I recently came across an excellent video that I want to share with you. Doug Richards from the Physical Education & Health department at University of Toronto St. George gives a lecture entitled, “Stretching: The Truth”. In his presentation, he discusses all the myths of stretching and outlines the foundational scientific knowledge that everyone should be familiar with before implementing a stretching program.
A lot of this information (notably understanding the mechanical properties of various soft tissues like muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia) is similar to what Bill Hartman recently discussed during the Coaching Call he did for my Hockey Development Coaching Program. After hearing Bill talk about the various stretching techniques he uses (and why) and no hearing Doug Richards detail the science behind it, I’ve really changed my outlook on the whole stretching process and how to go about recommending stretches to my hockey players.
Check out the video; I bet you start to reconsider some of the stuff in your programs too!
Enjoy.
To your success,
Kevin Neeld
Kevin has rapidly established himself as a leader in the field of physical preparation and sports science for ice hockey. He is currently the Head Performance Coach for the Boston Bruins, where he oversees all aspects of designing and implementing the team’s performance training program, as well as monitoring the players’ performance, workload and recovery. Prior to Boston, Kevin spent 2 years as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Jose Sharks after serving as the Director of Performance at Endeavor Sports Performance in Pitman, NJ. He also spent 5 years as a Strength and Conditioning Coach with USA Hockey’s Women’s Olympic Hockey Team, and has been an invited speaker at conferences hosted by the NHL, NSCA, and USA Hockey.
“Training with Kevin has taken me from a Division 3 to an ECHL hockey player. If I hadn't trained with Kevin I might not have reached my goal of playing professional hockey.”
Michael Gershon, Wheeling Nailers, ECHL