Preparing the Developmental Hockey Athlete - A Focus on Functional Exercise

As hockey season comes to an end, every hockey player will be looking for that critical off - season training program targeted at optimizing hockey performance. Unfortunately, many programs fall short in addressing the needs of the developmental hockey athlete.

At this point, we generally see the two extremes of program design in the early off-season. It is either a generic combination of bodybuilding methods and jogging or the " kitchen sink " approach - the practitioner reads about a host of new training methods and throws every possible training pattern and gadget at the athlete all at once. Unfortunately, the athlete might be exposed to a host of training patterns that they are simply not physically prepared for or waste their time following program guidelines that are fundamentally ineffective. Hockey players act and react at high speeds in a very unpredictable, unbalanced environment. A training plan needs to be designed in a manner that addresses the unique needs of the hockey athlete. More importantly, the program needs to be designed in a progressive manner - the training patterns should gradually become more demanding over time and, ideally, become more sport-specific as the season approaches.

The question across all age groups is essentially the same - " How do I get started ? " There are some simple rules and guidelines that can direct the young athlete during this critical stage of development. Be careful - these ideas are not for the faint of heart. Some of this information may fly in the face of current trends in the hockey conditioning world.

Do not attempt to become an aerobic animal. Contrary to popular belief, hockey is not an aerobic sport. You cannot improve anaerobic capacity, the ability to exert force repeatedly and recover quickly, by exposing the body to slow, aerobic training patterns. It is comparable to preparing a dragster for a race by driving 50 miles to the track at 8 mph. Excessive aerobic training compromises strength and power. Excessive aerobic training over the course of a summer will ultimately decrease strength and power and may make the developmental athlete more prone to injuries of the hip, lower back and lower leg, specifically shin splints or compartment syndrome. Although we use numerous combinations of drills and patterns to increase work capacity, any hockey player should incorporate repeated sprints or tempo running patterns on a grass surface for periods of 30 - 40 seconds while progressively decreasing recovery periods. As the athlete becomes more competent, a variety of carrying, pulling and medicine ball throwing exercises can be incorporated under the same time constraints. You are matching up to shift requirements of hockey while taxing the nervous system in a way that enhances speed and power without devaluing strength. It is not uncommon for athletes at any stage of development to also experience significant reductions in body fat under conditions of repeated high - intensity efforts.

It is also a myth to think that running speed will not influence skating speed. Nothing could be further from the truth - if you train the body to be fast and explosive, it is transferable to any sport context. If you train slow, you will be slow! Be 3-D. The hockey player functions and performs in a 3-D environment. The athlete is constantly responding, reacting and applying force in a variety of body positions often outside a zone of " ideal stability ". The problem is that many athletes embark on a training regimen incorporating machines and stable gadgets. Sitting on a machine or squatting in a Smith machine is not going to create strength that is reactive and multi-directional. An exercise should force the athlete to apply force against a resistance but at the same time apply the force through many different planes and directions maintaining the center of gravity over the base of support - this is the fundamental concept of stability. It is crucial that the body be taught to function in every direction with the expectation that you could be in awkward positions at any given time trying to make a play. There are few situations where isolated body movements are a necessity. Functional training methods will result in improved strength, enhanced coordination and optimal muscular balance ultimately improving reactive abilities and reducing injury. It is important to use lifts that incorporate the entire body as a complex unit including Olympic lifts and a multitude of squatting patterns. It is one thing to be strong. It is another to be able to apply force and correct and balance under the load while you are moving. The key to performance is the ability to correct or " right " the body position as a result of external forces. To work to that end, we incorporate numerous movements using a combination of balance devices when lifting including Swiss Balls, balance discs and medicine balls to force the athlete to function in a variety of planes rotating, reacting and correcting to changes in body alignment. The athlete can also improve functional strength of the stabilizing and postural muscles that secure stability and alignment during any activity. A stable, coordinated athlete will be prepared for anything!

Just because it looks right, does not mean it is right. In this particular case, timing really is everything. Athletes spend an entire season exposing the body to a very fixed, repetitive skating pattern and immediately incorporate slide boards and skating machines in the off-season program. It simply does not make sense. Although these particular training tools may have a place for some athletes, it is essential that general patterns of movement through numerous planes and directions are incorporated early in a training program to foster muscular balance. Fixed repeated patterns result in primary muscular imbalances that may reduce sport-specific function and increase the chance of injury. What does this all mean for the hockey athlete ? Use a variety of training patterns that force you to use muscles that may not seem exactly consistent with the skating patterns. Force the body to function beyond the limitations of skating using movements that are unique and demanding across all planes involving many different combinations of muscle groups. It does not have to mimic the skating pattern and, in fact, in the early phase these training patterns should be non-specific. An athlete targeting muscular balance and general strength will be better prepared for the demands of more sport-specific exercises as the training cycle progresses. More importantly, injury from repeated stress on the same muscular complex will decrease. A balanced, injury-free athlete can contribute at every level throughout the season.