By Peter Twist /
Team rosters are finalized, early prospect tournaments are over, and the pre-season is complete. Coaches and players shift their focus to in-season practices and games to establish clear player roles, expectations and most notably, team tactics. Many players and parents anxiously wait to learn what players are chosen to play on the first, second or third line and who will win the esteemed role on the powerplay and the penalty kill. For many coaches, the selection comes down to choosing players who are “game ready.” Players aspiring to win extra ice time must invest in off-ice conditioning to gain a competitive edge over teammates.
In today’s game of hockey, speed has never had more value to coaches, players and parents.
Teammates, coaches and spectators all enjoy the excitement of watching a player steal the puck, blast up ice, effortlessly blow by the defense and create a scoring chance. Straight ahead speed must be combined with other explosive ingredients for 1-on-1 success. First-step quickness, multi-directional movement skills, agility, deceleration, reaction skills and high intensity energy output all contribute to game-ready attributes.
Certain players are genetically blessed with the ability to start fast and skate fast, but those athletes who can quickly start and stop, move in multiple directions explosively and anticipate the opponent win the starting roles on the powerplay and the penalty kill. The execution of these complex agility skills requires aggressive braking, fast direction change and acceleration into the next critical ice position. Deceleration and direction change expose more player strengths and weaknesses where races to loose pucks can be won or lost and game breaking plays created.
Aggressive Braking Skills
While parents search for faster foot speed with hockey speed camps, the true secret to quickness on ice lies in aggressive braking skills. Effectively trained stopping mechanics can instantly harness explosive power and translate it in an opposite direction. Poorly trained deceleration skills can lead to injury as the untrained player attempts to absorb great amounts of force. Many players lose energy in direction-change which leads to a critical delay in the read-react response giving the opponent a distinct advantage. On the defensive side, the goal is to close the gap and take away space and excellent deceleration skills make 1-on-1 containment easy using reactive agility and good positioning.
A Progressive Approach to Training Deceleration
I use the BRAKES training concept to teach and train outstanding decelerations skills. BRAKES stands for Balance, Reaction, Agility, K(Q)uickness, Explosive Speed and Eccentric Strength. Balance training using unstable surfaces can teach athletes to retain body control in challenging and unpredictable situations similar to game demands. Players then repeat fundamental patterns to improve movement skill efficiency producing general athleticism, and improving body control. Movements progress from slow, deliberate actions that require conscious thought to high-speed automatic agility patterns done at game speed. Building and repeating movement patterns develops a fast mind to muscle connection creating “smart muscles” that quickly comply with the brain’s commands. Once well rehearsed on and off ice, multi directional movements become intuitive and can be executed using coach’s cues to initiate a direction change forcing players into high pressure decision making.
Remember, coaches look for speed to establish key team roles, but first step quickness combined with accurate positioning defines exceptional from average in the team hierarchy. Training multi-directional, aggressive braking skills teaches players to safely manage fast stops, make quick transitions and be in position to score goals on the powerplay or shut down the opposition on the penalty kill. Players who are game ready physically and mentally definitely earn the extra ice time.
Peter Twist, 11 year NHL Conditioning Coach, is President of Twist Conditioning Inc that provides franchised Sport Conditioning Centres, Smart Muscle™ Hockey training products and home study coach education. www.twistconditioning.com |