So by now you should have the one-minute hockey warm-up down pat, right?  Is it starting to get a little repetitive? Ready to try something a little bit more hockey-specific?

Check out the latest version of the 1 minute hockey warm-up below:

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Congratulations to Team Ontario Red for winning the Under-18 National Championship trophy today in dramatic fashion with a double-overtime victory against Team Quebec! This was not only an extremely successful tournament for the Ontario teams ON the ice, but it was also our most successful championships OFF the ice as well.

If you want to have the same success both on and off the ice, you HAVE to use these 2 critical tips at every single game…

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Last night, I watched an awesome game between the two teams representing Ontario at the Under 18 National Championships. The 2 teams were very evenly matched, with Team Ontario Red eventually pulling out the win late into the overtime. Team Ontario Blue was definitely disappointed with the result. They battled so hard against an older and more experienced team and just fell short in the end.

It’s always tough to lose a tight game - and it’s even tougher to turn it around and play again less that 24 hours later.

So what’s the best way to recover with such a tight turn-around time to be able to compete against one of the best teams in the country in less that 24 hours?

Here’s exactly what we did step-by-step:

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It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and I’m busy helping Team Ontario’s Under-18 teams with their final tune-up camp before they play in the National Championships in November. The teams have just one exhibition game and three on-ice practice sessions to get all of their systems and strategies in place before competing on the national stage.

It definitely isn’t ideal to have only a few practices to get everyone on the same page. But the toughest part is that all 3 of those prep practices are on the SAME DAY!

What can these coaches and players do to stay energized and focused for all three on-ice sessions?

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Most girls hockey players and teams know that they should warm-up before they hit the ice. But sometimes you just don’t have the time…or do you?

Check out my version of a 1 minute hockey warm-up below:

With all the driving to the rink, putting on equipment and pre-game pep talks, sometimes there isn’t enough time left to fit in a complete off-ice hockey warm-up. Let’s face it - most girls hockey players barely get on the ice in time for the start of their 3 minute on-ice warm-up.

An off-ice warm-up is not only possible, but necessary - especially when you’ve only got a few minutes to skate once you step on the ice.

Sure, a complete 15 minute warm-up is better for decreasing injury and increasing performance than just 10 minutes.

And 10 minutes is better than 5.

You may not have 5 minutes to spare.

But you can always find one extra minute.

–> The added bonus?

You can do this warm-up absolutely anywhere.

Push all the bags to one corner of the dressing room and you can get all 15 players doing this quick warm-up at the exact same time.

Do you think you can find one minute to get this warm-up done?

Until next time,

~ Coach Kim

This weekend, I am going to be at one of the premiere hockey tournaments for elite girl’s hockey players just outside of Toronto.

40 midget-aged teams will be competing to take home the tournament title.

700 players will be looking to impress the many university scouts who will be on hand.

Some teams will play 6 or more games in a 3 day period.

That’s a lot of high-intensity playing in a short period of time and players need to make sure that they are doing everything they can to succeed.

Here are 4 keys to having your best tournament possible:

1) Warm-Up

In order to play your best in every game of the tournament, you have to do an off-ice warm-up. This could be as simple as doing 5 minutes of jogging, jumping jacks and lunges. It is easy to let this slide as the tournament wears on, but it will make a huge difference on how you feel when you step out on the ice.

2) Drink more water

Most hockey players don’t drink enough water. Although most players do a decent job of sipping on water bottles during the game, it is the amount of water that you drink in between games that is going to make the biggest difference in your performance. Make sure that you have a water bottle with you at all times and drink from it constantly. Even if you aren’t thirsty, drink more water.

3) Stay away from the snack bar

I usually refer to the rink snack bar as a “nutritional wasteland”. Typically, everything there is deep-fried or pre-packaged. The best solution to tournament nutrition is to bring healthy options with you — but if you need to go to the drive-thru in between games, at least make sure that you are making the healthiest choices possible.

4) Stretch more

Most hockey players don’t stretch enough. This can be a huge problem during tournament time because of the high volume of high-intensity games. It is unrealistic to expect players to go through a complete 20 minute stretching routine in between games, but performing a few hockey-specific stretches will go a long way to preventing soreness and maximizing performance.

Take the time to address these 4 key areas of performance and you will be well on your way to having your best tournament ever.

Until next time,

Kim

When I was a young hockey player, I never warmed up before hitting the ice.

I used the 30 minutes between when I arrived at the rink and when the buzzer went to start the game (or whistle blew to start practice) focusing on the “important things” - chatting, gossiping and messing around with my friends.

It wasn’t until my last year of high school that I started doing an off-ice warm-up before practices and games. I was the only one on my team that did it.

While everyone else was gossiping in the dressing room, I was doing my warm-up routine in the hallway by myself.

And you should have seen the looks I got from people around the rink.

That was just over 10 years ago now and very few players in the NHL warmed up before putting on their gear, let alone young female hockey players. I was definitely a rarity running around the rink.

Now you can go to any rink anywhere and you’ll see kids running around to get warmed up for their game.

Forget the fact that most of them aren’t doing a proper off-ice warm-up - the fact that they are warming up at all is a major move in the right direction.

Last night I saw a team of 7 year olds doing jumping jacks and skipping before they hit the ice. I didn’t start warming up before hockey until I was 17.

And that made me feel a little old.

It has taken 10 years - but hockey coaches, parents and players are finally getting the message.

Off-ice warm-ups are mandatory.

It’s never too late to start doing a warm-up routine - don’t wait until you are “over-the-hill” like me.

Kim

For the next 18 weeks, I will be making a blog entry for each one of the 54 workouts included in Total Female Hockey’s Complete Off-Season Program.

Today is officially DAY #1.

For some of you, the exercises and drills found in this program are brand-new. There are over 15 different movements included in the Warm-up and 7 in the Strength program. Adding in the 8 different Speed drills and 10 Stretches brings the grand total to over 40 exercises!!!

And you need to learn how to do each and every one of them PERFECTLY.

The above statement isn’t meant to overwhelm you.

Perfection takes time. There is always a learning period for every skill and movement we learn whether on or off the ice. Think back to when you first learned to skate. Your feet probably seemed to be disconnected from your body and you likely took your fair share of falls. But over time, you were able to master the movements required to skate efficiently and now you can skate effortlessly. Well, the exercises in this program are no different.

PERFECT THE WARM-UP FIRST
Although the Warm-up has been designed to take 10 minutes, it may take 15-20 minutes to complete in the beginning. Much like when you were first learning how to skate, your muscles and joints simply don’t know where they need to be during movements yet. I don’t expect you to be able to do all of the exercises perfectly today, but I do expect that you will master these movements before long. Be patient and stay focused. Soon the warm-up sequence will seem as simple as skating.

In your quest to master the Warm-up exercises in the Complete Off-Season Program, there is ONE exercise in particular that players seem to struggle with initially.

The Inchworm
The key message here is: Do NOT Bend Your Legs!

One of the main goals of this warm-up exercise is to stretch out the hamstrings (the muscles in the back of your thighs). The only way to get a proper stretch in your hamstrings in this movement is to make sure that your legs stay completely straight as you walk them in between your hands. In the beginning, you may only be able to walk your feet in half way to your hands while keeping your legs straight.

And that’s great!

As soon as you let your legs bend in this exercise, you lose the effectiveness of the stretch…and you are cheating. When I do this exercise with my players, if any one of them bends their legs in order to get their feet in closer to their hands, everyone has to repeat the drill. There have been workouts where the players have had to do this drill 4 or 5 times in a row!

Remember, I am not expecting you to be able to walk your feet all the way in between your hands on Day One of doing the inchworm, but you should be “inching” closer and closer to perfection as the summer progresses.

Over the course of the next two weeks, take the time to learn how to do each exercise in the warm-up properly and focus on performing each movement perfectly. By committing to mastering the warm-up sequence, you are laying the groundwork for a great summer of training.

See you on Wednesday!

Kim

Most hockey players do some kind of warm-up before heading out on the ice.

This might include a few minutes of jogging followed by some stretching or a complete warm-up routine performed with the whole team.

While most young female hockey players have got the message about warming-up prior to practices and games, very few warm-up before their off-ice training sessions.

And this is a HUGE MISTAKE!

Warming-up prior to off-ice training is as important (if not MORE important) than warming up before hitting the ice.

Off-season training programs require players to perform movements and exercises that are DIFFERENT from what they have become accustomed to doing on the ice. Although a properly designed hockey-specific training program will develop the muscles and energy systems players need to excel on the ice, summer training DOES NOT (and SHOULD NOT) directly mimic what players do on the ice.

Running is different from skating.

Foot quickness drills are completely different when performed without skates on.

These exercises are essential to a complete off-season training program…

And players must prepare accordingly.

Think about it.

If you just spent the last 6-8 months skating 4 or 5 times a week and then decide to go run sprints the day after the season ends, what is going to happen?

Every single ‘running’ muscle that you haven’t used since last August is going to be working overtime and you will feel sore the next day. In fact, the soreness will be quite similar to the pain you felt after your first on-ice session last season - although the muscles involved will be different.

This soreness can be prevented by performing a proper warm-up.

You must prepare the muscles that you use to run, jump and change direction, just as you must warm-up the muscles that you use to shoot, skate and save.

Warming-up properly before any type of activity is essential for every young athlete and it is EVEN MORE CRITICAL for young players when they are beginning their new summer training program.

That’s why warm-ups are NEVER optional.

In my next entry, I will discuss another part of the off-season training program that is also NEVER optional - STRETCHING.

Until then,

Kim