Hockey may be a game of sprints.

But tryout and training camps can seem like marathons.

You aren’t being judged on your performance in a single shift, practice, game or drill.

You are being judged on your ability to consistently perform over the course of 5, 6 or 7 days.

It is players that show they have the highest level of hockey-specific conditioning at camp are the same ones who are playing their best in the 2nd overtime of the championship game in February.

The most important games of the season happen at the end of tournaments and playoffs - and a coach needs to be confident that their players can perform at the same level in the 5th game as they did in the 1st game.

And the better your level of conditioning, the better you’ll play day after day.

You might be the strongest player on the ice and have all the skills in the world.

But if you aren’t in great shape, it will be hard to showcase those talents.

More fatigue equals more mistakes.

If you can’t maintain your highest level of performance over the course of camp due to a lack of conditioning, you might find yourself on the outside looking in.

You may not have the time to develop brand-new skills in time for camp, but you always have the time to become more fit.

Focusing on off-ice conditioning this summer will not only allow you to stand out at camp, but also give you a huge leg-up on the competition in September.

So get started on building your overtime-dominating conditioning today -
those shuttle sprints aren’t going to run themselves!

Until next time,

Kim