Those Who Have Influenced Me

 Coaching, Education, Strength and Conditioning  3 Responses »
Jul 302012
 

I was actually hesitant to post this but ended up thinking “what the heck”. The reality is that I am sometimes guilty of caring what people may think.  Some may think “who is this guy who is writing about mentors and stuff”, or “who gives a s#%t who his mentors are?”  Anyways, if you are at least reading the blog, I know that some of you are friends or maybe you are at least a little interested.

Most of the people that I am going to talk about are coaches who are or have been coaching or teaching in the trenches.  That really means a lot to me.  Although some of them do have an internet presence, some of them don’t.  That doesn’t mean that they aren’t phenomenal at what they do.

I was recently inspired to write this by 2 recent blog posts/articles that are currently on the internet.   The first is What it Means to be a Boyle Guy by Kevin Neeld.  Obviously if you know me, given by the title of my post, you know there is a really good chance that I will talk about Mike.  However for another look at Mike’s impact on another coach, check out Kevin’s article.  The second article that helped inspire me to write this is Your Life and Lifting Goals by Dan John.  This is just another Dan John article.  I say that seriously because all of Dan’s articles are gold.  It is an outstanding piece.  In the article, Dan talks about a mentor of his by the name of Dick Notmeyer who impacted Dan early on in his lifting career.

This post is about some of the people who have made an impact on me professionally in a positive manner.  Of course, I would like to mention my parents, my wife Hillary, or even my uncle Bill who bought me my first weight set- you know the plastic grey ones that were filled with sand. Or, I could easily mention all of the coaches (primarily hockey coaches over the past 11 year) who have influenced me. However, this is about strength and conditioning professionals for now.

Avery Faigenbaum Dr. Faigenbaum is currently a Health and Exercise Science Professor at the College of New Jersey.  He was one of my exercise science professors at the University of Massachusetts at Boston back in 2006.  Back then, the exercise science curriculum at UMB was only geared towards the ACSM health fitness instructor track.  There was also an Athletic Training/Sports Medicine track in which I was a part of for a semester or so.  That is when Avery came in as a professor at UMB.  What he brought to the Exercise Science department was a new concentration called “Strength and Conditioning”.  As a result, I eventually switched to the Exercise Science track.  Since I was currently playing football at UMB, it would have been extremely difficult for me to accumulate all of the clinical hours that were required for the athletic training track.  I figured that since I liked to lift weights and train for football, it would be pretty awesome if I could make a career out of it.  It was Avery that really made learning about this stuff fun.  He is really passionate about the field and he actually got me pretty fired up to do well in his classes.

When it was time to apply for my senior year internship, there were 4 schools that strength and conditioning majors could apply to for internships.  I applied at Boston University.  Although I was intrigued by the thought of interning at Boston College, which is the only Division 1-A football program in Boston, I still applied at Boston University because of the next person that I am going to talk about.

Mike Boyle

I applied at BU because I recognized the name of the contact person on the list of available schools.  In my mind, Mike was the guy who worked with Cam Neely to help him get back on the ice after he suffered a career threatening injury.  I can remember reading about Neely’s rehab in the Boston Herald or seeing some stuff on the TV when he was working out with Mike and thinking that what Mike was doing would be a cool job.  Cam Neely’s knee and hip were big news in the Boston sporting news back then.  I really didn’t know what Mike’s role was in the actual process, but I knew that he was doing something that I wanted to do.

(Side note- I consider myself very fortunate because I actually do get to do that now.)

I actually never interned for Mike at BU.  I interned for Glenn Harris who is the Director of Strength and Conditioning and is also someone who taught me a lot about coaching.  I did get to intern for Mike at Sports Acceleration North during the summer of 1998 right after I graduated from UMass Boston.  I don’t think the present system at MBSC is much different from what it was back then.  We coached day and night for 4 days per week.  It was non-stop coaching and it was a blast.  I can’t tell you how valuable that experience was for me.   You learn very quickly in that environment.  We had different types of athletes who came in on a daily basis ranging from the NHL players in the am to the hundreds of high school kids who played all different kinds of sports all throughout the day.

What’s interesting about the whole Sports Acceleration experience (now MBSC) was that there were other interns who were starting out there as well.  Mike Potenza, who is currently the San Jose Sharks Strength and Conditioning Coach, was also an intern, as well as Darryl Nelson, who is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the USA Hockey National Development Program.

I owe Mike a lot when I look at my strength and conditioning career so far.  With Mike it is usually “Do this, not that” when it comes to advice from him.  I can still remember a story about Mike vividly.  During the summer of my internship, I also played on a staff basketball team that was in a league after work hours at the same facility.  When I first started coaching that summer, I was a really quiet and shy person when it came to being a coach. Maybe I was a little overwhelmed or even intimidated by some of the athletes.   However, I was a pretty aggressive basketball player who always competed even though I probably wasn’t very good.  Mike said to me one day “I want you to coach like you play basketball”.  I must say that it kind of clicked after that.   I got what he meant and as a result, I was a more confident coach.

Al Vermeil- To me, Al Vermeil is the ultimate Strength and Conditioning Coach.  Al was the strength and Conditioning Coach for the Chicago Bulls during the Jordan era and he was also the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Francisco 49ers in the early 1980’s.  He has several NBA championship rings and 1 Superbowl championship ring I believe.

When I was an assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Boston College, our staff brought in Al for a 1-day seminar on strength and conditioning principles.   Through his speaking, his passion for teaching and the field was contagious.  I remember during that day, I had a hockey player come in and do a lift that he missed the previous day.  I asked Al if he wanted to coach him up.  Al was more than willing.  Before you know it Al had his sleeves rolled up and was on the platform coaching the player in the hang clean.  His coaching and energy was inspiring.

After our seminar, Al was someone who I always stayed in touch with.  It wasn’t uncommon for me to be on the phone with him for at least 45 minute or so asking questions.  I can also remember him sending me his 300+ page training manual which I still look at today.

I think what I will always remember about Al  though is that on the night that the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007, there was a message on my office phone voicemail from Al .  In the message, Al sang “We are the Champions” by Queen.  You really can’t make that up.

 

Pete Friesen For those that don’t know, Pete is the Athletic Trainer/Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Carolina Hurricanes.  Like those above, he is also a great person.  When I made it a goal of mine to work as a Strength and Conditioning Coach in the NHL, I would always some people in those positions.  Pete was always one of the guys to get back to me.  In fact, I still have those emails saved in a folder on my Hotmail account.  He was one of the first people to introduce me to the FMS and foam rollers.

Pete is a lifelong learner and he is also an outstanding presenter who brings energy in everything that he does.  I was absolutely honored and humbled to be able to introduce him to the attendants at the BSMPG seminar this year.

What Pete does really well is that he gets his guys to buy in.  In fact, I heard him take the Hurricanes through a core/warm up routine before practice one day.  I say hear because our weightroom is immediately next door to the visiting team’s locker room.  You could feel Pete’s’ enthusiasm for what he does coming through the wall.  What I also respect about Pete is that he has been doing this for a long time as he worked with the Hartford Whalers before the franchise moved to Raleigh NC.

Dan John Lots of people are Dan John fans these days and rightfully so.  For me, not only as a coach but as a person who is trying my best at not being skinny-fat, Dan John has been instrumental.  I’ve been reading Dan’s stuff for a few years now on T-Nation and at DanJohn.net.  There is something about his writing that makes it seem like he is sitting right next to you.  For me though, it was at the RKC where I really got to get more of Dan.  Dan was my team leader who made the entire 3-day weekend an unbelievable experience.

 

When I look at the above list, what is most common is that they are all great people.  They get it.  I’m not sure if I know exactly what “it” is yet, but I am certain that they have it.

One thing about me is that I am not a big fan of big-timers.  You know who they are, the guys or girls who act like they haven’t met you before or they have no time for you.  You will never get big-timed by any of these guys.  They get to know your name and get to know you as a person.  To me, that is worth so much more than how a person’s success is perceived to be.

What is also common about all of them is their passion for what they do.  Each person’s energy and enthusiasm is visible when you around them.  They inspire you to be a better person and strength and conditioning coach.

Another reason why I think this article came to me was that there are actually young people looking to intern for me or work at our annual prospect camps.  Maybe I am at a stage in the career of a Strength and Conditioning Coach or something.  All I know is that I hope to be the best person that I can be and not big-time anyone ever (If you think I have in the past, I apologize).

I must say that there are several others that deserve honorable mention.  Glenn Harris, Paul Chapman, Mike Poidomani, Chris Doyle, Todd Wright, Cal Dietz, Robert Dos Remedios, Charlie Weingroff, and Pavel Tsatsouline are all coaches that I truly respect and I am very thankful to them for taking the time to teach me.

Mass Made Simple

 Education, Strength and Conditioning  No Responses »
Jul 192012
 

I like following a program that is designed by other coaches for my own training.  There is something about having someone else design the program in which I follow along.

For the past year, I have been following the Right of Passage from Enter the Kettlebell by Pavel.   This was a great program to help me prepare for the RKC while getting stronger with swings, snatches, clean and presses, and pull ups.  I knew that for 3 days per week, I would be doing kettlebell clean and presses and pull ups.   I really liked the simplicity of the program. The goals of the program are to press the kettlebell closest to ½ of your bodyweight and also perform 200 snatches in 10 minutes.  Although I haven’t pressed ½ of my bodyweight yet (44k) or performed 200 snatches in 10 minutes, the program definitely works.  Why?  I got stronger at pressing and have done more snatches in less amount of time.  Yes, I should probably stay with the program until I can press the 44k and snatch 200 reps.  However, the longer that I have been doing this program, the longer I’ve been away from other lifts.  For example, in the ROP, other than swings, snatches, and get ups, there isn’t much leg strengthening.  Yes, for lots of people these 3 exercises would be sufficient leg strengthening.  However, when you have been squatting both double leg and single leg variations and then not doing them for almost a whole year, your body and your strength will miss them.  Also, what I felt missing from the program was some basic barbell work.  Although I am not the best at the bench press, I definitely felt like my one arm presses were missing something from not bench pressing.  Maybe it was from not pushing heavy loads with 2 arms or my triceps strength was lacking due to not bench pressing.  I don’t know, but I was missing something when it came to my pressing strength.

What I would like to do is spend a little bit of time away from the ROP and work on getting stronger globally.  I want to work with the barbell once again and get my legs and bench press stronger.  However, I would like to be able to press a good amount of weight overhead. The end goal is still the ½ bodyweight press. I think that by not doing the ROP for a little while and getting stronger in other areas will help me with this.

Like I said before, I like following other programs.  In this case, I knew I wanted to work with the barbell and keep getting stronger at the one arm press.  Enter Mass Made Simple by Dan John.  Why? Well number one, I know Dan John knows his stuff.  Two is the simplicity.  What I also really liked about the ROP is the direct instructions.  “Do this, not that” is very common.  In Mass Made Simple, you have this for 6 weeks straight.

This program has what I am looking for- barbell work, one arm overhead kettlebell work, and leg strengthening.  Yet, it is simple.  It is the same exercises every workout.  Bench press, Bat wings, one arm presses, bird dogs, barbell complex, and the high rep back squat.  All you have to do is follow the program.

Although it is Mass Made Simple and it involves ingesting more calories, I won’t be doing that.  Yes, I know that the program is supposed to allow you to gain some serous size.  I don’t think it is something that I need at this part of my life.  I just want to get stronger but I realize that added muscle can be a result- not a bad thing.

I have started a Training Log page on my blog.  Feel free to check it out.  I am already 4 workouts in and I am feeling great.  There is something about high rep back squatting with light weight.  I don’t know, but I feel like I am putting on some lean body mass while losing body fat.  I think high rep squatting has lots to do with it.

Recently at Hockey SC

 Hockey, Strength and Conditioning  No Responses »
Jul 132012
 

I hope everyone is doing great!  We just wrapped up another successful prospect conditioning camp.  It is always great to have our young players learn how we operate.  For me, I love getting to work with the young players in the weightroom.  We stress the basics with an emphasis on impeccable technique.  I really think these camps are an important part of the development process.

What I also enjoy doing is working with young coaches who want to work and get coaching experience.  Each year, I always have really good “interns” at these camps.  Lots of them have gone on to do excellent things like working in the NHL, AHL, KHL, and collegiate ranks.  This year was no exception as Taylor Lewis came down from the Bay area, while Philip Kip came all the way from Germany.  They did an unbelievable job.

At HockeySC, we have been getting some outstanding content submissions.  Honestly, with how busy things are for me right now, I can’t keep up with all of it.  I will probably end up printing all of the articles and programs off and reading them on vacation in a few weeks.

Here is what has been added since my last update:

Articles

Top 5 Quotes From Perform Better Chicago by Brian Sipotz

Children’s Footwear by Dr. William Rossi

Youth Hockey Presentation by Kevin Neeld

Reconditioning Phase: Step One in Off-Season Programming by Devan McConnell

Videos

Single Leg Complex Training by Me

Programs

Youth Training Program: Tri-Planar Circuits by Mike Potenza

Pre-Camp Work Capacity Phase by Mike Potenza

That’s it for now. We hope you enjoy the site and please let us know if there is anything that we can do to make your membership better.

Thanks!

Sean

Recently at HockeySC.com

 Hockey, Strength and Conditioning  No Responses »
Jun 292012
 

I can’t believe that it is almost July.  For any Strength and Conditioning Coach who works with hockey players in the off season, the summer months are a busy time and the best time to make an impact with our players.  I love this time of the year because this is when it is just the Strength and Conditioning Coach/staff and the players.  No games or practices; just strength and conditioning sessions.

Before I get into what was recently posted on HockeySC.com, I want to post some of the comments that were made by Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf in regards to playing different sports at a young age. This was originally posted on Ducks.NHl.com.  He is a guy that I have been honored to work with over the last 9 years.  He also happens to be a really good hockey player who has won championships at every level he has played at.

On Ryan Getzlaf playing baseball as a kid:


“Growing up, I always believed in playing different sports, and so did my family. We didn’t want to focus on one thing. I played baseball, volleyball, football and all that stuff. As you get older, you kind of have to pick a route and that’s when I leaned toward hockey. “

“I was very involved and I loved baseball. I loved being outside. I was a catcher, so I got to be in control a little bit, which is a good thing for me. I loved football, but I think I was better at baseball.”

Recently at HockeySc, we have had some great contributions:

New Article:

Defensemen Specific Speed by me.

Videos:

Phase 1 Sprinting Variations by Kevin Neeld

Hip Extension Holds by Mike Potenza

Programs:

Off-Season 2012 Phase 2 Strength Training by me

3-Day Off-Season Program by Darryl Nelson

On the forum, we have some interesting discussions going on about FMS and Y-Balance tests, Crossfit workouts for elite players, and a post on programming questions.  Please check out the forum the next time that you log on.

That’s it for now.

Thanks!

Sean

What’s going on at HockeySC.com

 Hockey, Strength and Conditioning  No Responses »
Jun 182012
 

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all doing well.  It is has been a few weeks since my last HockeySc.com update.  I’ve been pretty busy lately with trips to Germany, Boston, Toronto, and St. Paul, MN.  It is great to be home with no travel plans for the next month.

The off-season is in full swing as hockey players all around the world are participating in their off-season strength and conditioning programs.  It is the best time of year to be a Strength and Conditioning Coach.

As for what’s going on at HockeySc, we had some excellent contributions since my last update.

For our new articles, we have:

Essential Components of a Strength Training Program by Darryl Nelson

Pro’s vs Joe’s by Jim Snider.

Triple Flexion Training Considerations in Hockey by Kyle Bangen.

We are pretty excited to be able to put up contributions from Jim and Kyle.  They do an unbelievable job with their players at Wisconsin and Michigan Tech.

For our new videos, we have:

Side Lying 1-Leg Hip Extension by me

2 Arm DB Snatch by Darryl Nelson

For new programs on the site, we have:

Summer 2012 GPP Phase 1 by Mike Potenza

2012 5-Day Off-Season Hockey Training Program Phase 1 by Kevin Neeld

On the forum, we have had some really good discussions.  Some of the topics include off-season conditioning and screening with the FMS and Y-Balance test.  Please check out the forum the next time that you log onto the site.

Thanks!

Sean Skahan

CK-FMS Review

 Education, Strength and Conditioning  2 Responses »
Jun 132012
 

A few of my friends/colleauges have requested that I write up a review of my recent experience at the CK-FMS cert.  Doing this helps me organize my thoughts and comprehend what I have learned from a seminar.  Here you go:

This past weekend, I attended the CK-FMS in St. Paul Minnesota.  For those that may be unfamiliar, the CK-FMS is a certification that is provided by Dragondoor in conjunction with Gray Cook- founder of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and Brett Jones- who is heavily involved with the FMS and the RKC community.  The CK-FMS is 4-days long and consists of lectures and practical sessions on the FMS screen and the accompanying corrective exercises.  That is the most general description of it in the sense that there is way more to it than learning the FMS the correctives.

I’ve always been a supporter of the FMS.  I think it was back in 2005 when I first screened my athletes.  Back then, after I screened them, I didn’t know what to do with the results.  This is something that I’ve been trying to figure out for the longest time.  I’ve been to FMS courses, have watched all the “Secrets” series, and have seen Gray speak many times through Perform Better.  It wasn’t until this weekend that I can say with full conviction “Now I know what to do and how I can use it with my guys”.

Why didn’t I get it?  Maybe because in the back of my mind, I thought that the FMS was impractical in the team setting.  I thought I could use it with my athletes but I really could never “get it” and operate it as a system.  I actually still have an article that I never did finish about using the FMS in the team sport setting on my computer.  It started out with great intentions, but I never finished it because I never could comprehend how to really use it. All I know is that one season; I screened all of my athletes.  I then simply incorporated the in-season strength and conditioning program.  At the end of the season, I looked at who was hurt during the season from an overuse injury perspective.  The guys who were hurt did have some asymmetries on their FMS.  I’m not a brain surgeon by any means; however, this showed me that if I knew what to do with the info, maybe there were some things we could’ve done to prevent.  The point is that the FMS to me has been and continuous to be a learning process.  The goal has always been and continues to be the perfect program for injury prevention and performance.  The FMS simply gives you a compass on which direction to go first in the journey.  The reality is that a score of 14 with symmetrical scores down the board is ok.  Asymmetries need to be addressed.

What also made this course really good was that the RKC community was involved.  Like I’ve written before, my RKC weekend experience was a phenomenal experience.  There are some really good people at these events that I have the outmost respect for.  This includes not only the instructors, but the Dragondoor staff and the students.  I met some really cool people at this event.

Since it was an RKC event, I had the opportunity to re-test my RKC standards which included having proficient technique in the lifts, doing 5 pull ups, and also performing the 100-rep snatch test in 5 minutes.  I was very happy to pass all of these, however what I think is more important is the fact that RKC’s are not only being tested to show that they can do it.  It is so that they can coach their athletes/clients in them proficiently.  Another reason why I think the RKC is an outstanding cert.

One of the highlights for me at the CK-FMS was further solidifying or “Cementing” (which is a word that was used by Brett Jones many times throughout the course- think “Myelinate” from the book Talent Code) why I like the Get Up and more importantly, why it’s good for my clients. It is amazing how much you can do with the different steps of the Get up.  When we look at exercises such as the Get Up and the Bretzel (which I will be writing a blog post/article on soon), we can further appreciate them more as just exercises.  They are actually screens as well.

What I have taken from this experience is that I am more confident in my screening and application of corrective exercises.  I own the map.  Also, as an RKC, and when it comes to my own training and coaching skills, I am setting out to achieve RKC-2 certification. With the new standards now set for that cert, it is going to be a challenge.  Simple but not easy.

Kettlebells and Hockey Studies

 Hockey, Strength and Conditioning  1 Response »
Jun 012012
 

I just checked out the recent copy of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.  While I do admit to “skimming” through these journals, whenever I come across a study that interests me, I will read it.

In this issue (Volume 26, Number 5, May 2012); I came across 2 studies that I was interested in.  I would say that I am probably not the best at writing research reviews as I am aware that there might be some specific protocols that need to be done.  I swear that I did pay attention during my research methods class while I was in graduate school.  However, I am now at the point where I basically take what I learn from a study and hopefully apply what I learn.  This is why I am posting my thoughts here.

The first one was Effects of Weightlifting vs. Kettlebell Training on Vertical Jump, Strength, and Body Composition by William H. Otto, III, Jared W. Coburn, Lee E. Brown, and Barry SA. Spiering.  Page 1199. In this study the researchers looked at 2 different groups.  One group performed kettlebell exercises 2 times per week for 6 weeks, while the other group performed barbell only weightlifting exercises.  Prior to the training, each student was assessed for height, body mass, body composition, back squat 1-rm, vertical jump, and power clean 1-rm.  At the end of the 6 weeks, each student was re-assessed.  What the authors concluded was that both groups increased strength and power.  However, the weightlifting group showed greater gains in strength than the kettlebell group.

I think this study is good in that it does show that kettlebell training can help improve strength and power.  For me, I like kettlebells as a tool in addition to the barbell and other methods.  So that it does show that I am not wasting anyone’s time by incorporating kettlebells.  However, it’s important to talk about the methods of training in the study.  The kettlebell group used a 16-k kettlebell for their exercises which included swings, accelerated swings, and the goblet squat.  The weightlifting group performed high pulls, power cleans, and back squats at a load of 80% of 1-rm.  What I think may be misleading (again, I am a Strength and Conditioning Coach, not a researcher or scientist) is that the students who are healthy men, performed the back squat for 6 weeks while the kettlebell group did not back squat.  The back squat post assessment is what the authors used to conclude that weightlifting was superior for gaining strength.  Also, a 16-k kettlebell can be pretty light for some people.  While I also don’t disagree with the fact that it could be heavy for some, I wish there was a way that they could have made the kettlebell load more comparable to the loads in terms of percentage of 1-rm in the weightlifting group.  All in all, I am very happy the kettlebells are being investigated in the training process.

The second study was Relationship of Off-Ice and On-Ice Performance Measures in High School Male Hockey Players by David A. Krause, Aynsley M. Smith, Laura C. Holmes, Corrine R. Klebe, Jennifer B. Lee, Kimberly M. Lundquist, Jospeph J. Eischen, and John H. Hollmen. Page 1423.  Obviously by being a Strength and Conditioning Coach in hockey, anytime there is a study on relationships between off-ice and on-ice performance, I am all ears.  This study consisted of 40 high school age players who were from the junior varsity and varsity levels.  What the authors did was measure horizontal hops (both single and double leg), vertical jumps (both single and double leg), lateral hops, dynamic balance through the Y-Balance test, and a 40-yard sprint.  Then they measured some on-ice tests including a course for short radius turns, crossover turns, and a sprint test (goal line through opposite blue line).  5 of the off-ice variables correlated with all on-ice measurements including  the 40-yard sprint, lateral bound right to left limb, broad jump, balance on right in posterolateral direction  and composite balance performance on the right.  However, the 40-yard sprint was most predictive of on-ice skating speed.  What was really interesting is that the authors said that “Based on our regression equation, for every 1-second difference in the 40-yard sprint time, there will be approximately a .6-second difference in the on-ice sprint.”

Although the authors did say “We cannot say that improving sprint time will result in a faster skater”, at the end of the study, I have to believe that improving sprint performance off-ice should be a priority anyone who trains hockey players.  The faster players have greater chances to be better players on the ice.

It is ok to train hockey players like a sprinter. Although I would probably never use the 40-yard dash in my athletes’ speed training, I do believe in trying to improve acceleration.

Scouting the Combine

 Hockey, Strength and Conditioning  3 Responses »
May 302012
 

Tomorrow, I am heading up to Toronto for the annual scouting combine.  I believe that this will be my 7th or 8th combine that I am attending.  It is a good way to assess the top 115 or so prospects that may be selected in the draft.  They will be put through an assortment of physical tests in front of many team personnel.

I am often asked by other Trainers and Strength and Conditioning Coaches “How do prepare a hockey player for the combine?”.  Here is an article that I wrote a few years ago that addresses that:

Scouting the Scouting Combine

Also, who do you think will win the Stanley Cup?

Germany, BSMPG, and What’s New at HockeySC

 Education, Hockey, Strength and Conditioning  No Responses »
May 252012
 

It’s been a while since my last update and much has happened during that time.  For me, it started off with a trip to Germany to teach strength and conditioning principles to a great group of coaches.  It was a very humbling experience for me as these coaches are at the top of the profession in Germany.  I got to teach 2- 2-day courses during my stay.  I did get a little time as well to check out some of the sites including seeing the biggest church that I’ve ever seen in my life.  It was so big that it took almost 500 years to build!  I was very grateful for this opportunity as I met some really great people while getting to see another part of the world.

After my trip to Germany, it was on to Boston where I was speaking at the BSMPG annual seminar.  It was another event that I was honored to be a part of.  Art Horne and Dan Boothby really do a great job with this conference on an annual basis.  The speaker lineup was outstanding as coaches like Cal Dietz, Joel Jamieson, Dan Boothby, and Pete Friesen all spoke in the hockey track while people such as Bill Knowles and Craig Liebenson were the keynote presenters.  While I am not a “basketball guy”, there were also some of the best Strength and Conditioning coaches in basketball with presentations from coaches such as Art Horne from Northeastern University and Andrea Hudy from the University of Kansas.  What was also really impressive was that the people in the audience featured some of the best strength and conditioning coaches in Hockey and Basketball as there were lots of coaches from the best programs in collegiate hockey and basketball and also a few from the NHL and NBA.

At HockeySc.com, we continue to roll along with adding great content to the site in addition to having some really good discussions on the forum.  It was also great to see many of the members at BSMPG.  We are excited about how the site is continually being the best in hockey training information on the internet.  Here is what we have added since my last update:

Videos of the Week:

Jump Squats by Darryl Nelson

Complex Lifts as Pre-Strength Training Warm Ups by Mike Potenza

Programming:

2012 Early Off-Season Training Program Phase 1 by Kevin Neeld

Summer 2012 Phase 1 Strength Training by me

Spring Training 4 Days per Week by Darryl Nelson

Articles:

What’s New in Regeneration Training by Mike Potenza

Training Overhaul: Making the Transition from Old School to Current Principles without Pissing Off the Coach (Part 2) by Kevin Neeld

Debit Card Strength and Conditioning: In-Season Account Withdrawals by Anthony Donskov

 

Thanks!- Sean

Using Kettlebells in Hockey

 Hockey, Strength and Conditioning  1 Response »
May 182012
 

(Originally Posted at www.Dragondoor.com)

I must say that I have been using kettlebells within my team’s training program in some capacity during the past 2 years.  During that time, we have incorporated the Swing, the Get-Up, and have used the kettlebell for other exercises such as 1-Arm/1-Leg Modified Straight Leg Deadlifts and Slideboard Split Squats.  I felt that since I have viewed some really good DVD’s and have read a few books on kettlebells, that I could add kettlebells proficiency.  The truth is, even though I can basically add any exercise that I feel is good for my athletes, it wasn’t until I actually became an RKC that I learned that I needed to change a few coaching cues and clean up some technical flaws.

The Swing

I have always believed in performing some kind of Olympic lift variation daily in the off-season.  Whether it is a Hang Clean, Hang Snatch, Dumbbell Snatch, or a Push Jerk, we were going to do one of those on a daily basis.  There is no question in my mind that there are benefits to Olympic lifting for a hockey player.  I think that explosive power development is crucial for the developing young hockey player.  The Olympic lifts can help a young player become faster, stronger, while also developing the ability to check more explosively.

The Swing has become a welcome addition to the menu of explosive lifts.  The swing is a ballistic lift where we are using maximum power of the posterior chain to accelerate the kettlebell with proper technique.  Where I am absolutely certain that the Swing is beneficial for hockey players is the fact that hockey players need to be better at extending their hips- plain and simple.  Hockey players spend an enormous amount of time in a flexed spine, hip, knee, and ankle position.  Whether they are playing the sport, sitting in their lockers during intermissions, sitting at home, sitting on the plane or the bus, hockey players are always in a shortened position.  The Swing helps us get full hip extension.

The Swing can also serve as an evaluation tool for those who really can’t extend their hips all the way through.  If we see some players who really can’t seem to get their hips through, we immediately go back to our Glute activation exercises.  Although we do spend a good amount of time performing exercises to prevent “Gluteal Amnesia”, the Swing can give us a better indication of who may need those exercises more.  With Glute activation exercises and a lot of time spent stretching out our hip flexors; we feel that we can get good results from our Swings.

For the Swing, we can use it as a power exercise where we are doing 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps.  We will also use it as a conditioning tool for those who may be injured and may not be necessarily cleared to skate.  An example of this may be a player who has sustained an injury to a hand, wrist, or shoulder.  We would simply do 1-arm Swings with the good limb.

The Get Up

As a Strength and Conditioning Coach in a team sport setting, I admit that I was hesitant about the Get-up when I first started to learn about it.   I viewed it as an exercise that would be too difficult to implement in my coaching situation as it looked like an exercise that seemed too complicated to teach to a large group of athletes.  (We have 23 players on our hockey team).

I first learned and practiced the Get-Up at a Perform Better 1 Day Seminar in Los Angeles a few years back.  To say that I was humbled by an 8k kettlebell is an understatement.   Dr. Mark Cheng was my instructor during the hands-on portion of the seminar.  I was coached by him through all of the 7 steps of the Kalos Sthenos method.  From my 5 minutes spent with Dr. Cheng, I realized that this was an exercise where proper form was critical.  Dr. Cheng was critiquing my every move as I tried to do a Get Up successfully.  This was the first time that I realized that our players needed to be doing the Get-Up.  I felt that this was a total body exercise that would be beneficial for our team.   What I really learned during my learning experience was that performing the Get Up with less than adequate technique really exposes issues such as weakness and tightness to some of the muscles that are involved.

Along with learning from Dr. Cheng at the seminar, another resource that I have found helpful in learning the Turkish Get-up is “Kettlebells From the Ground Up” by the previously mentioned Dr. Mark Cheng, with Gray Cook and Brett Jones.  This is a great manual that outlines the 7 steps of the Get-Up in a specific way.  One of the quotes from Dr. Cheng in the manual is “Get-Up is an all-purpose strength and stability exercise, as a corrective exercise, and as a movement screen”.   I agree with him 100%.  An all-purpose strength and stability exercise that is a corrective exercise and a movement screen at the same time?  This is an exercise that our players need to get really good at, just like any other exercise in our program.

In our off-season program, we have added our progressions for the Get-Up into our program twice per week.  We will do a progression during each of the 3-week phases of the program as part of our workouts on days 1 and 3.  We will start the off-season with phase 1 of the Get Up and we will be performing full Get-Ups by the end.

During the in-season phase, we perform core/hip circuits 2-3 times per week.  These consist of 6-8 hip and abdominal exercises done twice in a circuit-like fashion.  We have added the Get Up progressions to the core circuit.  These are done in a progressive format over the course of the season in 5-6 week phases which start with the easiest version in phase 1.  By the end of season, we are doing full Get Ups.

 

The Goblet Squat

The Goblet Squat has become a really good in-season lift for us.  During the last few years, I have grown to dislike loading my players’ spines through other double-leg squatting exercises such as the Back Squat and Front Squat.  The risk vs. reward benefit of these lifts simply doesn’t make sense to me as a Strength and Conditioning Coach in a professional sport setting.  What the Goblet Squat allows us to do is get a really good double-leg strengthening exercise done in a safe manner.

Honestly, I haven’t seen too many Goblet Squats done poorly.  However, I can’t honestly say that about Front Squats and Back Squats.  With the Goblet Squat, we are coaching our players to sit into the squat by imagining themselves sitting on a curb.  I view this exercise as not only as a good strength exercise but also a good hip mobility exercise.

The Overhead Press

Developing shoulder strength and stability is an absolute must in a strength and conditioning program for hockey.  With the addition of the Get Up, the Overhead Press has been another great addition to the program.  In fact, I think that the kettlebell press is superior to the dumbbell press.  It just feels like a more natural movement pattern.  When you focus on using tension to provide a better base of support to press from, the press is much more than a shoulder exercise.

We will progress from a half-kneel position to a kneeling position, to a lunge position, and then to a standing position.  This is done so that our players can help achieve strength in these positions and help correct some deficiencies from their Functional Movement Screen Scores.

My thoughts on the Snatch

Personally, in my own training, I really love the kettlebell snatch as a conditioning tool.  I really think that this would be a great tool for hockey players as well because we are getting more high velocity hip extension over and over again.  However, what I don’t like about the snatch is that it really beats up the hands.  I think back to my RKC prep and the fact that I really tore my hands apart when I was doing my high rep range snatches.  I can’t afford to have my players hurt their hands during the training process.  If a player has learned how to do them properly and takes care of his hands properly, I wouldn’t hesitate at all.  However, until then, I will save the Snatch for my own training.

 Older Entries  Newer Entries