Here is a recent interview that I did with the New England Hockey Journal. I am excited as this was published back home in the printed edition as well. I will also be submitting articles to them on a monthly basis.
A special thanks goes out to my friend Sean Glennon who arranged for the interview to take place with Eric Beato, the editor for the magazine.
This is my favorite time of the year as the days are getting longer and it is getting warmer outside. Personally, my family and I are preparing for our new addition this May. We are really looking forward to it as parents and brother. Professionally, the team is making what seems like to be an annual playoff push. Every game is important as we try to climb the standings for a chance at making the playoffs.
What I also like about this time of year is that all of the information on all of the strength and conditioning, physical therapy, fitness, and coaching seminar information is being published. There are many to choose from all across the country. For myself, I am going to be going to at least 2 as an attendant and 1 as a speaker. Maybe I will see you at one of them?
As a speaker, I will be at the Roger Neilson Coaches Clinic. This is will be held June 10th through June 12th in Windsor, Ontario. I am truly honored and humbled to be speaking at this event. If you look at the list of the past speakers who have spoken at it, you can see why. My topic is on In-Season Strength and Conditioning for Hockey. With the fact that I am with our players for a good 8-10 months out of the calendar year, this phase of training is very important for injury prevention and performance enhancement.
As an attendee, I will be attending Kevin Wilk’s Recent Advances in the Treatment of the Shoulder and the Knee July 15th through July 17th in San Diego. This is a seminar that I really wanted to get to last summer. Now, it looks like the dates and the location of the course line up perfectly. I really think we can learn from smart physical therapists. Shoulders and Knees are definitely areas that we want to reduce the chances of injury with our players.
The Perform Better Functional Training Summit returns to Long Beach August 26th through 28th. This is one seminar that I really haven’t missed in a long time. With the number of quality presenters to choose from, this is a can’t-miss. I am really looking forward to seeing people such as Dan John, Gray Cook, Mike Boyle, Todd Wright, and Vern Gambetta speak.
Along with going to seminars, it is important to go and visit other coaches who are doing things better than you in some areas. With the NHL scouting combine being June 3rd and 4th in Toronto, I will try to visit with some people in the Toronto area who will be in off-season training mode with the players that they train.
The NHL Scouting Combine takes place during the last week of May every year at a hotel in Toronto. It is conducted by the NHL Central Scouting Division. They bring over 100 of the top prospects from all over the world who are eligible for the entry draft. Throughout the week, all 30 NHL organizations are allowed to interview the prospects as well as evaluate them through the physical testing process. For the prospects, it can be a long, grueling week where they may have to visit with each organization. The testing part of the combine is the time when each teams’ management, scouts, and strength and conditioning coaches get to observe the prospects complete physical tests. It is done on the last 2 days of the week (Friday and Saturday).
Although The NHL combine is definitely not as publicized as the NFL combine, I think it’s important to highlight some of the key differences between the both of them for those who may not be familiar with the NHL combine. Unlike the NFL combine, the NHL combine is mostly made up of 18 year olds. Most of them are not fully physically developed because of the fact that they may have never trained before or they may be late bloomers who may not have matured yet physically. They could be high school seniors, underclassmen in college, or junior hockey players. NFL prospects are 4-6 years older and most likely have been through organized strength and conditioning programs in college. Another factor to consider is the number of days that the NHL prospects have been removed from their last game played. It is possible that some of the NHL prospects may not have played an actual game since March while some of the junior players may have played only a few days before. Some guys will be better prepared for the combine with several weeks of training for it while others haven’t had the time to prepare due to them still playing. With the NFL combine being conducted in February; most of the NFL prospects get at least 2 months to train after their last game. NFL prospects also get the opportunity to prepare for the combine by participating in strength and conditioning programs that are geared to help them prepare for the specific tests at the NFL combine.
The challenge of each NHL organization is to take all of the testing data into consideration when comparing scores from one prospect to another. However, what is most important through it all is if the player can play. Each organization’s amateur scouting staff has invested many hours and lots of money in observing these prospects play hockey. They know how good a player is or isn’t. The strength and conditioning coach’s job is to evaluate the overall fitness of the prospect and more importantly, try to predict where a player could be in a couple of years. Does he look like he could add a few more pounds? Can he get quicker? More explosive?
As the combine takes place in the hotel ball room, each prospect enters the testing area where all of the exercises and measurement stations are set up in a successive, almost circuit like fashion. Usually there are 6-8 prospects per hour. The stations include-
It usually takes each prospect about an hour to complete the full battery of tests.
Many times I am asked by personal trainers and/or collegiate strength and conditioning coaches, “How do I get one of my players/clients prepared for the combine?” My general advice is to help the prospect get as “fit” as possible. Work on their strength, power, and conditioning. Get them used to benching 150lbs on a slow tempo, get them used to jumping up to a Vertek, get them used to the Wingate and VO2 tests on the bike, etc. I will also usually tell them that I think it’s important for them to know that different NHL teams look at some tests more than others. While talking to other NHL strength and conditioning coaches who are at the combine over the years, many of them have a different area where they may focus on when watching the prospects go through the battery of tests. Some will watch anthropometric measurements, some will watch the bench press, some will watch vertical jumps, some will watch the Wingate, and some will watch the V02. I guess it all depends on what test each strength and conditioning coach and/or organization values the most.
What I think maybe the most important measurement of what all organizations look at is the effort level and the character of each prospect. Here I am not just saying “work hard” and be a nice person. They will need to work as hard as they possibly can on each test. For example, I remember 2 years ago when a young defensemen came in and really looked like he dominated every test from his effort alone. His effort was outstanding and was the talk all over the room. He ended up being a top 5 pick and is currently a really good player in the NHL. He probably would have been picked that high anyways, but I think that his performance at the combine helped him move up a few spots. Also, each prospect should show good body language when being instructed on how to perform the tests and when completing each test. They should be nice to the people administering the tests who are college students that are doing it for free and are probably very nervous around the prospects.
I always look back at some of my notes and evaluations since I have been attending the combine to see if they make the NHL. Usually, the prospects on my note pad with “worked hard on this test” or “seems like a real good kid” next to their names are the guys who are playing professional hockey. The names of the guys who had “bad body language”, “wasn’t ready for the vo2 test when it was his turn”, or “ripped off the face mask during the VO2 max test” are unrecognizable.
The crossover step in hockey is an important component of skating for any hockey player at any level. It is a movement that is necessary for turning, stopping, and changing direction. It is a technique that is also used when players are turning up the ice to start offensive breakouts. Many times I have heard players refer to “blasting off” when referring to the crossover. Since it is such an important aspect of the game, I felt it was important to develop some progressions and strategies to help us improve in this area.
In hockey, the ability to accelerate is something every player should look to improve. The first 2-3 steps are more important than the ability to skate at top speed- which rarely happens in a hockey game. As a result, we have always done acceleration drills where we emphasized the first 2-3 steps instead of running longer sprints. Drills such as Lean Fall Runs, ball drops, and push up starts to sprints, have always been part of our linear speed program and will continue to be. Since hockey is a multi-directional sport, we’ve always done acceleration drills to improve both linear and lateral speed. For our lateral speed progressions, we have always done drills where we push off the outside of our foot to create enough force to push off the ground and go in the other direction. Drills such as 1-knee side starts, shuffles, 1-2 cuts, and pro-agility drills have always been part of our lateral speed program. Now, since I have been observing our guys and their frequent use of the crossover in games and practices, I have changed my thought process. I now think it would be more beneficial to incorporate crossover movements into our lateral speed program. As a result, we are now incorporating a crossover step to the beginning of our sprints on lateral movement/speed days.
From a coaching and technical aspect and what’s important to note is that when crossing over is taught on the ice, one of the most important aspects is the ability to shift your weight and lean in the direction you want to go. In our acceleration drills, this is very similar to the lean fall and run where we coach our athletes to be tall, lean, fall, and run straight. I’ve noticed that the further our players lean, the better the drill is for them. In our crossover acceleration drills, we are incorporating a body lean to the side that we want to go. For example, if we want to go left, we will have them lean to the left and actually shift their weight to the outside of their left foot. When they reach the point where if they fall anymore, then they may fall to the ground, we will then cross the right foot over the left and push off of the right foot. Here is the progression we will now use on our lateral speed days in our off-season program:
Phase 1- Tall Lean Fall Crossover Run- Again, like the linear Lean Fall Run, we will lean almost to the point where the athlete will fall down and then they crossover and push of the foot crossing over to help us get into our sprint. We will do 3 crossovers each leg. The emphasis is getting a hard push, then 3 hard steps, and then coasting.
Phase 2- 1- Leg Lean Fall Crossover and Run- This is the same as the lean-fall-run except for now being on 1-leg in a hockey stance.
Phase 3- Lateral Crossover Ball Drops- These are different from the linear ball drops because we are actually getting the person who is dropping the ball to drop it when the running athlete starts to lean. What we find is that the ball drop helps the athlete crossover a little quicker.
We also incorporate the crossover to other aspects of our program. We will do crossover lateral sled marches. We will start these early in the off-season program with athletes who are training with me in the off-season or who have access to a sled at home. The emphasis is on the lean and the crossover.
Another aspect where we incorporate the crossover step is in our conditioning program. When we are running 150-yard and 300-yard shuttles, we will instruct our players to crossover when we break down at the lines when we change direction.
Honestly, if I had never started skating with our injured players during the last few seasons, I may have never known how important the ability to crossover is in skating. There are hundreds of drills on-ice that are used to promote better technique when it comes to crossing over. When I realized how important it actually is, then I decided that we may have to incorporate some drills to help improve this part of skating and being a better hockey player.
This past weekend was the NHL all-star break. While there were several players who were fortunate enough to be recognized and take part in the festivities, the rest of the league got some much needed rest and relaxation. (Training staffs too).
The reality is that the season is an absolute grind. Each team across the league has played around 49-52 games so far in 4 months of hockey. When you add in practices, travel demands, and workouts, the players have earned a much needed break. The break came at the right time for all of the teams. Each player can relax before the stretch run in which every team is gunning for a playoff birth. I gaurantee that you will see some really good hockey games during the last 30-33 games from your favorite team. We all know that all you have to do is get in the top 8 in the conference to have a chance at the cup.
It is also important to get your rest in with your own training. Going to the gym every day can get old for some. The daily routine of going to the same gym and doing some of the same things over and over again, can and will wear you out. Therefore, like the NHL, you need time to recharge the batteries.
Some of the successful programs that I have seen at the professional, collegiate, Olympic, and private training levels are usually 12 weeks long. What I like about these programs is that week 13 is an unload week or an off week. Their athletes will then start up again with week 1 of a new 12 week program after that week. The week off is to physically rest and recover while also mentally refreshing themselves before starting a new phase.
Everyone needs their time off to recharge their own batteries.
It has been a while since I posted a recap of what is going on at HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com. Before I get into the most recent content, I want to give you a brief overview of what we have going on so far in 2011.
– We added Darryl Nelson to the staff. Darryl is an excellent addition to the site as he has done an unbelievable job coaching with the US National Developmental Program over the years. There are many players who Darryl has coached that are now playing in the NHL. We are really looking forward to reading Darryl’s contributions.
– We are going to provide our members with a youth hockey training section that will consist of workouts and videos so that youth hockey coaches can easily implement the programs into their teams’ training programs. This is going to be a great section.
Here is some of the content that has been posted since my last update:
4 Summer Phase 1 Without Olympic Lifts by Mike Boyle. This is a program that Mike did last summer with his athletes who don’t olympic lift. I really like reviewing these programs as I know what it is like to have athletes who can’t do certain lifts. Great program from Mike.
My Road to the Top by Mike Boyle. This was an article that Mike originally put on his blog. I felt that this was a must for the site. Any young strength and conditioning coach who wants to train hockey players needs to read this. Mike talks about how hard work allowed him to be successful in this profession. Funny that there is no mention of the Internet on his road to the top.
In-Season Core Phase 3 by Sean Skahan. In this program, I outline what we are currently doing with our players for our in-season core training. We would like to put up more real-time programs to show what we are currently doing at different parts of the year.
Last but not least is our video of the week which is Mike Potenza’s Table Stretching. Mike shows some great stretches that he uses with his guys. We use many of these variations with our guys as well. Great video from Mike.
Thanks for your support,
Sean, Anthony, Mike, Kevin, and Darryl
I am a big believer in strength and conditioning coaches being able to do the things that they ask their athletes to do. I also believe that a strength coach’s philosophy is based on personal preferences from what has worked or hasn’t worked for them in the past. Not only with the athletes that they are coaching, but also themselves.
Back in 1999, I was a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at a Big Ten university. I was 2 years removed from my last college football season. At the time, my training regimen consisted of performing similar routines to what the athletes who I was coaching were doing. Within my program, full back squats, power cleans, and pulls from the floor were part of the regimen. The thing about it was that I was not able to back squat or pull from the floor heavy with the form I had. I had good form until the weight got heavier on the bar. I can remember forcing myself down in the hole when I probably shouldn’t have been using that amount of weight on the bar. Was this stupid? Yes it was, but I continued to push through. Knowing what I know now, this was the definition of putting strength on dysfunction or maybe trying to screw a square peg into a round hole.
A few months later, I got a lumbar discectomy at the L4 and L5/S1 levels. Before the surgery, it was so painful that I couldn’t walk or do other activities of daily living without pain. (Those who have undergone this know what I am talking about.) Back to knowing what I know now again- I probably wouldn’t have done the surgery without trying extensive physical therapy, stretching, A.R.T., and/or massage therapy first.
The point of the story is that you have to learn from your mistakes. I know that I will do my best to make sure that the athletes I coach will never have to go through something like that. As a result, we don’t back squat or pull from the floor. In my opinion, there are different and safer methods to get strong and powerful. Most of the athletes that I work with have done well without doing some of the exercises that I think have a good chance of being dangerous. Most of them are playing their sport in the highest level that their talent level allows. Most importantly, this helps me with designing programs for those who have undergone the process of lower back surgery or who experience low back pain. There are some exercises that will never be included in a program for those individuals.
Now before you read this and ask yourself if I have ever coached back squats or power cleans before? The answer is yes- plenty. However I have seen plenty of people who back squatted or cleaned properly have to go under the knife as well. As a coach, you have to ask yourself if the perceived advantage of an exercise is worth the injury potential.
We had another great week here on HockeySC.com. With hockey season in full go, we hope that you continue to read and watch our content that at we are putting up on the site each and every week.
First up is Lateral Speed Drills: Ring Technique by Mike Potenza. Mike shows some good videos of his lateral speed progressions with the rings on the floor. It is primarily an off-season progression, but he will do it during the in-season phase. We have used this progression in the past as well. Good stuff from Mike.
Next is Kevin Neeld’s Preventing Shoulder Injuries During Pressing Exercises. In this piece, Kevin writes about some issues he may see with some of his athletes including short a short pec minor and/or rotator cuff instability. The video shows a brief activation exercise for the rotator cuff before pressing exercises. Good stuff from Kevin.
Last up is an example of a program that I have used called Lower Back Reconditioning Phase 5. This is a 3-day program where we actually backed off from a 4 day program with an emphasis on strength development to a more strength-endurance program. I do plan on writing an article on the whole process of the reconditioning process from this type of injury.
We hope you enjoy the site and will continue to log on and interact on the forum.
Thanks!
Sean, Anthony, Mike, Mike, and Kevin
I was asked this recently. It really is a good question and one that I needed some time to think about.
The answer is that it is an evolution. My philosophy has evolved since the first time I ever wrote a program. The philosophy is an on-going process of making choices on what I feel is best for my athletes. It is also the result of filtering things that I don’t necessarily agree with.
The key as a strength and conditioning coach is going out of your way to ensure that your athletes are doing what you feel is best for them. Looking back at my programs from over 10 years ago, I wouldn’t use them with anyone today. However, they could still get strong and most likely wouldn’t get hurt, but, there is a better way and that is how we are doing things now.
Pat Riley, the former LA Lakers coach said “If you are not getting better, you are getting worse”. I always have this in the back of my mind when it comes to learning and implementing.
We have some great content added to HockeySC.com this week. We are getting some really good contributions from some really good coaches.
First up is “From the Ground Up” by Dan John. This one was originally on Strengthcoach.com and we liked it so much that we decided to put it up on here. Those who read this blog know that I am a huge fan of Dan John and his writing. Dan writes about a really simple and easy program that he had done in his ninth grade physical education class. It is simple, but very effective. A really good read from Dan John.
Next up is Mike Potenza’s “In-Season Lifts: Core Movements, Strength Movements, and Complexes”. Mike gives us a look at what his philosophy is on exercise selection during the in-season phase. This is a really good systemic overview of what exercises Mike chooses during the in-season phase.
Next is Jim Reeve’s “The Disconnect of Culture”. This is an article that is along the same line as “Diversify Your Athletic Lifestyle” article. I think that the development of hockey players has to include being athletes at other sports or activities besides hockey. Jim does a great job in this article in bringing about the importance of doing other activities in off-ice training besides “hockey-specific” workouts.
Next is a piece the John Buccigoss from Espn wrote called “Producing Elite U.S. Players Starts at the Bottom”. I originally read the piece on-line at Espn.com. I emailed John and asked if we could put it up on the site. I have always read John’s columns because I enjoy his view on today’s game and he is a hockey guy. In this article John looks at possible reasons why there aren’t more U.S. elite players in the NHL today. He also interviews Kenny Rausch, who is the manager of youth hockey for U.S.A. Hockey. This is a really good piece as we would like the site to have a direction on youth hockey development from a strength and conditioning perspective.
Next is my own, “Neck Strengthening For Hockey“. In this article, I outline what my philosophy is on strengthening the neck extensors. With the amount of head injuries in hockey today, proper neck strengthening is important for the prevention of whiplash associated with them.
We hope you enjoy this week’s new content in addition to the forum activity that is going on.
Thanks again,
Sean, Anthony, Mike, Mike, and Kevin