Tag: ultimate hockey development coaching program

Top Hockey Development Posts of 2010

With 2011 officially upon us, I can’t help but reflect on what a great year 2010 was. A few of the highlights:

  1. We had an extraordinary Summer at Endeavor (awesome to watch Eric Tangradi score his first NHL goal and Colby Cohen play his first NHL game).
  2. I was able to make a trip out to San Jose to spend some time with my friend Mike Potenza, and another trip down to Raleigh to meet Pete Friesen and attend his Physio-Fitness Summit (which I recapped for a HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com article).
  3. My Ultimate Hockey Development Coaching Program was not only a big success, it was a lot of fun to do. The thing I like about doing “interviews” is that I pick up a lot of new stuff too. Joe Heiler, Jeff Cubos, Brijesh Patel and Jared Beach’s talks were especially enlightening to me, but I’ve heard great feedback about all the other talks as well.

  4. Along those same lines, the launch of HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com was particularly exciting. When I was growing up as a player, it was nearly impossible to get access to NHL coaches, players, trainers, etc. Now, the internet has made this exceptionally easy. The fact that you can now make a nominal investment and get immediate access to the guys that have help develop elite level hockey players at all ages doesn’t only appeal to me as a professional, it excites me as a former player. And the networking possibilities are unreal. When I was a senior at the University of Delaware, I wrote a letter to every US-based NHL Strength and Conditioning coaches inquiring about internship opportunities. While I wasn’t able to grab an internship out of their effort, there were a few NHL Strength Coaches that called me and spent some time giving me advice on how to break into the industry (Mike Kadar, who is now with the Pittsburgh Penguins was especially helpful). At HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com, you can post an inquiry on the forum and get responses from many of the top hockey strength and conditionign professionals in the world (including several that work in the NHL or with NHL players). Awesome.
  5. Emily and I made the move from Baltimore to Philadelphia at the end of August. My commute to Endeavor has dwindled to measly 25 minutes from what was a grueling 2 hour trek. It’s still enough time that I can go through an audio book every week, but short enough that I don’t need to wake up at 5:30 and drink 3 coffees and a spike just to make it to work (awake) by 8:30.

And finally, I’ve gotten terrific feedback on many of the posts on this site over the last year. It’s certainly come a long way from when I first started a few years back. As you continue to spread the word about this information to people you know, I continue to get more feedback to cater the content to your interests.

With all that said, here are the top Hockey Development posts of 2010!

7. Hockey Injuries: Sports Hernia Case Study

6. Hockey Training Tip to Prevent Shoulder Injuries

5. Hockey Training with the Vertimax

4. Randy Pausch, Will Smith, Kevin Neeld?

3. Video Reveals Secret to Developing Elite Level Hockey Players!

2. No One Conditions Alone

1. The Truth About Sidney Crosby

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

P.S. If you haven’t yet, go sign up for the 2011 Sports Rehab to Sports Performance Teleseminar. It’s free, and the speaker line-up is incredible!

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Hockey Development Present Ideas

I remember the anxious anticipation I used to feel leading up to Christmas when I was younger. The holidays have come to take on a different meaning as I’ve gotten older, but then, it was all about getting new hockey stuff. Whether it was new gloves, new pants, a new jersey, or new rollerblades, I almost always strictly wanted something that would help make me a better player or replace old gear that I had bought myself. Somewhere I have a picture of me as a little porker, fully clothed, wearing my new hockey pants and flexing (a hockey strength and conditioning coach in the making); if I can dig it up I’ll throw it up on here.

Santa’s shooting technique is eerily resemblant of Mark Messier’s

One of the things I love so much about the hockey community is how passionate everyone involved is. I’ve found that, as much or more than any other sport, hockey players, parents, and coaches are always looking for ways to get better. This, in combination with the rapid growth of the sport over the last decade, has done wonders in improving the quality of the game at all levels.

With the Holiday Season upon us, you may be in a rush to finish up your shopping for the hockey enthusiasts in your life. With that in mind, here are a couple recommendations:

For the Players:

Because my focus has been primarily on the training side of things over the last few years, I don’t talk very much about skill development. Many are surprised to know that this is actually where a lot of my background originated-running on-ice power skating and puckhandling clinics. One of the most overlooked aspects of hockey training is how much improvement a player can make in his/her hands from spending some time handling a puck or ball and taking a few hundred QUALITY shots everyday. The key is to find the right equipment to do so. I’ve been really impressed with what HockeyShot has to offer. Go to the link below and check out the “Top 12 Must-Haves” under the Hot Gifts tab on the left. A good net and shooting board allow you to bring the feel of a rink anywhere you want. I also recommend picking up one of the stickhandling balls in the Stocking Stuffers section.

Click Here >> HockeyShot: Your #1 Source for Hockey Training Aids!

The thing that most consistently limits a player’s performance is how they fuel themselves. From talking to hundreds of players over the last several years, hockey players aren’t able to consistently identify any “good” foods except for chicken. Essentially, the idea of pre-, during-, and post-training/competition meals are completely lost on them. Generation UCAN has a simple, and extremely effective solution to this problem. Their SuperStarch drinks are perfect for pre- and during- training, practices, and games, and their SuperStarch/Protein drinks are prefer for afterward. I highly recommend picking up a case of each. They have a special deal right now offering 25% off all their products, but only through the link below.

Click Here >> Generation UCAN Sports Drinks

For Parents and Coaches

There are countless products out there that may appeal to you, many of which I’ve talked about in the past. Having said that, I still think the #1 thing every parent and coach should do is watch Mike Boyle’s presentation from USA Hockey’s ADM conference. It won’t cost you a dime, and will have a profound impact on what you do with your sons/daughters/players. The general feedback I’ve gotten from parents that have watched it so far is “I can’t believe how wrong of an approach I’ve taken.” This presentation address things ranging from whether or not players need to play in “prospect camps” (which many parents push their kids to play in for fear of not getting “noticed”) to what players should be doing from a training standpoint to give themselves the best chance of success (not what most coaches have their youth teams doing). You can watch the entire presentation for free here:

>> The Truth About Developing Elite Level Hockey Players <<

Strength Coaches, Trainers, and Sports Medicine Professionals

One thing I’ve noticed over the last year is that it’s easy to get busy and let continuing education stuff slip under the radar. Many strength and conditioning coaches work in excess of 10 hour days on a regular basis. In an effort to keep up with current trends in hockey training, it’s important that continuing education isn’t ignored. In an effort to maintain some semblance of a social life, it’s important that you only look to the best resources for this information. In this regard, HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com is the top resource for hockey training information on the internet. The diversity of the contributors allows for great information on new exercises and training progressions, injury prevention and rehabilitation techniques, coaching cues, nutrition and supplementation, and more. Even better, the contributors aren’t “internet gurus”; they all have real-world experience developing hockey players (many at the NCAA D1, Major Junior, Olympic, and Professional Levels)! A year-membership makes a perfect gift!

Click Here >> Hockey Strength and Conditioning


As an added bonus (and incentive), if you sign up for a 1-year membership by tonight at midnight (12/15), I’ll throw in my Ultimate Hockey Development Coaching Program as a free gift. You can listen to the 14 Coaching Calls with some of the hockey development industry’s top experts on your drive in and out of work or while you shovel! Just send me an email after you’ve registered with your name and login id and I’ll shoot you over a download link after I confirm.

That’s a wrap for today. If you have any questions about the things I’ve mentioned here, feel free to post a comment below and I’ll get back to you.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld

P.S. Forward this along to your friends, family, teammates, and coaches…and hurry, shopping time is running out!

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Rapid Response Goalie Training

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

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Hockey Development Coaching Program Re-Released!

I have some exciting news to share with you, but before I do, I want to remind you about one of my favorite newsletters. Personal Development expert Brian Tracy offers about a dozen different newsletters through his site, all of which are great. Depending on your business/interests, you may not be interested in all of them, but I think you’ll love the “Quote of the Day” newsletter he sends out. I saved a few recent ones that I really like:

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.” – Jackson Brown Jr., writer

“We can learn from past failures and mistakes, but we shouldn’t get stuck there. We can keep future goals in mind, but we shouldn’t get stuck there, either. The only way to reach our potential is to focus on what we must do now – this moment, this day – to perform effectively and win.” – Joe Torre

“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.” – James Allen

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” – Napolean Hill, author

“A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.” – Larry Bird, basketball player

I can’t get enough of these. If you want to sign-up for his newsletter you can here.

The Move

Emily and I found a great place in Philadelphia (randomly, since we found the place because a woman randomly approached us on a street corner after overhearing us talk about places) so the move is official. We’re both really excited. We’ll be Philadelphia residents by the end of the month. If you’re ever in the area, let me know and I’d be happy to show you around Endeavor.

Ultimate Hockey Development Coaching Program

I got such great feedback from the first go-around with my Ultimate Hockey Development Coaching Program that I’ve decided to re-release it. If you didn’t know, since the first launch, Bill Hartman and Mike Potenza hopped on board as contributors, both of which KILLED their Coaching Calls. Go to the link below for more information!

=> Ultimate Hockey Development Coaching Program <=

To your continued success,

Kevin Neeld

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Hockey Development Coaching Program Q & A

I’ve gotten a lot of questions about my Ultimate Hockey Development Coaching Program, but by far the most common question is: “Is this for me?”

As excited as I am about this program, the truth is that it may NOT be for you.

This program is really only for players or other people involved in the hockey development process (coaches, parents, strength and conditioning coaches, therapists, trainers, etc.) that are TRULY passionate and committed to getting the most out of themselves.

Some players just want to go out and have fun and don’t care if they progress at all. This program is not for them.

It’s really for those of you that are SERIOUS about fulfilling your potential and pursuing the highest level of hockey possible. Like anything worthwhile, this program requires some work on your part. I’ve compiled an EXTREMELY intelligent group of hockey development experts. It’s likely they’ll touch on something you’re unfamiliar with or disagree with. This means you’ll have to do some extra leg work to look up more information about what they’re talking about.

For the truly dedicated, this isn’t a barrier at all; it’s a natural part of pursuing excellence. For the lazy and weak-hearted, this may (rightfully so) deter you from joining the program.

If you think you have what it takes, click the link below and register for the Ultimate Hockey Development Coaching Program. It’s completely FREE and requires no risk on your part at all. If you’re serious about your development, you’ll join the rest of us on the inside:

=> Ultimate Hockey Development Coaching Program <=

To your continued success,

Kevin Neeld

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