seanskahan

Speaking and Learning Schedule

Education, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Apr 022012

Here is my upcoming travelling, speaking, and learning schedule:

MAY 12th- 16th

German Hockey Federation Coaches Clinic

Trainer Fortbildung (Coaching Refresher Course)

A Trainerausbildung (A Coaches Course)

Cologne, Germany

Speaker

MAY 19th- 20th

Boston Sports Medicine and Performance Group Annual Seminar

Boston, MA

Speaker

JUNE 7th- 10th

CK-FMS Workshop

Attendee

St. Paul MN

AUGUST 10th-12th

Perform Better Functional Training Summit

Long Beach, CA

Attendee

AUGUST 17th- 18th

Okanagan Strength and Conditioning Conference

Kelowna, BC Canada

Speaker

Goaltenders, Ball Squeezes, Off-Season Conditioning, Phase 1, and Episode 4 of HockeyStrength Podcast

Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Mar 302012

It’s been a few weeks since my last update for on what’s going on at HockeySC.com. During that time, we have had some excellent contributions. Before we get into the content, I want to give readers who aren’t members a quick reminder that you can still sign up for $1 per day for 7 days. After that it is $9.95 per month. In 9 days, we are going to raise the price. So, if you are a hockey strength and conditioning coach, coach, trainer, player, or a parent of a player(s) and you aren’t a member now, don’t hesitate to take advantage of the current offer while it lasts. There is so much content currently on the site with 2-4 pieces being added weekly that this is a very reasonable price.

Here is what we have added over the past few weeks:

Goaltender Specific Strength and Conditioning by Darryl Nelson. In this article, Darryl explains his philosophy on goaltender strength and conditioning. Darryl’s philosophies on goaltending training are pretty similar to my thoughts.

Ball Squeezes by myself, is a video of a groin/adductor ball squeeze routine that I incorporate with players who have sustained a groin injury and for the prevention of groin injuries. This is a pretty simple video of 2 exercises that have been very beneficial over the years for the prevention and care of groin/adductor injuries.

Next up is Off-Season Conditioning 4-Day by Mike Potenza. When I look at what it costs to join our site and weigh the benefits of being a member, I think of how high of value that this piece is. This is pretty much the entire off-season conditioning program that Mike uses with his players. Like most of Mikes’ information, I agree with it. This is definitely a must-read.

Level 1 Training Program Phase 1 by Kevin Neeld. This is a good 2-day program that Kevin has used with his youth players in phase 1. This is a good timely piece as the off-season will be starting soon for many hockey players across the world. This is a good program to start with if you only have 2 days per week.

The Hockey Strength Podcast Episode 4 is up next. Anthony Renna has done and continues to do an unbelievable job with the Strengthcoach Podcast and with the Hockey Strength Podcast. In this episode, Anthony talks to Northeastern Hockey Strength and Conditioning Coach Dan Boothby about the upcoming BSMPG seminar and his talk topic. Dan is a great guy who has done a real good job of helping the BSMPG annual seminar become one of the best seminars for hockey performance information. Like I said in a previous blog post, I am honored to be a part of this again.

If you are a current member, don’t forget to check out the forum. There are always great discussions going on and it is also a great place to drop a question. We are always logging in and checking.

Thanks!

Sean

1-Arm Kettlebell Press

Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Mar 192012

The 1-arm kettlebell press has become an exercise that I feel is very important for my athletes. The benefits of the exercise include increasing unilateral overhead strength and stability while also increasing “core” strength and stability.

We progress from a kneeling position to a standing positioin. We will keep sets and reps in the 3 sets of 5-8 range each arm.

Phase 1

Kneeling 1-Arm Press

Phase 2

Half Kneel 1-Arm Press

Phase 3

Standing 1-Arm Press

For more info on how I use kettlebells with the hockey players that I train, please check out my DVD Kettlebell Lifting for Hockey.

Early Spring Workout, Youth Training Phase 1, and Push/Pull Ratio for Contact Sport Athletes

Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Mar 162012

I hope you had a great week.

We had a good week here at HockeySC.com. We had some excellent contributions from our coaches.

First up is Darryl Nelson’s Early Spring Off Season Workout. This is a good 4-day strength program. Like Darryl’s other programs, he really focuses on the basics.

Next ups is Mike Potenza’s Youth Training Program- Strength Phase 1. This is actually a 2-day program with accompanying videos. In the videos, Mike takes you through all of the exercises in the program. I really like this about this piece. What I also like is that these exercises are pretty easy for a youth player to learn as many of them feature body weight as resistance.

Last is Anthony Donskov’s Push/Pull Ratio for Contact Athletes. I really like this article and found it to be very informative. In fact, I agree with him in that contact athletes should probably do more horizontal rowing. Anthony does a great job explaining why this may be necessary in the prevention of shoulder injuries.

Also, on the forum, we have some discussions on hockey skill warm ups and planning for the playoffs. Check out the forum when you log on.

Also, a quick reminder that we will be raising our monthly price in 23 days. If you aren’t a member yet, you can still lock in the $1 for 7 days, $9.95 each month plan.

Have a great weekend and happy St. Patrick’s day! It’s definitely one of the best holidays of the year.

Thanks!

Sean

Slight Change to the Chin Up

Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Mar 122012

I absolutely love Chin Ups and Pull Ups. I think they are key exercises in developing upper body pulling strength. They are featured in our program year round including at least once per week during the season and twice per week in the off-season.

Since my RKC cert back in August, I have certainly done more reading into the RKC system. I am continuing to be really intrigued by some of the methods involved with some of the lifts.

One exercise that I really like is the Tactical Pull Up. I am not saying or suggesting the Pavel and the RKC community invented the tactical or “RKC” pull up. However, I first read about them through looking at the RKC 2 requirements. The actual tactical version is a thumbless overhand grip with the pull up being performed to a position where the neck is touching the bar at the top. As someone who is very average at pull ups, I communicated with Pavel on this exercise to ensure that I was doing them properly. I had to make some adjustments as I really like pull ups in my own training and I am currently still following the Right of Passage program. I have actually done the 24k kettlebell hooked onto my foot for 1-rep.

What kind of changes did we make?

When performing standard pull-ups, it seemed that athletes just grab the bar and do the required number of pull ups for the set. While there is not a lot wrong with doing standard pull ups, I have found that some of the little coaching cues have made them easier and less painful in some cases. When I say painful, I am referring to someone who can’t do a pull up because of a shoulder issue such as impingement.

One change that we are making is that we are asking the athlete to suck the arms into the sockets. When we are grabbing the bar, we are thinking about driving the arms down and lifting the torso without bending the arms. Doing this seems to turn on some of the scapula retractors and free up the biceps tendon from impingement. We cue our athletes to do this first and set the scaps. It is important that we reiterate this prior to every rep.

Here is a clip of myself doing 2 standard chin ups and then doing 2 of the newer version.

Dallas Training Session

Uncategorized No Responses »

Mar 102012

My own workout on a game day here in Dallas:

20k Kettlebell

5 Tri Sets of the following:

Get Up x1 ea.

Pull Up x1

1-Leg Squat x1 ea. (Pistol Style)

Swings- 4×25

I had about 20-30 minutes to get this done.

Adult Values + Childhood Activities, Leaning Tower, and All-Star Break Programming

Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Mar 092012

Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well. I’m currently typing this in Dallas as we are on the road again.

We had another good week of content additions at HockeySc.com.

First up is Anthony Donskov’s Adult Values + Childhood Activities= Burnout. This is a great informational piece that I think all parents and coaches of youth players should read. It is very informational for the parent who thinks that their son may be the next NHL star. Really good stuff from Anthony.

Next up is Mike Potenza’s Leaning Tower video of the week. This is a video of an exercise the Mike originally learned from Physical Therapist Bill Knowles. This is a great way to strengthen the musculature of the hip extensors in single leg stance.

Last is my All Star Break Program. This is a program that I designed for a player who was going away for a few days over the all-star break. When I think of who this would apply to, I would say anyone who is going to be away from their normal living/training environment for a few days.

On the forum, we have had some interesting discussions on planning for the playoffs, incorporating hockey skill work with strength and conditioning work, and concussions.

If you aren’t a member yet, you can access the site for $1 for seven days. After that, if you don’t cancel, it is $9.95 per month. On April 9^th, we are going to be raising the monthly price. So if you aren’t a current member and want to join, now is the time.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Sean Skahan

In-Season Phase 5, Medicine Ball Pitcher Throws, and Episode 3 of the Hockey Strength Podcast

Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Mar 022012

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great week. I can’t believe it is already March. It is really unbelievable how fast these months go by, especially during the hockey season.

At HockeySc.com, we are still offering trial memberships for $1 for a 7 day trial. If you still like it after 7 days, it is $9.95 per month. However, as of April 9^th, our monthly price is going up. So if you are still thinking of joining, now is the time. This site is jam packed with information from some of the best hockey strength and conditioning coaches on the planet. Each week, there is more content added. We are getting awesome contributions from coaches like Anthony Donskov, Jeff Cubos, Brijesh Patel, and many more.

Here is what has been added since my last update:

2-Day In-Season Training Program: Phase 5 by Kevin Neeld. This is a great program where the emphasis is on sustaining strength and power while trying to manage fatigue. At this time of year, it is all about recovery. Getting in quality strength work can be a challenge and this program is a good way to get it done at this point in the season.

Next up is Darryl’s Medicine Ball Baseball Pitcher video. This is an excellent variation of medicine ball throwing for power. I like this one.

Last up is episode 3 of the Hockey Strength Podcast. In this episode Ant talks to Kevin about his recent additions to the site and his thoughts on breathing. I actually listened to this interview on the way to work today. Kevin is a bright guy.

That’s it for the week. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Thanks!

Sean

Metabolic Circuit, Work Capacity, and Kettlebell Swings

Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Feb 242012

Hi everyone, I hope you had a great week. We are heading home from a very long, 16-day road trip. The trip consisted of 8 games in 8 different cities. Although it was 16 days, the time passes by pretty quickly especially when we played so frequently.

While I have been travelling, I haven’t been able to spend that much time on the computer. With what is going on with our team right now, it seems like my brain and energy is focused on trying to help our guys be at their best so we can win.

I did get some time to check out the latest content additions at the HockeySc.com.

First up is Metabolic Circuit #2 by Darryl Nelson. In this video, Darryl shows some different exercises done in a circuit like fashion. What I like about this video is that it shows a large number of players working and doing the same exercises at once. We use a variation of a plate circuit late in August with our players. I think these are a great way to change things up a little and help create the team concept even better. One thing you can also tell from the last exercise shown in the video is that the players are having fun. I think having fun is a good thing during some aspects of a strength and conditioning program.

Next up is Mike Potenza’s Off-Season Pre-Camp Work Capacity Circuit. In this program, Mike gives us a very detailed daily plan. I really like how Mike sets this up.

Next up is my Kettlebell Swing video. This is actually a clip of my new DVD, Kettlebell Lifting for Hockey. In this clip, I talk about how I use the kettlebell swing in the programming of my athletes. Then I show how we teach our players to do the swing properly.

Last is Eric Renaghan’s Help…I’ve strained my Groin, again. This is a great article that describes Eric’s and Mike Potenza’s philosophy and protocol for the prevention and treatment of groin strains. This is very similar to the protocol that we follow with our team. It is imperative that their is collaboration between the Strength and Conditioning Coach, Massage or Manual Therapist, and the Athletic Trainers. This is a good piece.

When you log on to the site, please make sure that you check out the forum. We have had some quality discussions on their recently.

Thanks for your continued support,

Sean Skahan