See below for a quick video outlining the influence of the stretch reflex and stretch shortening cycle in skating.
Major Take-Away: The stretch reflex should primarily be trained in positions of deep hip and knee bend, with less focus on the more upright posture, short contact time exercises applicable to top speed sprinting OFF the ice.
Give this a shot, and post any feedback in the comments section below!
To your success,
Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com
P.S. If you’re interested in improving your speed on the ice, check out my book Speed Training for Hockey.
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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.
“I can say without wavering that Kevin's one of my most trusted resources in the strength and conditioning field.”
Eric Cressey, President, Cressey Sports Performance