-4 sets of 3-5 reps per side.

    There are clear benefits to this type of exercise, but there’s a short-term issue that arises when goalies improve their power that I’ll discuss more tomorrow.

    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!

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