seanskahan

Aug 222014
 

It’s been a while since an update on HockeySC.com.  I hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks/days of your off-season.  Recently, we have had some excellent content additions:

Articles:

Teaching Hockey Players How to Run by Max Prokopy

Anterior Glide of the Humerus by Darryl Nelson

Why I Never Played in the NHL, and How it Made Me Better by Brian Sipotz

Thoughts on the Kettlebell Swing by myself

Videos:

Kettlebell Kneeling to Standing by Darryl Nelson

U-Mass Lowell Hockey Off-Season by Devan McConnell

Rotational Heiden Medicine Ball Throw by Darryl Nelson

Programming:

Fall Training Program by Darryl Nelson

 

The forum has had some interesting topics such as the NHL combine and Trap Bar Deadlifts.

If you aren’t currently a member, feel free to try us for $1 for 7 days.

Thanks!

Jan 202014
 

This was originally posted on StrengthCoach.com.

What is one thing you’ve changed your mind about in the past year?

One thing that I have changed my mind about in the past year is the value of making things simple.  This has become a priority for me as the more that I continue to be in this profession, the more I realize that it is ok to simplify things.  It is less about sets and reps (or the ability to know more about sets and reps) and more about providing a good basic program with good coaching skills. In my opinion, a good program on paper is a bad program if it is coached with bad people skills.  At the professional level, if you can’t get your athletes to do what you would like them to do on a consistent basis, then you don’t have much of a program- even if it contains the latest trends in strength and conditioning.

I am guilty of trying to incorporate every little bit of the latest information and protocols that I can learn.  However, when I cut out parts of the program and stick with the basics, I feel that our program is becoming more successful.  Maybe it’s just me but it seems that lifting sessions have become more enthusiastically embraced by my players.  Time is never wasted and lifting sessions include crisper lifts. To me it is better than having athletes who are performing more exercises but might just be going through the motions.  I think any coach who works with teams would be able to relate.

My own training has also been simplified.  The more information that I read from coaches such as Dan John and Pavel Tsatsouline, I realize that it’s not only ok, but a good idea to simplify my training.  I am past the days of assistance exercises and specialization programs.  Don’t get me wrong, I still have specific goals.  The difference today is that my goals relate more to being strong enough and injury-free versus trying to bench or clean 3 plates per side.

I have also learned how to keep my continuing education simple.  In the past, I would feel left behind if I missed a seminar or two because of work or family responsibilities.  Now, I feel that I don’t have to attend every seminar and certification that is offered.  Believe me, I still have a beginners mind and I love learning and applying new ideas.  However, as a husband and a father of 2, I realize that my time with my family away from the weight room is very valuable.  If I only happen to get to 1-2 seminars per year, or not attain the latest cert; I am ok with that.

I can say that simplifying many areas in my life has helped me become a more open minded person and Strength and Conditioning Coach.  I feel like my life is less cluttered and I can see things more clearly.

Nov 292013
 

My friend Maria Mountain shared this with me.  I must admit that I have never done too much “goalie-specific” work with goalies in the past.  However, this first video makes me re-think some things.  I can see using this on lateral days in the off-season.

Two Off-Ice Drills That Gave A Goalie Trouble

By Maria Mountain

I remember studying for my Matrix Algebra exam in first year of university.  I somehow convinced myself that the really tough questions were too hard and would never find their way onto the exam paper.  Wow – was I wrong!

I was making the same mistake lots of hockey players make in the gym all the time.  I was working on the things I was good at and discounting the things that gave me trouble.  In today’s video I want to share two exercises that gave a goalie real trouble during a training session this summer.

This goalie was in great shape, was a great athlete, but had these deficiencies that he wasn’t even aware of. You probably have a few as well.

So watch the video to see what I mean and how we corrected his patterns – I bet the changes we made to the first exercise probably helped him bump his save percentage up.

HERE IS THE VIDEO LINK – –  http://youtu.be/jQ8ud17Jcgg

So don’t ignore your strengths, but when you find something that gives you trouble, take the time to clean it up.

Happy training.
Cheers,

Maria

 

 

A full time strength and conditioning coach who specializes in training hockey skaters and goalies, Maria Mountain is the founder of Revolution Sport Conditioning in London, ON and www.HockeyTrainingPro.com

Nov 272013
 

Hey everyone- I just wanted to take a few minutes to update you on what’s going on at HockeySC.com.  Obviously, the hockey season is in full swing.  The site has been updated with new articles, videos, programs, and forum topics pretty frequently.  Also, we are in the works in getting the Hockey Strength Podcast back up and running.  We are planning on talking to lots of the site contributors on future episodes.  Stay tuned.

Here is what has been posted during the past few weeks:

Articles

ImPact Test-Retest Reliability by Jacob Resch

Excel Programming for Dummies by Kevin Neeld

Feed the Dog: The Importance of Discipline by Anthony Donskov

Grain Brain by Darryl Nelson

Pre-Season Training for Professional Hockey by me

Does an Individual’s Fitness Level Affect Baseline Concussion Symptoms? By Martin Mrazik

Videos

U-Mass Lowell Pre-Season Training by Devan McConnel

Quinnipiac Men’s Hockey Aerobic Circuit by Brijesh Patel

Anterior Core Bracing by Brian Sipotz and Darryl Nelson

Lower Trap and Rhomboid Activation by Darryl Nelson

Deadbug with Static Upper Body by Kevin Neeld

Programs

In-Season Training: Phase 1 by Kevin Neeld

Summer Camp 2013 Itinerary by me

We also have some current ongoing discussions on our forum including topics such as HRV, Late specialization, on-ice testing, and PRI amongst others.

We really think that we have the best site on the internet for hockey strength and conditioning.  If you aren’t a member, you can try us for 7 days for $1.

See you at the rink!

Sean

Oct 142013
 

I have always been a proponent of implementing cross-ice only games at the mite level of hockey.  I believe in what USA Hockey is doing through the American Developmental Model (ADM) and I am a big believer in young hockey players also being young “insert another sport here” players.  Also, I believe that young kids shouldn’t subject themselves to the same rink specifications of NHL or international leagues.   Although I also believe in practicing what you preach, I must admit that I am guilty of questioning whether or not cross-ice games would be good for my own son.

My son started to learn how to skate when he was 3.  He participated in learn to skate and hockey programs and then began playing cross ice at age 4.  When he was 5, he played at the full-ice mite recreation level.  The year after that, he played at the travel full-ice level.   Although he played in 2 complete years of full-ice hockey, he also competed in several full-ice tournaments.   While his games were played in the full-ice format, all of his practices consisted of drills and games done in small areas.  Practices were done twice per week and they always followed the ADM principles.

At the time, I though the progression was fine.  My son is a little bigger than most of the other kids his age and I would consider him to be average to above average in skill and skating.  To him, it seemed like full-ice hockey wasn’t a big deal.

After his first year of travel hockey, we found out what was going to take place this season- one half of his games the season are going to be played in the cross-ice format, and one half of the season is going to be the full-ice format.  This is taking place because USA Hockey is mandating that mite level hockey is all cross-ice.  However, there is a transition period going from full-ice hockey to cross-ice hockey so kids in my son’s age group who have played full ice don’t have to make such a drastic transition.  For my son, the reality is that because of his birth year, he must participate in this.  If he was a year older, he would be eligible to play up to the next level.  For him, I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing and most importantly, he could care less.

After much anticipation and wondering how it was going to go, we played in a recent cross-ice holiday weekend tournament.  After watching the tournament, I wanted to share my thoughts (Again, this is all new to a large group of kids around southern California):

Pros:

–     More time with the puck- It seemed like the puck came to all of the players more frequently while more aggressive players got the puck much more

–     Players had more opportunities to display individual skills.  Kids had more opportunities to make moves and beat their opponents one on one

–     Quicker decisions- The game was fast and it seemed like there wasn’t much room to make plays.  Kids had to make quick plays

–     One minute and 30 second shifts which were controlled by the sound of a buzzer- This was great.  Equal ice time for everyone and both teams changed at the same time.  Brilliant.

–     No off-sides calls- I do like this even though the kids aren’t learning the off-sides rule.

–     Kids seemed much more confident with the puck- Don’t know if it was because of playing against a weaker team or not, but was still good.

Cons:

–     When the puck went out of play, the clock kept ticking.  The ref didn’t have a back-up puck to continue play

–     The higher skilled players are still the higher skilled players.  Yes, the lower skilled players got more puck possession time, but the higher skilled players still touched the puck much more.  The higher skilled players still scored the most goals but I will say that since puck possession seemed higher per player, everyone had more opportunity to score goals

–     Lots of goals were scored and there were face-offs immediately after each goal.  Retrieving the puck and conducting a face-off is time consuming.  I like the pick-up hockey format where the team that gets scored on plays the puck out of their net.  This would allow play to keep moving.  If the score isn’t being kept, then who cares?

–     Growing pains are going to happen.  There were many times when it seemed like the facility was trying to figure it out while it was going on.  For example, some referees didn’t know some of the rules and the locker room situation was crammed.  I guess if you have 4 teams playing on the ice at once, you will need more locker room space.

All in all, I think this is going to be great.  There are lots of concerns from parents about possibly delaying their sons/daughters development.  However, when I offer my opinion on this, I tell them to think long term.  Don’t worry about their child being the best mite but rather think about him being the best bantam or midget.  When I think about my own son, I think he will benefit from this.  Since he is already a little bigger than most of the kids, he will learn how to handle the puck in small areas under pressure from the smaller and quicker players.  When I think about how much more time that he will have the puck on his stick versus times in a full-ice situation, it is a no-brainer.  Also, I don’t think 4 months out of their hockey development where they are put in competitive situations that suits their abilities is going to hurt them.  It can only make them better- especially when they return to full ice competition.

Sep 202013
 

We have had some great content additions to HockeySC.com over the past few weeks.  Mike, Kevin, Darryl and I have been posting some really good articles, videos, and programs.  We have also been getting some really good contributions from other Strength and Conditioning Coaches who work with hockey players and teams.  Here are some of the articles, videos, and programs that we have added recently:

Articles

Thoughts on Cross-Ice Hockey- a Parent’s Perspective by me

How I Use Testing Results by Darryl Nelson

Using Visualization to Prepare Before Games by Riley Fitzgerald

How We Use Subjective Stress Scores for Large Groups at DSC by Anthony Donskov

Videos

Posterior Chain Olympic Lifts by Mike Potenza

Lateral Core Dynamic Stability by Brian Sipotz and Darryl Nelson

Linear Plyometrics by Darryl Nelson

Programs

Final Off-Season Phase 2013 by Mike Potenza

We hope you enjoy it.  Also, we have had some terrific discussions on the forum recently about program design ideas, PRI, and testing.

If you aren’t a member, you can try us for just $1 for 7 days.  If you still want to be a member after that, it is $14.95 per month.  A really good deal when you consider all the information that you get.

Thanks! Sean

Jun 072013
 

 

This is the time of year when most hockey players are in the beginning stage of their off-season programs (unless of course you play/coach for one of the final 4 NHL teams of the final AHL teams).

I just wanted to post a quick update as to what is going on at HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com.  We have been adding some real good content over the last few weeks in the forms of articles, programs, and videos.    We have also had some great discussions on the forum including ones on surviving without bilateral lifts, power development, and athletic development.

Here is what we have added recently:

Articles:

Surviving Without Bilateral Lifts by Devan McConnell

Hip Conditioning by Darryl Nelson

Training the Black Aces by me

Videos:

Iso Lunge and Iso Push Up by Mike Potenza

Ice Hockey Plyos by Darryl Nelson

The Ultimate Hockey Test by Darryl Nelson

Lying Chin Tuck by Kevin Neeld

Programs:

Off-Season Phase 1 and 2 by Darryl Nelson

Thanks!

Sean

May 162013
 

Yesterday, I had the awesome opportunity of being a guest on my good friend Matt Nichol’s podcast.

If you don’t know Matt, he is the former Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He now works with hundreds of athletes including several NHL players.  He is also the founder of Biosteel which is in pretty much every NHL locker room now.

To find out more about Matt, check out his website- www.paragenixsystems.com.

To listen and subscribe to his podcast, check out https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/matt-nichol-podcast/id631696696?mt=2.

Thanks!

Apr 262013
 

Wow- It’s been a while since my last post.   My schedule has been pretty crazy with the condensed schedule.  Posting has taken a back seat a little bit.

Now, we are a few days from the “second season” which is my favorite time of year.  I am hoping for a deep playoff run.

Over at HockeySC.com, we are still pumping out content in the form of articles, videos, and programs.   We will also be putting up some webinars real soon from coaches such as Kevin Neeld, Darryl Nelson, and Jeff Cubos.

Here is what we have recently added:

Articles

Understanding Core Stabilization Through a Respiration Lens by Kevin Neeld

The Elite Performer Pyramid by Brian Sipotz

Functional Training by Darryl Nelson

Videos

Pulling Variations by Darryl Nelson

Clean Pull/Snatch Pull Hold by Mike Potenza

Prone Hip Flexor Stretching by me

Programs

12-Week Early Off-Season Hockey Training Program by Kevin Neeld

There have also been some great discussions on the forum including ones on single leg Olympic lifting, continuing education options, and slideboard options for goalies.

Thanks!

Sean

Mar 052013
 

I realize that is has been a while since I posted something that isn’t associated with HockeySC.com.  The reality is that I have been really busy with my day job.  The time that I have been working outside of my daily responsibilities has been spent on the site. No excuses though-I promise to do my best to get more info out.

However, I must mention that we have had a ton of stuff going on at HockeySC since my last post.

Webinar:

Injury Prevention Strategies for Hockey by Me

Articles:

Core Integration Utilizing PRI and DNS Approaches: Theoretical Constructs by Kevin Neeld

Understanding the Preparedness-Readiness Curve by Eric Schmitt

In-Season Lifting with Double Kettlebells by Me

Core Integration Utilizing PRI and DNS Approaches: Practical Approaches by Kevin Neeld

My Experience With Performance Therapy and A.R.T. by Lorne Goldenberg

Plasma Potassium Concentrations and Content Changes After Banana Ingestion in Exercised Men by Kevin C. Miller

Videos:

Drive Sled Crossover by Darryl Nelson

Hurdle Warm Up by Mike Potenza

Crossover Squat by Darryl Nelson

Programs:

Youth 2-Day In-Season Program by Me

That is a lot of new content in 3 weeks.  We really hope that you enjoy the site.

Thanks!- Sean