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This Week at Hockey Strength and Conditioning

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

Dec 032010

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

This Week on HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com

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

Nov 242010

Hey everyone, I hope you are doing great with your Thanksgiving day preparations. With the holiday and Friday also being the biggest shopping day of the year, I thought I would get this out today.

Anthony Renna and the StrengthCoach Podcast are giving away a year-long membership to Hockeysc.com (amongst other prizes) in honor of the 3-year anniversary of the show. Anthony has done an unbelievable job with this over the last 3 years. It has become a huge part of my own continuing education process. I will upload it to my iPhone and listen to it on my dog walks in the early mornings. Check out StrengthCoachpodcast.com for the details.

Here is the content that has been added to HockeySC.com since my last update:

Jaime Rodriguez added Rules For Training a Hockey Team. In this article, Jaime gives 10 rules that are needed to help train a hockey team successfully. Really good, real-world common sense stuffed from Jaime here.

Next up is an example of Kevin Neeld’s 2 Day Per Week In-season Program. This is a good look at how Kevin designs programs in-season for young players who play on the weekends. I’m a big believer in young players being involved in a strength training program versus some of the “dry land” methods that I see in parking lots outside of rinks before practices today. Good stuff from Kevin.

Mike Boyle posted More Support for Unilateral Training – a Facebook Exchange. This is great real-world information. Even though it is a dialogue between Mike and a football strength and conditioning coach, the information can be applied to hockey players. It is always great to see this kind of information applied in the team setting.

Last, but not least, is Dan Boothby’s Developing a Yearly Strength Training Program for Ice Hockey. For those who don’t know Dan, he is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for Hockey at Northeastern University. Dan is a great guy who has done a real good job since his arrival at NU. This article is a really good in-depth look at what he does with his team.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and thanks for your continued support.

Sean, Mike, Anthony, Mike, and Kevin

Kettlebell Swings

Hockey, Strength and Conditioning 6 Responses »

Nov 172010

The Kettlebell Swing is a great exercise that we use. Originally, it was used solely as a substitute for olympic lifts with players who may not be able to olympic lift due to wrist or hand issues. Now, it is more of a staple exercise for everyone. Unlike the explosive nature of Olympic lifts, the swing allows us to get the recruitment of the posterior chain muscles in a rhythmic-like fashion. What I also like about the swing is that it is a great in-season lift. In-season, I think there needs to be an emphasis on posterior chain strengthening due to the demands on the anterior chain in the sport of hockey. Sets and reps will be done in the 15-20 range. Unlike the Olympic lifts where sets of 5 reps max are done, the swings are more continuous, and can be done for longer periods of time when proper technique is established. We are not looking for a conditioning effect with swings, but we don’t want the bell to be too heavy either.

Complex Training in Hockey

Coaching, Hockey, Strength and Conditioning 7 Responses »

Nov 152010

In the November issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, there is a study on page 2883 titled “Complex Training in Ice Hockey: The Effects of a Heavy Resisted Sprint on Subsequent Ice-Hockey Sprint Performance”. The authors are Martyn Matthews, Paul Comfort, and Robyn Crebin from the University of Salford, Greater Manchester, UK. I actually didn’t have to look hard for this study as it was the first study In the journal.

The authors looked at the effect of resisted skating as a “pre-load” on skating speed. There were 11 subjects who were players from the English National League. There were 2 experimental conditions. Condition 1 consisted of a 10-second heavy resistance sprint while condition 2 consisted of just resting. A timed 25 meter sprint was recorded before and 4 minutes after each condition. Condition 2 showed no improvement. Condition 1 on the other hand, showed a significant 2.6% decrease in times. Obviously, this study shows that a single resisted sprint on-ice was enough to improve sprint performance on-ice (with 4 minutes rest).

To me, this is an interesting study. I’ve always been a big believer in complex training. From a practical perspective, we’ve always included a phase of complex training in the off-season in the weight room. It is not uncommon for us to “complex” exercises such as front squats and hurdle hops or bench press and medicine ball throws. We’ve also done complex training with resisted sprinting and sprinting on land as well. The purpose is the development of power.

Late in the off-season, I think there needs to be a transition from off-ice sprinting and speed development to more on-ice speed development. This is usually mid-late august for us. We don’t do much off-ice sprinting when we start a higher volume of skating. From a practical perspective, I think resisted on-ice sprinting is something that would be beneficial late in the off-season for hockey players.

This Week on HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com

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

Nov 122010

This Week on HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com:

Hi Everyone, I hope you had a great week! Happy Veteran’s day to all who have served our country. The Ducks have had a good November so far, hopefully we can keep it going. We had another great week at HockeySC.com. The forum is also picking up as we are getting some good discussions including one on pre-game and during game supplements.
Here is the run-down of this week’s content:

First up was Mike Boyle’s Phase 2 for an NHL or a college player– This is what Mike did this past off-season with his pro and college players. It is always great to see what Mike is doing with his hockey players. I really like how these workouts flow.

Next up was my TRX Lateral Line video which was shown on this blog last week. It is a progression from our off-bench oblique exercises. For us, this is going to work better in-season, as space is not adequate enough for some of the farmers walk progressions.

Mike Potenza’s article How Do you Customize or Individualize a Workout for a Hockey Player is an outstanding piece. This is something that I am always continually trying to do a better job with our players. Mike does a good job breaking it down to a system that makes sense.

Last, but not least, is Kevin Neeld’s, Powerful Influence of Posture. Kevin does a great job talking about the importance daily posture on hockey performance.

Thanks for the continued support- Sean, Mike, Mike, Anthony, and Kevin.

This Week on HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com

Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Nov 052010

This Week on HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com:

I wanted to add this as part of my blog on a weekly basis. The site is really going well. Although I am definitely in full in-season mode right now, I make it a priority to log on to HockeySC.com on a daily basis. We now have tons of content as we are getting some awesome contributions from some really bright people. I really like the direction that the site is going.

In addition to the articles, videos, and programs that are going up on a weekly basis, the forum is very active. There are some great discussions going on such as the on-ice beep test, orthotics in skates, and a very important issue- concussions. Definitely log on and check out the forum.

Here is what we had this past week:

Mike Potenza’s “More Dryland Skating Exercises” is another awesome addition to our expanding video collection. These are some great drills that Mike uses with his players in the off-season and with injured players in-season. Check it out here- More Dryland Skating Exercises.

Up next was “Pre-Game Warm Up” by myself. In this program, I outline a quick pre-game warm up that I do with some of our players prior to the start of the game. Check it out here- Pre-Game Warm Up.

Devan McConnell’s “RFE Progressions” shows a great progression for the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat. Devan has some success with younger athletes using this progression. Check it out here- RFE Progressions

Last, but not least, Jaime Rodriguez wrote up a great piece called “VO2 Testing”. In this article, Jaime gives his insights and thoughts on VO2 testing. Check it out here- VO2 Testing.

Thanks for the continued support!

Sean, Mike, Mike, Anthony, and Kevin.

NHL Preseason Interviews

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

Sep 272010

Hey Everyone,

With the start of hockey season upon us, we have added a ton of
great new content at
http://www.HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com, including 2 audio
interviews with NHL Strength Coaches Mike Potenza (Sharks) and
Sean Skahan (Ducks).

Mike and Sean go over what is happening at camp right now for
their respective teams. We will continue to check in with them
and other NHL and college strength coaches all season.

Also added recently:

Article- “Goaltender Specific Movement Training- The Drop Step”
Devan McConnell

Article- “MMA for Hockey Players?”
Michael Boyle

Article- “Treatment and Prevention of Sports Hernia”
Ron J. Higuera

Article- “Friesen Physio-Fitness Summit Recap”
Kevin Neeld

Program- “Late Off-Season (early August) Workout”
Maria Mountain

Program- “Lower Back Re-Conditioning Phase 2”
Sean Skahan

Video- “Multi-planar Hip Mobility and Activation Exercises”
Kevin Neeld

Also, thanks to everyone for some great content on the forum, we
have some really good discussions.

Thanks,

Michael, Sean, Mike and Kevin

Good Hockey Study

Coaching, Hockey, Strength and Conditioning No Responses »

Aug 252010

In the July 2010, volume 24, number 7 issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, there is a great study- Relationship Between Body Composition, Leg Strength, Anaerobic Power, and On-Ice Skating Performance in Division I Men’s Hockey Athletes. I actually try to read these journals whenever they are delivered to the house. Usually, I will scan the table of contents for studies that really spark my interest. Obviously, any studies that are related to hockey, I am going to read.

This study was done to look at relationships between specific lab tests and skating performance. The subjects were 21 Miami of Ohio University Hockey players. They were measured for body composition, force production in the quadriceps and hamstrings (isokinetic), and anaerobic power through a 30-second Wingate test. On-Ice skating was measured during 6 timed 89 meter sprints where the fastest sprint and the average times were used in the analysis.

The results said that that %fat was “moderately” correlated to average skating times, while a greater %fat was related to slower skating speed. The average on-ice times also correlated to peak power per kilogram body mass Wingate scores. Basically, the study was able to say that “Laboratory testing of select variables can predict skating performance in hockey athletes.”

A couple of things that I really like about this study are that it does re-enforce some tests that I use/would use for hockey players. I think that hockey players should be as lean as possible. Honestly, I really haven’t seen too many pro players with body fat levels above 10% (taken with the Skyndex calipers). The Wingate test, although it is brutally hard, has always been a favorite of mine.

I actually remember meeting with Eric Cressey a few years ago and he asked me what tests, in my opinion, correlate with hockey speed and performance and my answer was body composition and Wingate scores.

Should strength and conditioning programs for hockey include trying to be as lean as possible and improve leg power? I certainly think so.

Glute Strengthening

Hockey, Physical Therapy, Strength and Conditioning 6 Responses »

Aug 132010

In this post, I want to show you how we will actually strengthen our glutes after we have ensured that they are turned on and ready to go. In our situation, when hockey players get into the routine of playing and/or practicing every day, the hip flexors can become short and tight. It is imperative that the glutes and hip extensors are doing their jobs as effectively as possible on the opposite side of the hips to help allow the hip flexors to relax.

After our activation phase in our workouts, we will utilize exercises in our workouts that strengthen the glutes in conjunction with other muscles to produce hip extension and hip external rotation.

We will use many different exercises and patterns within our strength program that will ensure the glutes are used. These are just some examples that we use all throughout the year:

Kettle Bell Slideboard Split Squat- This is a great exercise that is frequently used in-season. The glute on the front leg gets a lot of work on the ascent back up to the starting position.

Kettle Bell 1-Leg S.L.D.L.- This is an exercise that we use for single leg hip-hinging and hip extension patterns.

Slideboard Leg Curl- This is one of our favorite hip extension plus knee flexion pattern. This is a great way to strengthen the hamstrings while getting good glute contraction to keep the hips extended.

Bench Hip Lift- This is a new variation that we have been incorporating into our program for the last year or so. We have recently been experimenting with loading this movement more and more. Although we have done this as an “activation” exercise on the stability ball in the past, I have recently been re-introduced to this by Bret Contreras. We will continue to look for ways to progress in this exercise by adding load and/or going to single leg variations.

New Content at HockeySC.com

Athletic Training, Coaching, Education, Hockey, Physical Therapy, Strength and Conditioning 2 Responses »

Jul 122010

Hey Everyone,
Hope you are doing well and having a great summer. We have been
busy adding a ton of content every week and we wanted to make
sure you are caught up with all of it.

Newest Videos:

Slide Board Progressions- Darryl Nelson:
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/Slide_Board_Progression_Videos.cfm

Three Stage Hip Flexion Progression- Michael Boyle
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/Video_of_the_Week_Three_Stage_Hip_Flexion_Progression.cfm

Soft Tissue Work: Posterior Adductor Magnus- Kevin Neeld
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/Video_of_The_Week_Soft_Tissue_Work_Posterior_Adductor_Magnus.cfm

Incorporating The Crossover Step In Speed Training For Hockey-
Sean Skahan
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/Video_of_the_Week_Incorporating_The_Crossover_Step_In_Speed_Training_For_Hockey.cfm?sd=50

Also, we have posted Matt Nichol’s presentation “Energy Systems
Development for Ice Hockey” from “Second Annual Boston Hockey
Summit and Basketball Symposium”.
Check it out at:
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/quotEnergy_Systems_Development_for_Ice_Hockeyquot.cfm

If you want to get the Summit on DVD, including Sean Skahan’s
presentation, go to
http://www.bsmpg.com/purchase-previous-conference-videos/

Latest Articles:
Managing the End of a Hockey Season- Mike Potenza
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/Managing_the_End_of_a_Hockey_Season.cfm

Getting Your Athletes On Board Your Bus- Sean Skahan
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/Getting_Your_Athletes_On_Board_Your_Bus.cfm

Why Not Play on the Best Team?- Mike Boyle
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/Why_Not_Play_on_the_Best_Team.cfm

Latest Programs:

Upper Body Injury Program- Sean Skahan
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/Upper_Body_Injury_Program.cfm

Off-Season Conditioning- Mike Potenza
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/OffSeason_Conditioning.cfm

Thanks again to all of you who have been participating on the
Coaches Forum. There have been some great discussions:

Hockey Speed vs. Foot Speed
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?threadid=1ED94582-24E8-5ED2-F1C37D8B89CDCC29

Question about the DB Complex video
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?threadid=87F524B3-24E8-5ED2-F18DEA06566D8A88

Slide Board Length Variations
http://www.hockeystrengthandconditioning.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?threadid=815AC9CC-24E8-5ED2-F1711495303D9250

If you have any questions, let us know.