Time to Start Your In-Season Training
Posted by Don MacAdam
Hopefully all your goals were met for the pre-season and your team is ready to start the regular season. Now it is time to change your training emphasis for the in-season.
Here is an excerpt from The Hockey Conditioning Handbook chapter on the in-season. Your focus now is on maintenance.
In-Season Training Emphasis:
1) Aerobic maintenance
2) Flexibility
3) Explosive Energy maintenance
Training in-season should be focused on maintenance sessions. This is assuming you have reached the necessary fitness levels prior to the start of the season. If not, you may find there are not enough practice hours in a day or week to do everything that needs to be done. Concentrate on aerobics, flexibility, and explosive energy, regardless of the fitness levels. The game cannot be played well without these.
Following are some suggested programs for in-season conditioning maintenance.
Sample In-Season Training Programs
Off-Ice
Aerobics is still the foundation for training. A good practice will usually have an aerobic drill package built in. Cycling and running are two common ways to do aerobic work off ice. Skiing, both water and snow, is excellent for hockey players because it includes upper body work.
Flexibility should be done daily with emphasis on proper warm up/cool down stretching before and after practices and games. Add at least one weekly flexibility training session.
Explosive energy can be done as outlined in the pre-season section. You can also incorporate stair sprints (2 steps at a time), or stair hops (up and down) using one leg only for each 5-10 second work bout.
Maintenance of strength/endurance and high energy can be accomplished by exercising at least the level attained in the pre-season. If a player’s ability to sustain high energy is still weak, players will need to do additional training. Continue to do high energy training 1-2 times per week, depending on game schedule. High energy work should not be done the day prior to a game. Try to do at least one of the two sessions on the ice.
On-Ice
All aspects of conditioning should be done at least to the level attained in pre-season work using programs and drills as outlined in the pre-season section. To save training time, or for variety in training, exercise circuits can be designed to meet all components of conditioning, except flexibility.
Flexibility should be done separately before and after workouts. A complete on ice training circuit is presented below.
Click on the Store tab above to read more about The Hockey Conditioning Handbook.
A Quick Look at All the NHL Teams for the 2008-09 Season
Posted by Don MacAdam
A great source for sports information is TSN, Canada’s original sports channel. They are currently running a series that will give you insight into each team in the NHL. For the complete article on Montreal and all the NHL teams go to www.tsn.ca
With the puck dropping on a new NHL season this Saturday, TSN.ca presents ‘30 Teams In 30 Days,’ a quick glimpse at each NHL club as the 2008-09 campaign approaches. Get the lowdown on every lineup, storylines to follow and Scott Cullen’s fantasy analysis. The focus is now on Canada’s six NHL teams, and it continues today with the Montreal Canadiens.
Ever since their inception into professional hockey 99 years ago, there has always been high expectations for the Canadiens…
Now take those expectations and multiply it by 10 this year. With hockey’s most storied franchise set to play its 100th season and celebrate its centennial in 2009, there is no better way to mark the festivities than raising banner No. 25 next October.
Is that asking for too much? Absolutely not.
Heading into 2007-08, the Canadiens - who were expected to be years away from contending - proved everyone wrong by finishing the regular season as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. And while the team went through a roller-coaster playoff run that ended with a second-round exit at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers, they are expected to challenge for the Cup with one of the league’s youngest and most talented lineups.
The Drive For 25 is alive.
General Manager: Bob Gainey (5th season)
Head Coach: Guy Carbonneau (3rd season)
2007-08 Record: 47-25-10 (1st in Conference)
Points Leader: Alex Kovalev - 84
Goals Leader: Alex Kovalev - 35
Assists Leader: Mark Streit - 49
PIM Leader: Tom Kostopoulos - 113
Plus/Minus Leader: Alex Kovalev - 18
PP Goals Leader: Alex Kovalev - 17
SH Goals Leader: Tom Kostopoulos - 3What they did: Going into the offseason, Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey wanted to address two improvements for his lineup - a tough and physical presence to protect his skilled players and a big centre with a right-handed shot. The first need was quickly addressed with Georges Laraque, who signed a three-year contract with his hometown team …
What to watch for: The Canadiens were among the league’s fastest and most skilled offensive teams last season and should only get better with the addition of Tanguay. The Quebec native, who struggled in a defensive role under Mike Keenan, has a better opportunity to showcase his playmaking skills alongside captain Saku Koivu. Last season, Alex Kovalev stood above everyone as Montreal’s most valuable player, leading the team in scoring and being an on-ice mentor for his teammates. However, the 35-year-old has been an enigma for most of his career, putting in great performances one year and following it up with lackluster efforts the next. So which Kovalev will we see this season? …
Gainey took a big gamble at last year’s trade deadline when he sent veteran goaltender Cristobal Huet to Washington and annointed 20-year-old Carey Price as the new No. 1. And Price didn’t disappoint, finishing the regular season with a 24-12-3 record and a .920 save percentage. While the league’s top young netminder struggled in the postseason, he’s back in better shape and appears ready to handle the rigors of a full NHL campaign. The Habs also have a solid youngster in Jaroslav Halak, who was arguably the AHL’s top goalie before being called up as a full-time backup last March. Halak should continue to push Price for playing time, but the addition of Marc Denis could make the 23-year-old Slovakian expendable at some point this season.
Parting Shot: This season may be Montreal’s best chance to make a run for a championship, only because there could be considerable changes to the lineup next summer. Kovalev, Tanguay, Lang, Komisarek and captain Saku Koivu will all be eligible to test the open market, while Higgins, Plekanec and Guillaume Latendresse will become restricted free agents. Depending on this year’s performance and what the salary cap looks like next July, next year’s team could look quite different with one or two key players out of the equation. But that doesn’t mean Gainey isn’t prepared. In five years as general manager, the former Habs great has done something that hasn’t been seen in Montreal since the days of Sam Pollock and Frank Selke - assemble a legitimate Cup contender while developing a rich pool of young players waiting in the wings.
High Tech, Scouting, and Predicting Success in Hockey
Posted by Don MacAdam
In a Globe and Mail story by technology reporter Matt Hartley dated September 23, 2008 read how high tech is becoming part of scouting with the help of a devise called a Phantom. It was developed in the artificial intelligence lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Here are clips from the article.
Scouting young hockey prospects is, at best, an inexact science. Something Lauren Sergio is aiming to change with the help of her trusty “force field-creating robotic arm.”
Science fiction it’s not. Since 2003, the York University associate kinesiology professor has spent two days each June running the top 100 NHL prospects through a hand-eye co-ordination test during the league’s annual scouting combine.
“We’re excited about the potential,” NHL Central Scouting director E.J. McGuire said. “But to this point, we are waiting on some of the longitudinal effects to come in on this kind of research.”
It seems simple enough. Each player must stickhandle a ball through four pylons spaced an even distance apart.
There’s just one small catch: the obstacles exist only on a computer screen and the stick is attached to a robotic arm that pushes back against the player, making it harder to maintain control.
In effect, it’s a way of measuring whether a player has “soft hands.” But Sergio believes it could become a predictor of whether a prospect will make it to the NHL or spend years toiling in the minors.
“We want to see if there’s any way to predict performance,” she said. “It’s all about control.”…
Sergio and her team are currently developing a formula that gauges the success each prospect has early on in their hockey careers - ice time, points etc. - and how those results compare to their Phantom tests. She hopes certain scores will indicate whether a player is more likely to develop into a Dion Phaneuf, a Matt Stajan or an Alexandre Daigle…
“The challenge is to come up with the best weighting factor,” she said. “So that, at the end of the [scouting combine] we can give the scouts all the scores and … tell them that this player has a 68-per-cent chance of being in the NHL in the next year, or two years, or three years.”…
Sergio’s colleague, Norman Gledhill, has run the fitness component of the scouting combine for the NHL for more than two decades, and was the one who initially suggested Sergio when the league asked for a way of testing hand-eye co-ordination…
“This gets down to the hair-splitting when all these other factors start to wash each other and you’re sitting at a draft table in the fourth round, or even before that, and you’re looking to set up your team’s hit list for this year,” McGuire said.
NHL Players Recognize the Importance of Year Round Training
Posted by Don MacAdam
Every time I come across an article like the one by Canadian Press writer Chris Johnston, I see the value of our book The Hockey Conditioning Handbook. Click on the Store tab above to check it out. The article is on www.canoe.ca and it titled NHLers spend summer training. Here is an excerpt.
Whether Rod Brind’Amour’s season ends in June, April or February, one thing always remains constant - he starts training for the next one as soon as he can.
The captain of the Carolina Hurricanes is one of the fittest players in the NHL because he refuses to stop exercising. He turned 38 over the summer and still has three years left on a contract he fully intends to play out.
Brind’Amour typifies the character needed to be a veteran in today’s NHL. In the past, some believed that longevity was best achieved by taking extensive time off over the summer to let the body heal before essentially starting anew during training camp.
That strategy simply wouldn’t work now.
“It’s definitely a year-round job,” Brind’Amour said during a recent interview. “I think the guys that approach it that way are the ones that last the longest…
The training methods vary by individual.
Brind’Amour likes to get up by 6 a.m. for a bike ride before hitting the gym or going for a skate. Alzner has added more bench press and chin-up exercises to his normal routine that focuses on core strength. Andrew Ference of the Boston Bruins is a friend of Simon Whitfield’s and participated in triathlons while taking time away from skating early in the summer.
The key to Jason Spezza’s off-ice workouts is the presence of other NHLers. He’s one of 10 guys that train together at a gym in Toronto over the summer.
“It’s pretty intense,” said the Ottawa Senators forward. “That’s why you try to have other guys around you that are kind of working towards the same thing.
“It makes it a little bit competitive and keeps the edge on the days you don’t feel like getting out of bed. You’ve got to beat the other guys.”
The 29-year-old Ference believes his generation of players is used to working out all summer long and showing up to training camp in top shape.
However, one change he’s observed over nine seasons in the league is the different approach players now take to their workouts.
“Some guys used to think training was all about going in the gym, pumping iron and getting huge,” said Ference. “They forgot they’re not professional weightlifters or bodybuilders - they have to be ready for hockey.
“I think the type of training, guys have maybe adjusted that to be more specific to our sport.”
Read the rest of the article for more insight on NHL players feeling for the importance of year round specific training for hockey.
Burnout and Other Concerns for Young Hockey Players
Posted by Don MacAdam
Here is an excerpt from an August 26, 2008 Globe and Mail article by Tralee Pearce where she discusses the burnout factor in sports.
Until last week, Oakville, Ont. hockey player Stefan Legein was a poster boy for youth hockey. After star turns with the Canadian junior team and a stint with the Ontario Hockey League, he was drafted in the second round by the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets last year.
But last week, when the 19-year-old decided to call it quits on the eve of training camp, many observers wondered if youth hockey’s gruelling expectations might be to blame.
“Not getting a break from that high-pressure environment can lead to burnout,” says Scott Oakman, the executive director of the Greater Toronto Hockey League.
Coaches and sports administrators admit that the relentless pace exacts a price. “There’s been a big shift in philosophy. There’s much more year-round hockey taking place,” Mr. Oakman says. “That certainly lends itself to kids dropping out of the game earlier than historically they would have. They might be getting a lifetime’s worth of hockey in a shorter period of time.”
There’s no research to suggest that young kids who love their sport will risk burnout, says Joe Baker, an associate professor of kinesiology and sports health at York University. But with so much at stake, it’s no wonder some kids don’t speak up about not enjoying it…
Beyond the mental strain, there are also growing reports of injuries due to intense training in single sports in the past five years, according to Tony Reynolds of the U.S. International Youth Conditioning Association, which provides youth-specific training programs to coaches.
In sports such as hockey in which players are dominant on their left or right side, lower back and shoulder injuries are cropping up at younger ages. “It’s going to get worse,” he says. (Mr. Legein suffered a separated shoulder in a Christmas World Junior game last year.)…
In his 20-year experience, youth hockey coach Ron Sticklee says he has observed that it’s more often the parents with NHL stars in their eyes.
But even if a child is mentally and physically prepared for a hectic sports schedule, new research suggests throwing a kid’s sports eggs in one basket can make him a worse, not better, player. York’s Prof. Baker has been collecting data on athletes considered the “best of the best.”
“Some of the data we have shows they spent a lot more time playing at their sport in an unorganized way,” he says. Fewer rules and drills appears to promote a flexibility in the way kids think about problems on the court or rink.
From my experience more players that make it to the pro level truly have fun playing and competing. And, their parents understanding the importance of fun for the athlete. Rarely did the parent or athlete have an NHL-or-bust attitude.
Click on Article below to get the full story from The Globe and Mail.
Gearing Up for the Pre-Season
Posted by Don MacAdam
You are either already in your pre-season or it is just around the corner. Season plans should have been in place by now, along with the regular season schedule and practice sessions. Are we excited or are we panicking?
What did you learn from previous pre-seasons that you will use to make this year the best ever? Are you going to have a catchy slogan to rally the player around?
Here is an excerpt from The Hockey Conditioning Handbook that will give an overview of your conditioning objectives and areas of emphasis. The book also contains information for on-ice and off-ice training and programs for you to use. Go to the Store tab at the top of the page to buy the book.
Pre-Season means on-ice workouts have started but league games have not. It’s your last chance to get all your conditioning ready for the ultimate test - game time.
Pre-Season Conditioning Objectives: 1) Top Up Off-Season Levels 2) On-Ice Transfer of Conditioning
The first part of the pre-season usually has 2-3 weeks of dry land training for ‘topping up’ your off-season training. The off-season foundations must then be adapted to the ice. Your running legs get switched to skating legs. This is also the time to incorporate specific high energy and explosive energy training. Dry land work can be done to help develop these energy systems initially. But it will be essential to ultimately train these two systems on ice as well.
During the pre-season a player should be able to gradually reduce his aerobic workouts from 5-6 per week to 2-3 per week, with at least 1 of these being done on the ice. Players should put their strength training gains to use while practicing skills and reduce regular strength workouts to 1-2 per week. Flexibility work should still be done as a ‘loosen up’ in warm ups and as a ‘tension relaxer’ at the end of all workouts. Otherwise, players will start to lose the flexibility gained from off-season training. Less time can be spent on flexibility now. One or 2 repeats of an exercise for each major muscle group should suffice at this stage.
High energy training is difficult to do on ice psychologically because of the combination of intensity and time (very hard for 40-90 seconds) needed. Skills drills are not easily adapted to these training requirements. For this reason, optimum high energy work (60-90 seconds) is easiest done off-ice. Specific high energy work (30-60 seconds/a typical shift length) should be done on ice.
Explosive energy work should be done daily, primarily on ice. This system will be a key to quick skill execution during games.
Pre-Season Training Emphasis:
1) Foundations On-Ice 2) High Energy Training
3) Explosive Energy Training
Use the pre-season to finish getting completely physically prepared to play games. All physical aspects of conditioning must be transferred effectively to the ice. Here are samples of pre-season training sessions for both on-ice and off-ice work.
Do you have your overall goals and objectives set for your pre-season? Are you rebuilding or just fine tuning around a core of returning players?
What is your player selection criteria? Do your staff and the players trying out for the team know the criteria? They darn well should. Is fitness testing included?
Use the pre-season wisely. It is an ideal time to set the standards, discipline, culture and environment for your team for the season.
Checking out The Hockey Conditioning Handbook Competition
Posted by Don MacAdam
Now that our book is on line, I have been taking time to see what else is out there in the hockey conditioning internet world. Checking out the competition has been interesting. Yes, I liked the fact that one of our other books, 52-Week Training for Hockey, is a prominent player.
In my opinion here is a concern when you look at the different programs you have to choose from. It bothers me to see sites showing exercises with little or no background information provided.
If a program or exercise is presented and there isn’t information on proper technique, safety instructions, and a why you should do this, then I would suggest caution.
Conditioning work needs to be specific, if you hope to reach your training goals. Safety issues are important. Any quality site should offer this information to you.
.
These are some of the strengths of The Hockey Conditioning Handbook. All the additional information you need is there for you. The exercises and programs are clearly explained and the why is always answered.
There are training fads out there all the time. But, the trend in training now is back to basics. Be sure to take a close look at any program that interests you. Stay true to your training goals and make sure that any program you choose will get you there.
Here is one last concern for you to consider. Some programs are excellent, but they should be implemented with the help of a qualified trainer. An example is plyometrics. Excellent results can be gained, but if exercises aren’t done correctly, there is a high risk of injury.
Now it is time for you to check out the link to The Hockey Conditioning Handbook.
Just click on the Store tab above.
Our First EBook is Available Now!
Posted by Don MacAdam
Ice Hockey Conditioning—Made Easy!
Discover how to have fast, strong, totally fit hockey players all year long.
If you are a coach or a player who has loads of questions and little time to study how to train smart and effectively, The Hockey Conditioning Handbook is for you.
When you apply The Hockey Conditioning Handbook training principles you will develop quicker foot speed, faster skating, harder shots, and more powerful checking.
The book shows you how to apply the principles of training in the off-season, pre-season, in-season, and post-season. The Hockey Conditioning Handbook also provides specific examples you can use when putting together your practice sessions. What could be easier?
Click on Store above and get the rest of the promotional information on The Hockey Conditioning Handbook
The Off-Season is Upon Us–Time to Get Training
Posted by Don MacAdam
Now that the excitement of the NHL free agency spending spree seems to have run its course, it is time for hockey players to switch focus. For you Canadian players out there, July 1, Canada Day, celebrations are long over. The same goes for any Americans with July 4th hangovers long since cleared up.
The off-season is when the serious conditioning work has to be done. Ideally, you have a great summer program that your team has tailored to your particular training needs. Or, you are working with a personal trainer to meet these same objectives.
Time is running out.
Major junior camps start in late August, only 8 week away.
NHL rookie camps have about 9 to 10 weeks before they start.
University and college programs will be hitting the ice in roughly 12 weeks.
Minor hockey and senior programs are also about 12 weeks away from starting.
Ideally, a hockey player needs about 12 weeks of quality training to be able to go into the pre-season with conditioning components like the energy systems, strength, and flexibility at the levels where they need to be.
It is never too late to start.
Need help?
The Hockey Conditioning Handbook comes to this site this week as a downloadable ebook. The handbook contains all the information you need to put together a great off-season training program.
The ebook also has the training information you need to get you through the rest of your hockey year: In-Season, Post-Season and Pre-Season training in a nutshell. The material is easy to use and includes illustrations and sample drills. It is adaptable to all ages and can be used by both male and female hockey players.
Look for The Hockey Conditioning Handbook on this site and get training!
52-Week Hockey Training
Posted by Don MacAdam
52-Week Hockey Training
52-Week Hockey Training (52-Week Sport Tra… by Don MacAdam and Gail Reynolds
52-Week Hockey Training
This book is part of a series presented by Human Kinetics Publishers. The goal was to provide training specific to each sport and have programs laid out over the entire 365 days of the year. We were asked to write the hockey version.
Gail Reynolds and I wrote 52-Week Hockey Training based on over thirty plus years each of experience in sports training. Gail has an impressive exercise physiology background and has trained athletes and teams in various sports that competed at all levels from amateur, university, professional and wheelchair. As with all the books we have co-authored, Gail is the brains behind the project.
With 52-Week Hockey Training you will be able to design:
- Yearly training plans
- Monthly practice and game sessions
- Weekly training plans
- Daily practice plans
- Individual team and player training programs
- Specific programs to meet your specific needs and concerns
Here are a couple of quotes from professionals who have used 52-Week Hockey Training:
“This is a great reference for helping both a player and a coach design an effective fitness program that meets the specific demands of playing hockey.”
Dave King- former NHL head coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Calgary Flames and also
“Half the battle of conditioning is staying motivated, especially in the off-season. Don and Gail’s program will help you keep your focus and meet your conditioning goals all year long!”
Shjon Podein- former NHL player with the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche.
Here is a look at the contents of the book:
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Exercise and Drill Finder
Key to Diagrams
Part I Year-Round Hockey Training Plan 1
Chapter 1 Off-Season Workouts 3
Chapter 2 Preseason Workouts 25
Chapter 3 In-Season Workouts 49
Chapter 4 Postseason 89
Part II Exercises and Drills 97
Chapter 5 Flexibility 99
Chapter 6 Muscle Strength and Endurance 113
Chapter 7 Aerobic Endurance 155
Chapter 8 Speed 159
Chapter 9 Power and Quickness 169
About the Authors 183
Get this book and start putting together the best season of training and playing that you have ever had!
Click on the link above to get your copy of 52-Week Hockey Training.
