Hockey

Plyometric training is one of the most under appreciated forms of exercise. Since this kind of training is relatively unknown, athletes can have a great advantage over their competitors who do not use plyometric training. This is one of the very few exercise programs that are very effective in increasing your speed and explosiveness in movement. Even non competitive athletes can benefit from plyometric training exercise program.

Weight training is good for developing your strength for your legs, but it does little in developing quick twitch muscles needed for explosiveness and quickness. Plyometric training involves jumping exercises that not only increases muscle strength, but speed and explosiveness. Plyometric exercise also develops other muscles besides the legs needed to jump higher.

Plyometric exercises focuses typically on the development of quick twitch muscles which are important for quickness and explosive movements. Competitive athletes are gaining enormous advantages by applying plyometric training exercises in their workouts.

There are many different exercises one can perform. Often, they center on jumping onto, off, or over an object. A simple plyometric exercise could involve jumping up onto a chair and then jumping off of it. This could be repeated for many reps in order to fatigue the muscles into growing. Of course, a chair is one example as many different objects can be used in a plyometric workout. Also, it is not always necessary to jump up and down. Lateral movements are popular as well and are integrated into many different workout strategies. Over time, this will lead to the explosive power needed to succeed in competitive sports. It will also help the body develop a uniquely muscular appearance.

Depending on your goal or your physical abilities, you can adjust you plyometric exercise workout. For the novice athlete, perhaps the number of reps are less and with less intensity. But to fully benefit from plyometric training, each rep should be done with intensity and at the maximum effort.

It is also important to listen to your body when you exercise. If you notice your knees becoming achy, take a break. Do not push yourself more than you are capable and allow your body time to recuperate. This will ensure your plyometric training is safe and effective.

Plyometrics is one of the keys in enhancing your athletic abilities. Practice these tips, and you will increase your speed drastically.

Hockey Speed is comprised of two elements: Skating power and foot speed. A hockey player must develop both of these areas if his or her full speed potential is to be acheived. Improving foot speed is relatively simple, players can perform quick feet and agility drills both on and off the ice. However, increasing skating power is much more complex than increasing foot speed.

Skating power is a combination of stride technique and strength & explosiveness in the legs and core muscles of the athlete. For that reason, players should develop certain on and off-ice skills that will help to attain a powerful skating stride. Here are a few tips to increase skating power during practices and off-ice training:

1. Slow Down – practice using slow, powerful strides, while focusing on executing perfect technique. This will help to acheive balance, power, proper technique and strength.
2. Low, Strong, Skating Strides… Then Explode! – Work on exploding to full speed from half speed. Hockey consists of quick, explosive, bursts of speed. When you explode to full speed make sure NOTHING changes except how fast your feet are moving. Many young players find it difficult to maintain proper technique as they skate at faster speeds.
3. Increase Leg Strength and Explosiveness through Off-Ice Training – Few players take advantage of the benefits of off-ice training. This opens a door for you to gain an edge over your opponent. A good dryland training program that includes strength training and plyometrics can produce enormous gains in hockey speed!

Speed and technique drills should be implemented into every coach’s practice plans and reinforced in game situations. Skating technique usually breaks down as players become fatigued as the regular season progresses. By selecting and implementing effective hockey drills and designating time to focus on fundamentals, coaches can help their players to maintain proper skating technique throughout the entire season and be ready to go for playoffs!

Coaching hockey is tough. The required skill-set to be a good coach is much different than the skill-set to be a good player. Because of this difference, many people find it difficult to make the transition from player to coach. I often hear new coaches say they feel like they know what the players should be doing, but not how to make them do it, or that they don’t know how to explain hockey skills, just how to demonstrate them…

For these types of situations, the coach can try breaking the skill down into three key points that can be verbalized. For example, if I were explaining proper forward skating technique, I would say that each player needs to (1) maintain a good knee bend, (2) push each stride to the side at about a 45° angle (not straight back), and (3) avoid head-bobbing. These three steps are easy for players to remember, and will become a reference point for you to come back to if skating technique becomes sloppy in subsequent hockey drills.

Once you have one or two players who are able to execute the given skill correctly, ask them to demonstrate the skill, and tell the other players to “watch the demonstration, visualize themselves executing with the same precision, and imitate the final result.” Reminding the players to watch, visualize, and imitate helps to encourage and motivate the precise execution of the given skill.

This coaching strategy can be applied to most situations, and can include everything from individual hockey skills to team systems and positioning. Breaking skills and concepts down into three simple steps can help you, as a coach, to verbalize what you want the players to do. It will also help the players to comprehend and implement the instructions you are giving them. Once the players are executing the given skill correctly, you will them be able to make small tweaks that will further enhance their playing abilities.

One of the most daunting tasks many coaches face is designing powerful hockey practices week after week throughout the course of the season. By picking the right hockey drills, coaches can keep teams fresh, sharp, and primed for playoffs.

Try these 3 easy suggestions:

1. Plan the team’s growth in advance. Figure out what your team needs to work on, then develop a plan that will develop those areas by playoffs. Create your practices in accordance with your long-term vision, and select hockey drills that will compliment this vision.
2. Progressions within progressions. Anytime a new skill is being taught, it should be broken down into its most basic pieces, then built back up as these smaller elements are perfected. Experienced hockey coaches will also use progressions within progressions, meaning each practice will be a series of small steps (such as developing the ability to give and receive a pass while in motion), which permit the team to continue on to a more difficult step (such as a breakout progression). These progressions will tie into the ultimate objective of where the coach wants the team to be by the end of the season (such as being able to read and react to select one of four or five different breakout options).
3. Practice makes permanent. Exactness must be reinforced as players do these drills. This can be a hard thing to do when coaching hockey. However, poorly performed drills in practice translate into poorly executed plays in games Remember, practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect!

Well-designed practices lead to well-developed players. Poorly designed practices lead to “staleness” and “burn-out” from both players and coaches. Unfortunately, this “staleness” often sets in right at the start of playoffs, which is brutal timing!

These coaching strategies can be utilized whether you’re coaching a team or just running a simple training camp. Try implementing these three tips when selecting your hockey drills and watch your players grow, improve, win more games, and have more fun!