Our brand-new Total Female Hockey “Tryout Training Team” just started their off-season training program this week - and these players are awesome. They are focused on doing whatever it takes to become the best players they possibly can - whether that means doing burpees, pushing weighted sleds or doing chin-ups (awesome!). As we finished up our session last night, one of the girls asked me when we were going to be riding the bikes? We have about 50 of them at the gym and they look “cool”, so of course, players want to use them. But should they?
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As a young player, there was one “secret” I had that allowed me to continuously take my game to the next level all season long.

I did off-ice training all year around.

Speed, strength, stamina - you name it, I was working on it.

But for most young players, the season starts and the training stops.

And they are missing out on a HUGE opportunity to get better.

More and more young players are using off-season training to arrive at training camp in shape and more and more coaches are doing a good job of getting their team physically prepared during the pre-season.

–> But what are you doing to get better once the season starts?

–> How can you make sure that you are still ?tter and faster than
your competition in December?

Developing on-ice skills, strategies and systems will only take you so far because everyone else is working just as hard on the ice.

Off-ice training might just be the difference between a long playoff run and an early summer.

You may not have the time to go to a fancy training facility or the budget to work with a strength and conditioning coach.

And that?s ?ne. Because you don?t need to.

The “secret” of in-season off-ice training is that it can be done anywhere and anytime, with an entire team and without any equipment.

–> Exercises like the Partner Row, Bridge Push-ups and Stick Squats will help players shoot harder and skate faster, without having to touch a single weight.

–> Drills like ABCD/1234 and Calf Tag will help players think, react and move more quickly on the ice, without having to waste precious ice time working on agility.

The truth is that building speed and strength is much easier and efficient to do OFF the ice than is it ON the ice.

If you can ?nd 30 minutes twice a week to get faster and stronger off the
ice starting today, you will leave the opposition in your dust come playoff time.

Now all you need is the right plan.

Until next time,

Kim

If you have seen the movie “Miracle”, you remember the scene where coach Herb Brooks lines his entire team up on the goal-line and skates them into the ground after they played a sub-par game.

Herb was sending a message to his players:

–> If you can’t work hard and stay focused during the game, there will be a price to pay.

The problem is that coaches everywhere are re-enacting this scene every night with their teams at practice.

They line the players up on boards or across the blue-line and have them skate widths, lengths, circles or laps until players have to drag themselves off the ice.

Coaches may think that they are sending the message by having their players skate “Herbies”, but the truth is that they are sending a very different message to their players…

That SKATING = PUNISHMENT

If the team fails to perform up to expectations, and the coach punishes them by
“skating” them into the ground, it makes sense that the players might develop negative attitudes towards conditioning.

And that is the wrong message to be sending.

On-ice conditioning is a critical piece of the puzzle for teams and players looking to take their game to the next level.

But it has to be used properly.

It is important for players to learn to push themselves when they are already fatigued, as they must be prepared to maintain a high-level of intensity throughout the third period, overtime and the entire season. Players have to understand that this type of conditioning is a part of the season-long plan to improve and not just something the coaching staff decides to do at the last minute to “send a message”.

Coaches must stick to the fundamental principles of hockey-specific conditioning
if they want to take their players’ fitness and performance to the next level.

And that means no more “Herbies”.

Kim

There are only a few weeks left until the puck drops on a new season.

Is it too late to get in game shape?

Most players put “zero time” into conditioning for their sport in the summer and then they expect to jump out onto the ice after a 5 month lay-off and play like an all-star in their first shift.

Without the right pre-season preparation, players risk getting injured, getting benched or, worst of all, getting cut.

So what should players do if they haven’t been training all summer and need to be ready to compete in just a few weeks?

Don’t panic - there is still time.

While building hockey speed and strength requires some genetic gifts…

It doesn’t take a single ounce of talent to get in game shape.

It is all about will.

If players are willing to work hard for the next month, they can be ready to standout at training camp and dominate the pre-season.

Getting in shape in time for the season is no secret - it is simple.

By keeping the workouts short, intense and specific, you’ll be in game shape fast.

Kim

With training camp just around the corner, it’s time to take your pre-season hockey training to the next level.

But what do you do if you haven’t been training all summer and you need to be ready to perform your best in just a few weeks?

Is it too late?

Before you hit the panic button, I have great news for you - there is still time to get in game shape fast.

And you won’t need to hit the gym or go for long boring jogs.

To guarantee that you will be in game shape in time for the start of the season, your off-ice conditioning workouts have to be hockey-specific.

By using simple high-intensity body-weight circuits that combine short sprints and strength exercises, you can dramatically increase your hockey-specific conditioning in just 4 weeks.

Watch me demonstrate a high-intensity hockey-specific conditioning circuit below:

Seems pretty simple doesn’t it?

By keeping your workouts short, intense and hockey-specific, you’ll be in game shape in no time.

It’s time to turn it up a notch. Get in game shape fast and get ready to blow your competition away this fall.

Until next time,

Kim

I haven’t been running much this summer.

So where did I get this crazy idea to give the 300 meter shuttle run test a shot yesterday?

Well, I was talking with a few players who are using Complete Off-Season Training Program and they were telling me about how their results on the 300 meter shuttle run test have dramatically improved since starting the program 6 weeks ago.

All of sudden, I had the urge to try it out to see where I stood compared to their results.

Did I mention that I am a little bit competitive?

How did I do?

Not great.

I was always one of the fastest at this test when I was in college - and yesterday afternoon’s performance didn’t even come close. It wasn’t bad - but my finishing times were at least 4 seconds slower this time around (which is huge when the test is approximately 1 minute long).

The first sprint took 57 seconds. After 2 minutes of rest, the second sprint took 61 seconds to complete.

Could you out-run me?

One of my players told me how she was able to keep up with the US National Team members during on-ice conditioning drills this past week.

You know what’s the best part?

She is a 14 year old keeping up with elite 18 year old players…

And she hasn’t been on the ice all summer!

She definitely would have beat me in the shuttle run test yesterday.

Because unlike me, she has been diligently following her off-ice summer training program all summer long.

Until next time,

Kim

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

For those of you following along with the Complete Off-Season Program, we have now entered the Intermediate stage of your summer hockey training plan.

Time to start doing shuttle runs!

As crazy as it may sound, the 300-meter shuttle run test was actually one of my favorite hockey-specific fitness tests as a player. One reason was that the test was over quickly.
And another was that I was good at it.

Quick & Powerful Change of Direction

The key to being fast in the shuttle run (and on the ice) is being able to change direction quickly and powerfully.

Most players LOSE speed each time they change direction.

Most players see the turn coming up and reach out for the line with a straight leg. They think this will save them time because their entire body doesn’t have to travel all the way to the line.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

How to GAIN Speed Out of Your Turns

In order to gain speed coming out of the turn, you need to be able to push off with a lot of force.

And you can’t generate any power from a straight leg.

You need to push off a bent leg.

In order to be able to push off from a bent leg, you have to keep your feet underneath you when you stop and start.

And in order to keep your feet underneath you, you have to get closer to the line.

Many players think this will slow them down because they have to travel a slightly longer distance with their body.

But getting closer to the line and bending your knees leads to a faster and more powerful turn.

Hockey-specific speed isn’t about who can run the fastest in a straight line.

It’s all about who can change direction fastest.

Master this fundamental change of direction technique off the ice this summer and you will be faster on the ice this fall.

Until next time,

Kim

When it comes to designing an off-season training program, most experts agree on how to best develop strength, speed and power in young players, but there is always disagreement on how to best develop conditioning.

Ultimately, it comes down to choosing between being aerobically ‘fit’ (and slow) or being strong and powerful (and fast).

You can either possess a high level of endurance or game-breaking speed and quickness - you can’t have both. This summer conditioning program is solely focused on making players faster.

In order to build breakaway speed and an amazing ability to change direction, players must first focus on building a solid foundation of running in a straight line. The main purpose of tempo running is to start reconditioning a player’s running muscles after a long season of skating and to prepare their cardiovascular and neuromuscular system for the increased speed and agility demands of the higher-intensity interval training that will occur as the summer progresses.

How Fast is Too Fast?
Focus on performing the tempo runs with as good form as possible, instead of trying to go as fast as humanly possible. These runs should be done at 75-85% intensity - which is sometimes very difficult for young athletes to be able to gauge. My general rule of thumb is that players should be running as fast as they can without sprinting. Typically, once players transition from running fast to full-out sprinting, their forms starts to break down. It often helps for players to think about tempos as being a fast run instead of a complete sprint.

Another way to gauge whether you are running at an appropriate intensity is to look at how long it takes you to complete each tempo run. Each ‘run’ is designed to last about 20 seconds - depending on the age and fitness of the players. If players are completing the ‘run’ more quickly than that, they are running at too high of an intensity level and run the risk of injuring themselves.

Rest, Rest, Rest
In this beginning stage of the program, the rest intervals between tempos may seem like it is too long. Players may feel like they could decrease the rest time and get the conditioning portion of the workout finished more quickly.

Do NOT decrease your rest time!!!!

Remember what the purpose of tempo running is: to help players to recondition their running muscles and to build a foundation of cardiovascular fitness needed for the more intense interval training that will take place later in the summer.

Players may not feel like they need a great deal of rest between tempos now, but they will welcome the extra rest as the number of tempos increase of the course of the next few weeks. Trust me, it is only going to get harder.

Congratulations!
You have made it through your first week of the Complete Off-Season Training Program. Your first three workouts may have taken a little longer than the time I had outlined in the training manual. Keep in mind that you did have to learn up to 20 new exercises and were focusing on performing all the exercises as perfectly as possible. The exercises will stay (almost) exactly the same next week, so you will be able to move through each workout more quickly.

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you at our session on Monday.

Your friend and coach,

Kim

The skating treadmill has become a much more mainstream off-ice training tool in the last 10 years, with players of all ages and ability levels using the technology to enhance their skating technique and hockey conditioning.

I have to admit…I have been a ‘treadmill skeptic’ for the last decade.

I used the skating treadmill for training back when I was in high school. Back then, it was actually just a wider version of your standard running treadmill. In fact, I didn’t even wear my skates on it - I had to wear rollerblades!

The main reason for my skepticism is that the machine and programs I used as a young player actually hurt me more than they helped me! After every training session on the treadmill, I was exhausted and sore. I sustained more injuries on that treadmill than I ever did on the ice.

So I decided to ask the world’s foremost expert on the skating treadmill about how this technology can be used safely and effectively to help aspiring girls hockey players reach their next level of performance.

This afternoon I had a terrific conversation with Dr. Kelly Lockwood of The Skating Lab and she answered every question I have ever had about the treadmill (and more that I never even thought to ask!)

Dr. Lockwood has spent the last 15 years researching the best practices in athlete development - specifically in treadmill training. I figured that if anyone could resolve my ‘treadmill skepticism’, it would be her!

“Only As Good As The User”

As with most training tools, the treadmill is only truly effective when used properly. Back when I used the treadmill, we sometimes stayed on the machine for 5 minutes at time! In retrospect, this seems particularly ridiculous given the fact that the average hockey shift is approximately 45 seconds in length. Dr. Lockwood reinforced this fact by explaining how players should be skating the treadmill in ’shifts’ - focusing on giving maximal efforts for 5-50 seconds at a time…not slogging away for 5 minutes!

Workouts on the skating treadmill are meant to be challenging. It is IMPOSSIBLE to sustain the level of technique and intensity needed to get a great transfer effect back over to the ice for 5 minutes straight! I now wish Dr. Lockwood was at the controls 10 years ago when I was suffering on those prolonged and painful skating sessions.

“Not a Cookie Cutter Program”

My other big concern with the skating treadmill is that following the ‘best practices’ determined through years of research and testing would result in the treadmill technicians trying to get every player to skate exactly the same way.

We all know that there are certain skating techniques that are better than others. And while the application of these techniques isn’t universal, the principles behind them are. Watching any elite hockey game will show you that there are a variety of different skating styles that all seem to be equally efficient. The key in the treadmill training is to make adjustments to the stride of the player that allows them to as efficient as possible with their own style.

All in all, the skating treadmill is a great supplement to on-ice training when applied properly. Dr. Lockwood told me a few stories of players whose performance was dramatically enhanced after training on the treadmill.

After my 10 year hiatus from the treadmill, I am ready to give it another try.

As long as there are no rollerblades involved!

Until next time,

Kim