Over the past 3 years, I have run dozens of elite player development camps with teams and players from all across North America.  In these full-day camps, we go on the ice for skills sessions and on-ice testing, we do off-ice fitness testing and go through off-ice speed and strength training, as well as workshops on hockey-specific performance nutrition, goal setting and how to get noticed and recruited by women’s college hockey teams.   By the end of the camp, the entire group been assessed, they know what they need to improve on and they have the resources that will help them take their performance to the next level.  I truly believe every girls hockey players deserves the same level of access and the opportunity to learn exactly what it takes to become an elite female hockey player.  But they don’t have it - yet.

 

The truth is that we are not doing a very good job of developing elite female hockey players in North America.  Sure, we’ve won all the gold medals and continue to dominate on the world stage, but much of this success can be attributed to the sheer number of girls playing the game and the opportunity to compete and train against the “best” on a consistent basis.  But are we really giving all girls hockey players in North America access to the opportunity to reach all of their hockey dreams?

 

For the most part, we rely on a very Darwinistic approach when it comes to player development.  We have far more girls playing and the “cream of the crop” naturally rises to the top.  When this top 3% of players between the ages of 14-18 emerge, we give them access to the resources they need to make it to the elite level.

 

But what about everyone else?  Why are only the “best” given the information and the opportunity? It is irresponsible and unfair for us to cater only the “elite” players.

 

I recognize that not every girls hockey player in North America aspires to play women’s college hockey or make the Olympic team.   But there are many who do who don’t make the “right” team or are not from an association, team or area that has the access to development resources both on and off the ice.  Are we really giving players who aren’t “elite” quite yet the opportunity to move on to the highest levels of female hockey?  I always tell players to, “Work Hard and Dream BIG”, but the truth is that those 2 things are not enough to make you a great player.  You need to have access to the resources that will allow you to get there and be able to put together your plan to get you where you want to be.

 

I am not exactly sure what the answer is to this problem.  We can’t clone elite coaches, mass produce elite teams so that every girl has the chance to see what elite level girls hockey really looks like, or invite them all to selection camps that run across North America every spring and summer.

 

But we can empower them with information.  We can let them know exactly what it takes to get to that elite level and allow them to make the decision as to whether they want to pursue those dreams.  That is how we will create a culture of excellence in women’s hockey - where every girl has the opportunity to fulfill her dreams.  I truly believe that this type of widespread education and empowerment in girls hockey is not only possible, but absolutely necessary. 

 

 

I read an amazing article recently that explained in great deal why hockey is the smartest game in the world.  To be honest, it’s a very nerdy article. That’s probably why I liked it so much.  It basically talks about 2 of the key components of what we typically call “GAME SENSE” and how they are more important in hockey than in any other sport. 

 

Those components are:
::: Spatial intelligence
::: Situational awareness

 

 

Spatial intelligence is the ability to take in all the things that are happening in a particular time and space on the ice and anticipate what might happen next.  This kind of split-second decision making is made at every position.  We see it in defensemen trying to read what the opponents are going to do in a 2-on-1.  We see it with goalies trying to stop a breakaway and with forwards trying to read what the goalie is giving them on said breakaway.  Those are just a few basic examples of spatial intelligence.  Keep in mind that these decisions are being made in reference to all the other players on the ice, where they are and what they are doing.  Not to mention the fact that you’re standing on knife blades, people are  probably yelling at you and someone is likely trying to hit you.

 

The best example of a player who excelled at spatial intelligence would be Wayne Gretzky.  He seemed to have eyes in the back of his
head and knew where he wanted to put the puck before he even got it.  He had an amazing ability to read the game and make decisions that no one else on the ice had even dreamed of making. 

 

Situational awareness is very closely related to spatial intelligence.

 

While spatial intelligence boils down to knowing everything that’s going on around you, situational awareness centers more on being conscious of all that’s going on in the context of the what the other players intend to  do and anticipating their next move. 

 

Have I lost you yet? To simplify it even further:

Spatial intelligence is knowing what’s going on all around you.

Situational awareness is understanding how the intentions and actions of those around you effect what’s going on around you.

 

The players with the best “game sense”  excel at both of these. When you couple these high-level mental components with tremendous individual skill, you get a fantastic all-around player who can both skate and think the game at high speeds.

 

Now to the untrained eye, hockey can sometimes seem like a brutal series of random collisions in which the puck somehow sporadically ends up in the net.  To some, hockey appears to be a game of wild improvisation.  We know better.

 

That’s why coaches put systems and tactics in place.  To bring some degree of order to the chaos. We put these in place not because we want players to do everything “to the letter” every time.  The systems and tactics are simply a framework for the game - a starting point for execution of a game plan and something to come back to when things get messy out there.  What every coach wants are players who can take what they’ve learned about systems and tactics in practice, couple that with their individual skills, and also be able to “think” the game at high speeds.   Spatial intelligence and situational awareness are 2 of the toughest things to teach players.   That’s why those who posses those traits are so valuable out on the ice. 

 

Needless to say, to have a group of players with great spatial intelligence and situational awareness, along with great skill, attitude and work ethic,  would be a coach’s dream.

 

Work Hard.  Dream BIG.

 

Your friend and coach,

 

Kim

 

PS:   Every player needs to improve their individual skills
but that can be hard to do in the context of team practices.

 

That’s why I am running a Total Female Hockey Skills Session on
Saturday October 29th from 8:30-10:30am at Canlan York in Toronto.

 

We will be working on:

:: Speed - especially quick feet and quick puck movement
:: Shooting, Stickhandling, Passing, Checking
:: Position Specific Skills - splitting up forwards and defensemen

 

We will have 2 groups on the ice at the same time -
a bantam and midget group (at one end of the ice)
and an atom and peewee group (at other end of the ice).

 

And we can only take a maximum of 20 players in the session.
And as of this morning, I’ve only got a few spots left.

 

This will be a high-tempo session with lots of instruction.
The cost will be $60+HST for the 2 hour session.

 

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO REGISTER NOW:
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/SecureCart/SecureCart.aspx?mid=D0EE400E-B774-4402-9667-F341B2106AA0&pid=f0d9897f84ac4a24a57d631404e1b5b9

 

 

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director, Total Female Hockey
Girls Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes

 

Ever since I started Total Female Hockey in 2008, players, parents and coaches have been asking me for nutrition advice.

 

 

::  What to eat before big games?
::  How to keep your energy up during a tournament?
::  What to choose eat if you have to eat fast-food?
::  How much water to drink (and whether sports drinks are OK)?

 

 

And I’ve tried my best to answer all of your questions, but the truth is…  I’m NOT a nutritionist.

 

 

But I do happen to know TWO very smart nutritionists, who also happen to be hockey moms of some very successful young female hockey players, and I knew that we had to bring a female-specific, hockey-specific nutrition program to people like you - who are looking for every advantage you can get over the competition, who know that nutrition is critical, but like me, don’t know exactly what you should and shouldn’t be doing to maximize your performance.  So after two years of going back and forth, fueled by these two nutritionists decades of experience and tremendous expertise, I can finally give you the nutrition program that you’ve been looking for to take your game to the next level.

 

 

Game-Winning Nutrition was specifically created by Cathy Williamson and Rita Wyczynski for the serious player who is ready to do what it takes to become the best player possible. They’ve taken all the complex and confusion nutrition information that’s out there and simplified it so that you have a step-by-step guide to fuel your peak performance on the ice.

 

Get Started with Game-Winning Nutrition Today:

http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/products/game_winning_nutrition/

 

 

You’ll discover:

::  What to eat, when to eat and how much to eat - so that you perform your best every single time you hit the ice.

::  How much water you HAVE TO drink each day - and how drinking any less that this could destroy your performance.

::  How making the smallest changes to the way you eat will transform your performance - and how easy it is to take your nutrition from good to great.

 

Game Winning Nutrition is all about helping you take charge of your nutrition in order to maximize your performance out on the ice.

To help you get started with taking your game to the next level quickly, Game Winning Nutrition is being offered at the amazingly low price of $29.99.
 

Get Started with Game-Winning Nutrition Today by clicking on the link below:
 
http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/products/game_winning_nutrition/

 

Keep Working Hard, Dreaming BIG and Taking Action.

 
 
Your friend and coach,

~ Coach Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director, Total Female Hockey
Girls’ Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes
 

If a player wants to drive their coach crazy, they should completely avoid doing “stops and starts”.  We’re just a few weeks into the season, and it is very apparent that this is the concept that most players struggle with. Stopping and starting is a skill. And it’s also a habit. So while every player can perform the skill of stopping and the starting again on the ice, not every player chooses to stop and start during the game.  Nothing makes a coach more frustrated than watching players “loop around”, “circle” or do “fly-bys”.  It doesn’t matter what you call it or if it’s in the offensive zone, neutral zone, or  defensive zone (which is the worst time to loop around by the way), it drives every coach crazy.

 

So why don’t players choose to stop and start?  Because, in the beginning, it is much more tiring.  When you are used to looping around and circling, then stopping and starting can be very taxing on the body.  Stopping and starting requires a lot more work by your muscles and lungs in the short-term.  But the truth is stopping and starting is far easier than looping around, once you’re used to it.

 

The reason “looping around” drives coaches crazy is because players quite often turn their backs on the play when they do it.  It takes much longer to recover when you loop and you are usually in a horrible position to receive a pass.   You are wasting time, space and energy when you’re looping around.

 

Stopping and starting allows you to execute “straight line skating”. We all know the shortest distance between point A and point B is a straight line. So it is much more efficient to stop and start, and it also allows you to be able to watch the play and be in a better position to support the puck.

 

Like with any new habit, going from lazily looping around to stopping and starting is going to be hard.  You’re going to find that you’ll be more tired after your first few shifts of stopping and starting than you were when you circle.  But once your body gets used to it, you will have made the game much easier for yourself - and for your coach.  No more missing passes because you were facing the wrong way.  No more getting stuck in your own end because you did a  “fly-by” in the in-zone, instead of stopping right in front of your check.  You will be much more explosive and much more efficient. 

 

So do the work and focus on stopping and starting early in the season.  It may be tiring in the short term, but it will certainly pay off in the long term. 

 

 

Your friend and coach,

 

 

Kim

 

 

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

Director, Total Female Hockey

Girls’ Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes

 

There is a huge difference between talent and skill in girls’ hockey. Talent is something that is natural.  Saying that a player is talented implies that they just threw skates on one day and were a natural out there.  There are certainly players out there with a lot of natural talent.  And it sure is helpful if you have it.  But if you want to play at the elite levels of hockey, being naturally talented is not essential.  Skill, on the other hand, is absolutely critical.

 

Skill is something you have to acquire through hours, days, and years of training, practicing and learning.  It’s hard work spending hours upon hours working on your shot, practicing your stickhandling, or working out in the gym.   The truth is that to be really, really good takes more time and effort than most players are willing to commit.  Most players simply aren’t driven or dedicated enough to do the work that is necessary to develop the skills needed to succeed.

 

It’s hard not to get frustrated that you don’t have the same natural talent as other players.  It’s even more frustrating to know that you have to put in twice as much time (or more) to achieve the same level of skill mastery as those players.  Sometimes it seems as though those naturally talented players get all the breaks.

 

But natural talent only gets you so far.  It may give you a head start, but it won’t get you over the finish line. Never give up on your goals and dreams because you don’t have "talent".  There are a lot of naturally talented players who don’t put in the time and effort to become elite players and plateau very early on.  And there are many players who start out as mediocre but put in the time and effort needed to excel and leapfrog over those with natural talent but no drive.  Greatness comes from skill cultivated through hard work, not talent.

 

Forget about talent and focus on skill.  Grab hold of dedication and drive instead.  Push yourself every single day to be better than you were the day before.  Outwork everyone.  Spend these last few weeks of the summer getting better. Instead of sitting back and relaxing your way into the season, crank up the intensity. Take those extra shots in the driveway.  Do an extra stickhandling session (or two).   Do that extra set of sprints at the end of your workout. Push yourself to a whole new level.

 

Don’t just be willing to do the work.  Get excited about doing it.  Know that it will give you a serious advantage once the season starts.  Because hard work leads to skill, which trumps talent every time.

 

 

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

 

 

Your friend and coach,

 

 

Kim

 

 

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

Director, Total Female Hockey

Girls’ Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes

 

 

With just over a month left for you to prepare until the season starts, I wanted to share the 3 Cs of girls’ hockey success with you today.   And since we’re still on summer vacation mode, I’m going to keep in short.

 

1. CREATIVITY

 

The majority of girls hockey players that I’ve coached are very literal and over-analytical.  Which means that they tend to do exactly what the coach writes on the board or explains in the room, even if it makes them a less effective player.

 

For example, when the coach draws out a breakout on the board and asks the winger to have their feet moving up ice near the hashmarks in order to receive the puck, most girls hockey players will be able to execute it perfectly.  The problem is that the puck might be 10 feet away, and instead of going after the puck, they’ll continue to skate the pattern the coach asked for. 

 

It seems to me that most girls hockey players are “coach pleasers” which means that they’ll do exactly what the coach asks of them.  It’s not a bad problem to have, except for the fact that hockey is a game of mistakes and the play rarely unfolds exactly the way it’s written up on the board.  The truth is that most girls don’t watch that much hockey on TV or go out to play pick-up hockey regularly throughout the season.  So their exposure to the game is largely isolated to when they come to practice or play in games. 

 

So in reality, us coaches are going to have to build in games, drills and scenarios that promote creativity into our practice  if we want our players to be more comfortable with being creative out on the ice.  And players - do your best to think outside the box and be creative.  Take what your coach shows and teaches you and apply those concepts to the game.  But recognize that the game never unfolds exactly as planned and it’s the players who can be creative within the context of the systems and strategies of the game that are going to have success at the next level. 

 

2.  CONSISTENCY

 

In order to be a success player at this level and the next, you need to be consistent. Being consistent in your play makes you a very valuable teammate.  Your teammates  need to know they can count on your to deliver the same high-level performance every time you hit the ice.  Your coach needs you to be consistent so that they  can put together a game plan that showcases everyone’s strengths and makes  the entire team successful.  And the scouts who are looking for players for the  next level need you to be consistent too.  They are investing a lot of time (and in some cases, money) to have you be a part of their college team and need to have a solid grasp of exactly what kind of player you are so that they can determine how you can help their team succeed.  If you are great one game and invisible the next, that may hurt your chances of getting to, and excelling at, the next level.

 

3.  COMPETITIVENESS

 

This is the biggest key of all. You can be as creative and consistent as you want, but if you aren’t willing and able to compete as hard as you can each and every game and practice, you will limit how successful you can be in this game. 

 

Competitiveness is not just going “full out” in practice and games once the season starts.  That’s a big part of it, but if you don’t prepare throughout the summer, you won’t have the foundation in place to compete at the highest level possible all season long.

 

Whether it’s your off-ice training or mental preparation, making wise nutrition choices or working on your hands and shot, all the work you are doing this summer to prepare for the season is going to pay off big time when it comes to your ability to compete at the highest level possible all season long. You may be willing to compete at the highest level possible, but if you haven’t prepared yourself physically and mentally, you simply won’t be able to compete anyone who has been putting in the work on the “little” things all summer long.

 

You’ve only got 4 weeks left until the season starts. And while that’s not enough time to dramatically change the shape you’re in or drastically improve your skills,  it is enough time to make significant progress towards your goal of having the most successful season possible.

 

Keep Working Hard, Dreaming BIG and Taking Action.

 

Your friend and coach,

 

Kim

 

PS - If you need some help on where to get started with just 4 weeks left to make sure you’re ready to compete at the highest level possible this season,  click on the link below:

 

http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/products/

 

There you’ll find all the Total Female Hockey training programs for off-ice training, game-winning nutrition, shooting & stickhandling and mental performance.

 

It’s not too late to get started on preparing for your best season ever!

 

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

Director, Total Female Hockey
Girls Hockey Director, PEAC School for Elite Athletes

 

Let’s cut to the chase here. There are only 6 weeks left until the season starts. Which means you’ve got less than 50 days to get ready.  I know that it seems like your summer vacation just started, but the reality is, that if you really want to bury your competition in September, you’ve got to get into great shape now.  You may think that you can wait until training camp at the start of the season and skate your way into shape.  Wrong.

 

In fact, no matter how hard your training camp is, there is no way you can get into really great shape in a week.  It’s impossible.   And to be honest, it’s hard to do it in just 6 weeks. So if you’ve been spending a little too much time on the couch or by the pool, you need to get started now.

 

I’ve put together a quick 10 minute workout video for you. It’s not enough to get you in great shape, but it’s enough to get you going.  Don’t just watch it - do it.

 

Click on the link below to get started:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PikPSjaMtsQ

 

 

And remember, there’s no magic formula for being an elite player. The only real “secret” - and it’s no secret at all - is that you have to be willing to outwork everyone else on and off the ice.   If you do what everyone else does, you end up where everyone else ends up.  And not everyone ends up at the top.   To be elite, you’ve got to fight for every possible advantage. That means training when you don’t feel like it, when you’d rather be hanging out with your friends or out enjoying the summer weather.

 

Excellence is a choice.  You have complete control over how good of a player you become.  You either choose to do the work - or you don’t.  It’s that simple.

 

Hopefully this workout gives you the jump-start you need if you’ve been a little too lazy this summer.  With 6 weeks left, it’s time to get to work.

 

 

Your friend and coach,

 

Kim

 

 

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

Director, Total Female Hockey

Girls Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes

Realizing your dream of playing college hockey isn’t that complicated. You may think that there is some magical process where all the stars need to align in order for you to get a scholarship…

 

… But the truth is that there are 3 steps to getting there.

 

Here’s exactly what you need to do:

 

1.  Find out how you stack up against players in your age group.

 

2.  Get specific individualized feedback on what you need to work on.

 

3.  Put a personal plan together on and off the ice to get you there.

 

Seems too simple, doesn’t it?  But if you really think about it, where can you go to get all 3?

 

 

::: You might go to showcase tournaments and selection camps and be able to see how you stack up against other players, but you are usually up against players of all different ages.

 

 

::: And you rarely get any feedback from those camps about how you did.  You see how you play against the other players, but no one tells you exactly what you need to work on in order to stand out, get noticed and play college hockey.  Do you need to work on your skating? Shooting skills? Conditioning? Strength?  Game sense?  There may be scouts and coaches there watching, but you don’t hear from them on what you need to do in order to become a college hockey player.

 

 

::: And if you aren’t getting specific feedback on your game, then how can you possibly put together a personal plan for how you are going to get from where you now to your big goal of playing college hockey?

 

That’s why I created the Total Female Hockey EXPERIENCE CAMP.

 

 

It’s a jam-packed, high-intensity 3 day camp where you practice, play and train with players of your same age, you get ranked compared to everyone else at the camp so you can see how you really stack up, you get personal feedback on what you specifically need to work on in order to get to the next level, and we help you put together a personalized plan to help you reach your goal of playing college hockey.

No other camp out there can offer this type of EXPERIENCE.  And in the past 2 years, 40+ players that have attended the EXPERIENCE camp have realized their dream of playing college hockey. They put in all the hard work, but we helped guide them along the way.  And we want to help you get there too.

 

 

 

We’re running the TOTAL FEMALE HOCKEY EXPERIENCE CAMP in 2 locations again this year - one from July 8-10 in the Vancouver area and one from August 19-21 in Toronto.

 

VANCOUVER:  For more information on this camp in July, click below:
http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/camps-schools/experience_bc_2011/

 

TORONTO:  For more information on this camp in August, click below:

http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/camps-schools/experience_toronto_2011/

 

 

I hope to see you there!

 

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

 

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director, Total Female Hockey
Girls Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes

 

This week I am launching the 2011 version of the Total Female Hockey Elite Training System.  It’s a 16 week off-ice training program designed specifically for players who want to compete at the elite level next season - complete with 3 DVDs, 16 weekly workout videos, and 16 stickhandling and shooting “how to” videos.

 

There are exactly 16 weeks left until Labor Day and the start of next season. You’ve got 16 weeks to put in the work and gain a huge advantage on the competition. 

 

I’m going to give you everything you need to move closer to your dreams ON the ice by showing you exactly what you need to do OFF the ice to take your speed,strength, stamina, shooting and stickhandling to the next level.  This is the most complete off-ice training package I’ve ever created and it’s available for this week only.  You can find all the details of this limited time offer at the link below:

http://www.totalfemalehockey.com/cts_exclusive.shtml

 

BUT you need to read this first IF you want to reach the elite level of women’s hockey one day. 

 

Every year, the top 100+ elite women’s players from across this country are invited to a high-intensity OFF-ICE ONLY boot-camp to see how they stack up against their competition for spots on the national team.  The fact that these players won’t step on the ice, and will only be evaluated on their off-ice ability, tells you a lot about what it REALLY important when it comes to getting to and excelling at the next level.

 

It reminds me of when I first went out to Calgary to help out as a coach at one of these camps.  I will never forget the first words that the national team coach said to the players at their first meeting:

 

::::::  “What is going to separate you from everyone else in this room is what you are willing to do OFF the ice to get better.”  ::::::

 

Notice she didn’t talk about game-sense, playmaking or goal scoring. Those things are definitely important, but when it comes to separating yourself from the rest of the competition at every level of women’s hockey, the truth is that it’s the hard work you put in OFF the ice that gives you a serious advantage.

 

You’ll need to work HARD this summer to get to the next level.  But figuring out exactly what you need to do will be EASY.

 

With the Elite Training System, I’ve written out every single workout for you, complete with pictures and descriptions of every single exercise, and have also created 3 DVDs that show you how to do every speed, strength and conditioning exercise in the program.  And just to make sure you know exactly what you’re doing every step of the way, I’ve included 16 Workout of the Week videos and 16 Shooting & Stickhandling
videos for you.

 

Normally these 32 follow-along videos would double the price of the program, but I’m giving them to you for FREE when you take action and get your hands on The Elite Training System before Friday May 20th at midnight.

 

::::: Click On The Link Below To Take Advantage Of This Limited Time Offer :::::

http://www.totalfemalehockey.com/cts_exclusive.shtml

 

 

 

Work Hard.  Dream BIG.

 

Your friend and coach,

 

Kim

 

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

Director, Total Female Hockey

 

Earlier this week, I sent you a video about how to shoot a better slapshot.  I’ve got 2nd video about slapshot technique for you today.  If you want to play at the college or university level, you must have a great shot, so you’ll definitely want to watch this video…

 

…And you’ll also want to listen to this.  

 

Last summer, I did some exclusive coaching calls with players to help guide them through this confusing and stressful process.  This "Scholarship Secrets" coaching call covers SIX critical steps that you MUST take in order to be successful in your quest to get noticed, recruited, and play at the next level.  

I wanted to share the 2nd secret I covered in this coaching call with you today - as it addresses one of the most common questions - "What Do I Do First?"

 

Click on the link below to listen to the clip from the "6 Scholarship Secrets" call and to watch the 2nd slapshot secrets video:

 

http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/video-sample/scholarship_audio/

 

I went through this whole process myself as a player and I help the players I coach and train navigate this process today.  I am also very fortunate to know many of the coaches and scouts at the next level very well - so I wanted to share some of this insight with you today.   The clip covers a CRITICAL point about how to get noticed and get recruited and how you can take control of this entire process.  

 

Listen closely - and pass it along to anyone else who might be interested:

 

http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/video-sample/scholarship_audio/

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Your friend and coach,

 

~ Kim

 

PS -  This entire Scholarship Secrets coaching call (40+ minutes) plus 7 more calls that address all the critical areas of taking your game to the next level (at any age) are one of the HUGE bonuses in the brand-new version of the Total Female Hockey Elite Training System that is being released next week exclusively to members of the Total Female Hockey community (that’s you). This exclusive offer - including the other HUGE bonus I haven’t told you about yet - will only be available for a limited time.  You’ll be the first to know when it’s been released - so stay tuned.

 

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director, Total Female Hockey
Girls’ Hockey Director, PEAC School for Elite Athletes