As we approach the end of hockey season, it’s time to think about off-ice hockey training, and getting yourself organized with the proper program and equipment to both get the best results, and help protect yourself from injury. Don Cherry made this point on the opening of the February 5, 2011 edition of Coach’s Corner on Hockey Night in Canada:
Hockey Training Programs
One such product is Hockey Speed and Power (regularly $69.99, now on sale for $47) by former NHL player Kevin Meihm, which features programs tailored to various age groups (8-11 year olds, 12-14, and 15 to adult). It’s a comprehensive system developed over his 15 years of professional hockey experience, and his post-playing career as a strength and conditioning coach. The program itself is based on one he developed for the OHL’s Belleville Bulls, which has fostered future NHL players like Montreal Canadien P.K. Subban and Jason Spezza of the Ottawa Senators.
Another interesting offering is Brandon Naurato’s Top Secret Off-Ice Hockey Training ($97), a complete system that covers both in- and off-season training, along with a nutrition guide specifically designed with the hockey player in mind. One innovative feature here is the series of videos that you can access on an iPhone or iPod Touch, which demonstrate the various exercises involved, so you can make sure you’re doing them properly, wherever you are.
Chris Collins’ Premier Hockey Training ($87) starts from a different premise, with the very first module being an assessment of your individual physical condition, so you can get started by addressing your specific weaknesses, rather than use a generic program. Besides providing information on conditioning, strength training and nutrition, this plan also addresses recovery time, which is an essential concern for hockey players who often have to play multiple games or practices over the course of a weekend, and want to play as strongly at the end as they do at the beginning.
Hockey Training For Goalies
Goalies, too, have their own specific needs, so there’s another set of tools recommended for you keepers. Rapid Response Goalie Training, created by fitness professional and goaltending specialist Maria Mountain, consists or workout routines which typically last 20-40 minutes, are done 2-4 times per week, but will help develop the strength, flexibility, and explosiveness that are uniquely required of goaltenders. It includes a nutrition guide, over 2.5 hours of workout videos, and of course the Rapid Response Training Manual, which covers everything you need for a goaltender-specific training program to both improve performance and help avoid injury.
Start becoming a stronger, faster hockey player – today!
These days, hockey players can’t be content to simply show up in the fall and expect to work themselves into shape; if you want to stand out from the pack, you need to come into camp ready to compete. My favorite example there is Nashville Predators forward Joel Ward, who came to camp in September 2008 as a 27-year-old career minor leaguer with all of 11 games of NHL experience. He jumped the line to earn a regular job, however, becoming a fixture in the lineup over the next three seasons, and now faces free agency this summer after leading his team in scoring during the playoffs. The turning point was that training camp performance in 2008 when he won that NHL roster spot that didn’t seem like it was ever going to come.
It’s nice to want to develop your athletic abilities and skill set as a hockey player, but going about it on your own isn’t just going to deliver sub-par results, it can be dangerous as well. Make sure to check out Kevin Meihm’s Hockey Speed and Power, Brandon Naurato’s Top Secret Off-Ice Hockey Training, Chris Collins’ Premier Hockey Training and/or Maria Mountain’s Rapid Response Goalie Training, to give yourself the best chance to have a productive off-season. The great thing about all of these resources is that they are available for immediate download, so you don’t need to pay for shipping or wait for a package to arrive in your mailbox. Choose the program you like, make your purchase, and get started on becoming a better ice hockey player right now.
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