seanskahan

Quarter Sprints, Hip Assessments, Lower Body Injuries, and Half Get Ups

Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Nov 112011

I hope everyone is doing great. It has been a while since my last post on what is going on at HockeySC.com. I really like the contributions that we are getting from coaches like Anthony Donskov, who I got to spend some time with on a recent road trip. In addition to getting some good content from Anthony and the usual lineup of coaches, our forum is pretty busy. There are always good discussions going on including some recent ones about vibration training, reducing inflammation in the diet, and barefoot training.

Here is what has been posted recently at HockeySC.com:

Quarter Sprints by Darryl Nelson. This is an interesting progression or regression, depending on how you look at it. Basically it is a sprint program where the distance and time to complete the sprint is higher at the beginning (starts at 40 yards in 6 seconds) and lower at the end (5 yards and 1 second). I like this type of metabolic work.

Hockey Hips Assessments Webinar by Kevin Neeld. This is a webinar that Kevin also did for StrengthandConditioningwebinars.com. Good stuff here from Kevin.

Five Exercises that Hockey Players Should Do in the Weight Room by myself. This one was posted here on my blog here. I wanted to add it to the HockeySC community in case a member didn’t get a chance to read it.

Strength Training for a Hockey Player with a Uni-lateral Lower Body Injury by Mike Potenza. These are the types of programs that I really like. These programs are more real-world programs that strength and conditioning coaches need to know how to design. Like Mike, I am also faced with circumstances where a program like this has to be incorporated. I also know how important it is to have an injured athlete on a good program that works. The strength and conditioning coach is going to be spending a lot of time with the injured athlete, so it is imperative that it is worth the time spent.

Why Shoes Make Normal Gait Impossible by Dr. William Rossi. This was an article submitted by Northwest Foot and Ankle. The more education that is made available about the foot and ankle is going to help us moving forward. This shows more “support” for barefoot-like footwear.

Half Get Up with a Cup of Water by myself. This is a video that shows a different variation of the Get Up. I love Get Ups and have been using them now quite a bit with my athletes. We have used this version with some athletes who are returning from shoulder surgeries and injuries.

2- Day In-Season Training Program Phase 2 by Kevin Neeld. This is a continuation of Kevin’s in-season program that he uses with the 16u-18u team that he works with. I like the exercise selection in these workouts. Not much different from what I would do.

Thanks for your support!

Sean

Kevin Neeld’s Ultimate Hockey Training

Coaching, Education, Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Nov 062011

My friend Kevin Neeld recently released a new book on hockey training a few weeks ago. I was actually able to read and review it. It is an excellent resource for anyone who works with hockey players. It is definitely a book that anyone who trains hockey players should read. Also, as a bonus in this package, you can get some examples of some warm up routines that I use with my athletes.

Check it out here:

Ultimate Hockey Training

Detroit Workout

Uncategorized 2 Responses »

Nov 052011

I realize that it has been a while since my last post. The reality is that we have been on a 2 week road trip that has consisted of 7 different cities. No complaining here as it is what it is.

One thing that I make sure that is taken care of before we head out is to make sure that we have adequate training equipment available. Not only for my athletes, but also for myself.

Personally, I have been getting in some great training sessions and not missing a beat on this trip. Thanks to the help from plenty of friends and colleagues, I was able to keep my training going just like I would at home. Today however, I was challenged as all I had available to me was a 16k kettlebell. In all honesty, I am not a fan of just wininging it and doing something different than what I am supposed to do on a given day. Sometimes you have to make sure you make due with what you have.

Here is what I came up with with a little idea from Dan John:

Movement prep/joint mobility

Each of the following done for 1 rep each x 3 sets:
Get up Tri Set with
1-Leg squat
And 1-Arm Push up with hand elevated (locker room bench)

3 exercises done in a row in decending sets- (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1)
Snatch (EA. Arm)
Goblet squat
Push Up

Frontal Plane Core, Strength Phase 2, Mini Bands, and Reach, Roll, Lift

Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Oct 212011

We had another good week here at HockeySC.com.

Here is what we have added at HockeySC since my last update:

First up was Mike Potenza’s Frontal Plane Core Exercises. This is the video of the week from last week. In this video, Mike shows 3 good frontal plane core exercises that he uses with medicine balls and dumbbells.

Next up was my own Off-Season 2011, Phase 2 Strength Training program. This is what I used this past summer with my hockey players. This phase is highlighted by complex training methods where we are pairing strength exercises with explosive exercises. I’ve actually been programming this phase for the last 4-5 off-seasons. I see absolutely no reason why to change this. I really like our results from this phase.

We re-posted the 1962 training camp letter from the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is an actual letter from the Toronto Maple Leafs to a player during the off-season that has been copied and circulating around for a while now. It is amazing how far we have come, but yet, this shows that players were required to come into camp in ok shape. This is a must-read. I’ve actually posted this on the wall in my weight room for all of our players to see and get a laugh.

The video of the week is Darryl Nelson’s Mini Bands. Darryl shows us some really good exercises to use with the mini bands. I really like the upper body drills. I am guilty sometimes of thinking that the mini bands are just for the legs. Great practical video from Darryl here.

Our Youth Training video is the Reach Roll and Lift by Kevin Neeld. This is actually a terrific exercise that I have gotten away from. It is still one of the best lower trap exercises. I think a lot of people would benefit from this one- not just hockey players. Great post from Kevin.

That is it for the week. If you haven’t noticed, there have been 3-4 content additions every week recently at Hockeysc.com. As a staff, we are doing our best to make this the best hockey strength and conditioning site. It is amazing to look at how much information is on the site. If you aren’t a member, you can try it for 7 days for just 1$ per day.

Have a great weekend!

Today’s Lift

Uncategorized No Responses »

Oct 172011

Today’s Lift in San Jose-

All with 1- 24k kettlebell

1-arm press- 5x3ea. arm pair with
Pull up- 5×1. (No pull up bar available, used under the stadium stairs)

Snatches- 5+5ea. arm at start of every minute x 20 minutes= 200. HR was 167 after 200

Light day for the presses and pull ups. Nice to get a high volume snatch workout in again.

Managing Injury, Lateral Squats, and Direct Cuff Training

Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Oct 142011

I hope everyone is doing great. Hockey season is now officially under way. It is amazing how fast a week goes by once the regular season starts.

We have added some really good content this past week including some from new contributors.

Here is what we have added at HockeySC since my last update:

First up was Kevin Neeld’s 2-Day In-Season Training Program Phase 1. This is an in season program that Kevin is using with 16-18 year olds. I like this program. It is very similar to a 2-day in-season program that I am currently using with a 15 and under team.

Next was Managing Injury Through Manual Therapies by Eric Renaghan. This is an interesting article that talks about pain management at the onset of injury. In this article, Eric talks about what he recommends when an injury occurs. Hopefully we will see more of Eric on the site. This is a good article.

The video of the week is Darryl Nelson’s Farmer’s Carry Lateral Squats. This is a different version of lateral squats that I haven’t seen before. I like how the load is centrally located. Good stuff from Darryl.

Next up is Anthony Donskov’s The Case for Direct Cuff Training in Contact Sports. Anthony is a new addition to the site. I have read several of his articles on Strengthcoach.com. He is an excellent writer and strength and conditioning coach. I look forward to seeing more of Anthony’s content on the site.

Kevin Neeld posted Youth Hockey Training Blueprint: Part 1. This is a great first part of what looks like will be a great series of articles. Kevin outlines what he has to work with with a local tier hockey program. It is amazing what can be done with minimum equipment.

Internet Experts and Easy Strength

Education, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Oct 102011

I generally don’t promote products on this blog. The reason being is that I feel most of the information products out there are not any good. A product has to be top notch for me to recommend it. I wouldn’t promote something that I personally wouldn’t use myself or with my athletes. I don’t typically get caught up in the continual hamster wheel or product promotion that this industry tends to put out.

During a recent visit with my friend and Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Nichol, we discussed internet experts and how there is an abundance of them. Internet experts who are putting out material based on what? Their overwhelming experience that has drawn results huge enough to share via a book or dvd?

What is important to me when I am deciding to purchase a product or not is the product creator’s credibility. Ask yourself who does this person train? I feel that there are strength and conditioning coaches or trainers out there who don’t train anyone. Or, they try to give the impression that they train “thousands of athletes” when really it is just a handful of clients. Also, how long have they been doing what they are writing about? These are legit questions to ask yourself before you purchase a product. Back to my friend and colleague, Matt, he happens to be one of the best hockey strength and conditioning coaches on the planet and has walked the walk for years. He is someone who I would buy any info product from.

Now, I am not going to lie. I plan on producing and eventually selling 2 separate DVD’s and a book. These are projects that I have been working on during the last few months (over a year for the book). I will launch them on the internet and hopefully have people who would like to promote it- if it is good enough. My credibility will then be judged before it is purchased and I am ok with that.

One product that I came across and bought once it was launched is Easy Strength by Dan John and Pavel Tsatsouline . I downloaded it to my Ipad and read some of it on a recent 13 hour flight from Sweden to Los Angeles. Simply put, this book is a must-have for any Strength and Conditioning Coach. To me, this is the best Strength and Conditioning book published since Mike Boyle’s Advances in Functional Training: Training Techniques for Coaches, Personal Trainers and Athletes. You will not be disappointed with Easy Strength as you will see why I have become such big fans of these gentlemen’s’ work.

Helsinki Workout

Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Oct 052011

I just finished a good training session here in Helsinki, Finland where it is 6:30pm. Thank you to my friend Joni Listola for his recommendation for the gym to train at.

The trip has been great so far as we played an exhibition game last night against the local Finish elite league team- Jokerit. It was great to see former Boston College Hockey player and athlete who I worked with, Ben Eaves play against us last night. He played well as he had a goal and an assist against us. The season starts for real on Friday against the NY Rangers.

Here was my workout-

1-arm KB Press with a 32k (Although I am currently using a 28k in my training back home, I had to make do with what they had) – 5 rounds of one set of a single and one set of a double on each arm paired with one set of
a 1 and one set of 2 of pull ups with a 5k plate attached.

Then I finished off with 6 sets of 30 Swings with a 32k Kettlebell.

That was it.

Complex Training, Youth Training, Spark, and Goblet Squats

Uncategorized No Responses »

Sep 302011

I hope everyone is doing great. We are wrapping up our pre-season with our last game tonight before we take off tomorrow for a 14 hour flight to Finland. We will be opening up our season there next weekend. Although we will be there with the main purpose of winning hockey games, I plan on checking out some of the sights and sounds of Helsinki. This will be my second trip overseas in the last 4 years. Believe me, this is something that I do not take for granted. It is unbleivable that I get to take part in trips to places like London and now Finland.

As for HockeySC.com, we have had some great content added this week.

First up is Mike Potenza’s Complex Training. Mike shows 3 different version of complexes that he uses with his players during the pre-season and in-season phases. We will use complexes during the pre-season phase as well. Like Mike, we will also use versions of the Javorek complex.

Next up is Kevin Neeld’s In-Season Youth Training program. This is a series of videos of some good things being done with some young hockey players. Really good stuff here from Kevin.

Darryl Nelson’s book review: Spark by John Ratey was up next. Darryl provides a brief review on this book. The review talks about the importance of physical exercise, expecially for young kids.

Last is my Goblet Squat video. This is a video of a Goblet Squat. This was another exercise that I got to fine-tune at the RKC. It also helped that my team leader was Dan John, who I believe founded the Goblet Squat (Do not quote me on that). Dan showed us some good coaching cues that work. The results have been great as I have seen all of our Goblet Squats look consistent.

Thanks for your continued support!

Sean Skahan

Off-Season and In-Season Training Programs, Hip Stabilization, and a Great Way to Start the Season

Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Sep 232011

I hope everyone who reads the blog is doing great. We are excited here in Anaheim as a new season is right around the corner. Our rookie camp went great and our main camp is going smooth as well.

At HockeySc.com, we have added some great content since my last post about the site.

First up is Darryl Nelson’s Fall Phase 1. What I have always liked about Darryl’s programs is the simplicity. Darryl ensures that his players get good and strong at the basics in the weight room. This is very similar to a way that I would design an in-season program.

Next up is my Off-Season Phase 1. I think this is actually the first off-season phase that I have posted on the site. We really had a good off-season here with a lot more players sticking around at the beginning of the summer before they headed back to their off-season homes. In the program, you can see how we switched over to a less CNS intensive model in the weight room. Mondays and Wednesdays were Leg emphasis days while Tuesdays and Thursdays were a more upper body emphasis.

Next up is Kevin Neelds’ Hip Stabilization Exercises video. Good exercises from Kevin here that are really easy to implement once your athletes learn them. We try to perform several hip stabilization exercise as well as exercises for flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction.

Darryl added his 2-Day In-Season Strength Program that he uses with a 14-year old goalie. This is a great 2-day total body program. We also use several of the exercises in this program in-season.

Next up was an article that I originally read at Mike Boyle’s blog. It is a good piece- Great Advice to Start the Season by Dan Bauer. It is really a good, common sense advice article that puts things into perspective for hockey parents. Even though our site is for strength and conditioning, these articles are a nice addition.

We hope you enjoy the site. If there is anything that you need to help make your experience at HockeySC better, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Thanks for your continued support!

Sean Skahan