DAN GARNER - Amazon Simple Storage Service · their kids in martial arts, wrestling, football and...
Transcript of DAN GARNER - Amazon Simple Storage Service · their kids in martial arts, wrestling, football and...
DAN GARNER
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 2
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 3
IS IT SAFE? .................................................................................................. 10
WHY TRAIN FOR YOUTH ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT? ...................................... 13
TRAINING YOUTH ATHLETES ......................................................................... 20
CONSIDERATIONS FOR TRAINING YOUTH ATHLETES ..................................... 28
YOUTH NUTRITION ...................................................................................... 35
THE WARM UP ............................................................................................ 46
SAMPLE WARM UPS .................................................................................... 48
STRETCHING .............................................................................................. 50
SAMPLE STATIC STRETCHING ROUTINE ........................................................ 52
RESISTANCE TRAINING: PHASE 1 ................................................................ 53
PHASE 2 ..................................................................................................... 55
CONDITIONING ......................................................................................... 59
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER ........................................................................... 61
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................ 62
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INTRODUCTION
As it currently stands in the hockey strength and conditioning world
today there just isn’t near enough quality youth training and nutrition
advice on the market as there should be. If you google hockey
training more often than not you will get a bunch of search results
with a bunch of random workouts that are supposed to accomplish
single random goals. These usually come in the form of a single
training session or workout with no further guidance on what a full
training system should look like for a hockey player or what the
training periodization should look like throughout the seasons.
On top of this, these workouts are always designed with the pro
athlete in mind using extremely advanced techniques, heavy weight
loads and gym equipment that the average person doesn’t have
access to and the youth athlete shouldn’t be doing anyways.
To be taking full advantage of your athletic potential would be
running a complete hockey training system that is structured properly
on a month to month basis to build from one phase to the next.
Coming in the form of an off ice training system created specifically
for the inseason or offseason that addresses the common problems
hockey players run into during these times such as local tightness’s,
strength imbalances and mobility. Completing the program a better,
stronger, faster, more explosive hockey player.
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Now, what separates youth from this ideology?
Nothing.
Youth athletes can and should be doing additional training if they
are serious about their athletic development. On top of this, they
should also be eating more like athletes as well.
This is where parents or coaches normally start thinking:
“Well I don’t want my team lifting heavy weights every day after
school, or even at all”
“My son is 11 years old! He is not going to eat perfect, that’s
impossible!”
You know what? You’re absolutely right. The keys to youth athletic
development are:
#1: It has to be fun.
#2: It has to be safe.
#3: It has to improve performance.
The order of importance probably comes in that order as well. Those
three have to be in place for it to be effective, fun and good for long
term use. The problem I see is too many coaches offer too much of
one category, and not enough of the others.
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For example, many well-meaning coaches out there in local
communities just simply don’t have an understanding of sports
physiology and train their teams in inefficient ways, and sometimes
completely counterproductive ways. Offering up long distance
running or skating for their hockey teams while being totally oblivious
to the fact that long distance aerobic activity does not have much
carryover into the game of hockey and at the same time making the
kids do something they don’t enjoy doing. That’s both ineffective for
boosting performance and not fun.
In another example, you will get some wanna be tough guy Dad who
has decided to coach the team and blitz the athletes with a grueling
conditioning system. More often than not this program design is also
structured incorrectly but he will try and make up for that with
something along the lines of “no pain, no gain”. Sure, no pain no
gain. Got it. But when these guys run their teams through workouts
that haven’t been thought out from a sports physiology perspective
it’s more along the lines of “Lots of pain, no gain”. Additionally, if
you’re going to be driving the kids to work hard you had better also
be offering nutritional ideas to the parents to support proper recovery
between practices and games. If not, you’re missing a huge part of
the performance pie and creating a huge limiting factor in
performance development.
Last but not least, we have the guy that is a little too fun with the
design of the practices and/or workout program. Too many fun
games, too much sitting around, no real long term structure to
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measure progress. Although the kids love this coach, performance
ultimately suffers. Now this might seem like a scenario where you can
say “Let them have fun! They’re kids! They can focus on trying harder
when they’re older.”
That might sound like an ok idea on the surface, but as you will see
throughout the content of this book, optimizing movement during
youth is probably one of the most effective things you can do for any
athlete at any stage of their life. The central nervous system is being
molded like clay during this time period and how your kid goes about
their daily life determines important long term ability in qualities such
as coordination, balance, kinesthetic awareness and stride
frequency. Absolutely huge components to an athlete’s potential.
The best thing you can do is find that fine line between work, fun and
measureable progress. Doing something correctly doesn’t mean it
has to be monotonous and boring. In an ideal scenario it would be
fun, safe and offer performance enhancement in both the short and
long term. You don’t want to be putting your money into something
that has no benefit to your kids or your team. But you also don’t want
to be putting your money into something that your athletes are going
to hate.
Keep in mind, some parents are totally happy with their kids not
improving performance at all so long as they have fun. And I can get
that, if that’s not what the kid wants to do with his/her time or if the kid
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offers resistance before going to every single practice and game,
then this book/program is probably not for them.
This book and training system is for the coach or parent who has a
kid or team who genuinely likes spending their time playing hockey
and is open to incorporating additional training either by themselves,
with the team or with a group of friends in order to get better. The
main objective of this system is to improve hockey performance, but
in doing so you also accomplish many other things. All very important
to a youth athletes physical and mental health. Training improves:
Body composition – What your ratio of fat to lean muscle mass is.
Confidence
Speed
Agility
Strength
Athletic performance
Health biomarkers
Relationships with whom they train with (group, friends, team,
parents, coach, etc)
Flexibility
Mobility
Co-ordination
Short and long term athletic potential
Decreased body fat levels in overweight children
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I will get it out of the way very quickly here that youth athletes running
this system are not expected to lift heavy loads or work with much
additional resistance at all. Body weight exercises, light dumbbells
and specific movements provide more than enough progressive
resistance in order to make substantial and meaningful progress in a
safe and effective way.
People seem to forget that forces and resistance are applied to the
body in a sport setting even more so than when properly resistance
training. In addition to this, it can be applied during awkward
physical movement which can put the athlete at a big risk for injury.
That’s why you always hear of athletes getting hurt actually playing
hockey, not training for it.
Think about the idea of resistance training. You are applying an
external force on the body in order for the body to make positive
adaptations to that force and come back stronger next time. Now
think of the sport of wrestling. When you are going for a take down
and picking up your opponent or grinding to gain a superior position;
that is applying very high levels of force and resistance on the body.
These forces happen all the time in sports and do not differ from body
weight exercises from an adaptation perspective. Only in the fact
that they are less predictable and include the forces of an external
unpredictable stimulus. Which is precisely what makes them more
dangerous to perform than strength training.
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It always blows me away that parents won’t think twice about putting
their kids in martial arts, wrestling, football and hockey around the
year but then when it comes to training they immediately think it’s
dangerous. It’s the same types of forces, but in training you’re
actually able to safely control them. Why do you think a kid gets
stronger after a year of wrestling? His body adapted just like it would
from strength training.
The dangers of strength training in youth couldn’t be further from the
truth and I actually believe this to be the exact opposite. I think it is
more unsafe to put your kids in full contact sports without having them
train.
Training improves strength of the muscles, tendons and ligaments
while also increasing bone density which all contribute to
immediately decreasing their susceptibility to injury. When training is
conducted with proper program design and performed with good
technique, training not only increases performance but also
improves health and resistance to injury during competition. Which
means less games, practices and workouts missed. All directing to a
bigger picture of a better athlete.
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IS IT SAFE?
Absolutely.
Kids are playing contact sports in general at a much younger age
now and in this case the training should also begin at a younger age
as well. Resistance training is going to allow safety for the youth
athlete in question more so than not training due to the fact that
resistance training is going to build his/her ability to better deal with
the forces being placed on the body during hockey while also
improving their performance on the ice.
As stated above, resistance training improves the strength of the
tendons, ligaments, muscles and bones. Bone density respectively is
incredibly important not just to prevent injury now, but also later in
life. The higher you can build that bone density up before the age of
35, the better. I will also take the time to say this now while on the
topic of bone health is that resistance training will not stunt the growth
of a child. That’s a myth that just won’t seem to go away.
If this were true, probably all farm boys in existence today would be
4 feet tall. Bailing hay, moving machinery and carrying buckets of
water to the horses are all forms of resistance training.
Bone densities and strength have even been improved even in non-
contact sports. Research just recently in 2014 showing differences in
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both bone and muscular strength in young tennis player’s racquet
arm in comparison to their non-racquet arm. The racquet arm
showing greater bone density and muscular strength in comparison
to the non-racquet arm. Now you tell me, are tennis players stunting
their growth now playing tennis in youth? No.
Again, the body adapting to a stimulus to create a stronger more
stable body. If this adaptation were to not take place, injury rates
would be massive. There is no differences between the adaptation
here in tennis and the adaptation that would occur if a youth athlete
performed some body weight squats to improve his/her leg strength.
It is totally safe when following a proper plan designed by a
professional to build the muscles up properly and set the foundation
for long term progress. Where kids normally run into trouble when
training at a young age is just going in the basement, lifting as much
as they can, always doing the same movements and then that’s it.
Just trying to train themselves. That can cause repetitive strain injuries
by always doing the same movement plus only provide very short
term results due to improper program structure, additionally those
results will also probably only come in the lift that they are training
and not actually on the ice.
By training unsafely you would be missing the biggest point on the
side of youth athletic development, long term performance. Youth
training isn’t about making your kid the absolute best in the world right
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now. Proper youth training is building the necessary foundation an
athlete needs to have at a young age in order to create a higher
athletic potential and overall greater athletic ability in the long run.
Do you want to be a high level hockey player at 10 years old? Or 18-
20 years old?
One of those answers means much more than the other.
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WHY TRAIN FOR YOUTH ATHLETIC
DEVELOPMENT?
Despite previous concerns that children would not benefit from
resistance exercise or that the risk of injury was too great, clinicians,
coaches, and exercise scientists now agree that resistance exercise
can be a safe and effective method of conditioning for children. An
increasing number of boys and girls are participating in resistance
training activities, and major sports medicine organizations support
children’s participation in resistance exercise provided that the
programs are appropriately designed and competently supervised.
In the research, children as young as 6 years old have benefited from
resistance training and children in a variety of different research trials
have been exposed to all types of training modalities with a
demonstrated positive benefit including:
Modified adult sized machines
Child sized machines
Medicine balls
Free weights
Body weight calisthenics
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In addition to the various benefits I discussed above involving things
not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally; we have a
window of opportunity to develop athletic ability when an athlete is
still in their youth. This window of opportunity here is maximizing their
central nervous system development which is arguably the biggest
impact you can make on a hockey player’s (or any athlete for that
matter) career and maximum athletic potential limitations.
As the nervous system develops children improve their performance
in skills that require balance, agility, coordination, kinesthetic
awareness, strength and power. It is during these precious years that
you want to expose your kids to as many different movement patterns
as possible because although some coaches still believe
specialization at a young age leads ultimately to the best athletic
performance long term, the growing body of research suggests
otherwise.
The nervous system plays a huge role in motor unit function and
muscle recruitment patterns and the more different movements you
can expose your youth athletes to in the stages of this development,
the better. Meaning, year round hockey every year from a young
age to a mature age is not ideal for long term athletic potential. A
youth athlete would be better served playing hockey in the winter,
and only maybe once per week or once bi-weekly in the summertime
while he/she picks up other sports throughout the seasons such as
baseball, martial arts, gymnastics, tennis, soccer, football, lacrosse
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and basketball. More sport and movement exposure = Greater
nervous system capacity for athletic movement mechanics.
I encourage all kids to play outside and play each and every sport
they can. Doing this helps them learn how to properly move. One of
the biggest problems with the generation growing up right now is they
don’t know how to move, which is a breeding ground for structural
imbalances and poor nervous system development. They spend too
much time playing video games or surfing the internet and then when
you ask them to squat, their movement mechanics are completely
off. Often bending completely over with the back instead of keeping
a good posture and initiating the movement at the hips. To give your
kids the best chance at excelling in athletics and sport development
you need to:
Have them learn to move
Have them learn to play
Have them perform as many sports as possible
Begin resistance based training once they become emotionally
mature and willing to try it out
Once you understand movement in sports, you understand that it
demands perfect timing and perfect movement to be one of the
best. Competing in as many sports as possible allows children to
develop strong motor patterns and movement ability in all planes of
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motion. This translates perfectly to each and every sport and this
learned movement ability is highly central nervous system
dependent.
Very young children should be playing, running, climbing, running
backwards, throwing balls around, jumping, crawling and playing
with their parents so they can learn from the parent’s movement
patterns.
From being children to a more teenage age, in these years you
should enroll your kid in as many sports as possible, but not at the
same time. Do not overwhelm your kid, in the case of hockey, keep
it in every year, but the other sports should be rotated based on the
season. Martial arts is one of the best things you can do for a child
for increasing athletic ability and discipline. Additionally, martial arts
helps to build total body strength with plenty of explosive body weight
movements. Gymnastics is also excellent for all of the same reasons.
Martial arts and gymnastics would be my top two recommended
sports for optimal athletic development.
Now all this talk about nervous system molding during the youth years
and you’re probably asking yourself:
“Can’t we develop this at any stage in life? Why are you bringing this
up now?”
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The answer to that question is no. The development of the central
nervous system tends to peak and complete upon the onset of
puberty. This is why I made the statement above that proper youth
training is arguably the most important factor you can do to
potentiate an athlete’s career. He/she is going to have that nervous
system for life and how well, or how not well you optimize that window
is going to determine a lot of things.
Are movements still trainable at a later stage in life? Of course! This is
where most of the money is training is, developing athletes in a
mature stage of their life.
Are they as trainable now as they were when they were young? No,
they are not.
You can think of the example of a child learning a new language
when they are young compared to a parent learning a new
language in their forties. A child growing up with people speaking a
second language all around them picks it up quite well and without
much effort. But a parent in their forties trying to pick up a new
language runs into many difficulties and it will require much research
and study to get it down correctly.
A real world example of this phenomenon in reference to sport
performance is the relationship between the two biggest factors in
speed development for hockey athletes; stride length vs. stride
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frequency. Stride frequency is the amount of steps an athlete takes
in a controlled distance. For example, one may complete the 100m
dash in 50 steps, another may complete it in 47 steps. Whereas stride
length is the amount of distance covered per stride.
Here’s the thing, stride frequency becomes much, much less
trainable once the central nervous system is developed (upon
puberty) so for me, coming from a strength and conditioning
professionals perspective the biggest component I have to work with
in order to improve speed development in hockey players is focusing
on stride length and the many factors that go into improving that.
But if I have access to the athlete at a young age and mature age
we can take advantage of both worlds of speed development. And
this is just a single example, as mentioned above nervous system
capability is responsible for balance, coordination, kinesthetic
awareness, agility, strength and power.
“So what does any of this have to do with resistance training?”
Considering the fact that when working with youth you have to
maintain proper program progression and variation of exercises to
optimize gains, I’d say we are getting 5 stars in the nervous system
development category.
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Why?
Because program progression + variation = Exposure to new
movements on a regular basis.
These new movements drive new neurological recruitment patterns
and promote maximal nervous system molding for athletic
performance. That’s the benefit you receive from alternating sports
year round, exposure to thousands of new movement patterns. But
with resistance training you get decreased risk of injury due to
improved tendon/ligament/bone health, increased strength,
increased health biomarkers, increased confidence, decrease body
fat and improved nervous system adaptation!
Now you tell me why youth athletes shouldn’t be training?
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TRAINING YOUTH ATHLETES
Coaches and parents must understand that children are not
miniature adults and cannot be trained as such. Adult programs
volume and intensity recommendations are too severe for a youth
athletes base fitness level to recover from. When starting out with a
plan, it’s always best to underestimate their fitness level and work up
to a recoverable volume. To put it short, start slow and slowly work
your way up.
The kid in questions’ competition performance should not be suffering
due to a non-recoverable volume of training. The training should be
enough to create a positive adaptation, but not too much to where
their recovery ability isn’t meeting the demands of the training. Don’t
get me wrong being sore for a short period of time after a new
workout is ok, but being excruciatingly sore and mentally fatigued on
a regular basis is not ok. Grueling workouts are not the point of youth
athletic development and if a kid is suffering his or her way through
the training it is up to you to augment the plan as necessary so they
can still train and make progress, but also still properly recover.
Fatigue management for youth training is crucial. Number one,
because you can only make progress based on what you can
recover from. If you’re not recovering, you’re not making progress,
you’re just digging a deeper and deeper hole of fatigue debt. This is
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why pro-bodybuilders don’t train 8hrs per day. If they could, they
would. But in that scenario they would never ever be able to recover
from that and therefore never make any progress.
Same goes for youth athletes. Keep the training sessions less than an
hour with an aim for 30-45mins total and a training frequency of 2-4
times per week. This provides both a good volume of work but also
isn’t long enough to where the kids become disinterested and start
looking for bugs on the ground instead of doing an exercise.
Number two reason for fatigue management in children is
psychological in its roots and runs along the same line of coaches
who make their teams skate and/or run laps if they have a bad game.
Look, the idea behind this punishment is incredibly flawed
physiologically but also psychologically.
Why it’s physiologically flawed is because hockey is not an aerobic
sport, so making your athletes run or skate a high amount of laps has
very little carryover into the game of hockey. So even though you’re
athletes hate it, it’s also not doing you or your team any good. But the
second reason behind this flawed punishment tactic and is also my
main point behind fatigue management in youth strength and
conditioning is that this type of work begins to ingrain in the athletes
mind that training is bad.
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When you tie a physical activity to a punishment, at a subconscious
level the athletes are going to associate that activity with feeling bad
and that they don’t want to do it. We want to promote strength and
conditioning for these kids through positive means, not negative. This
also goes for fatigue management. If you’re driving your kids into the
ground during training, they are not going to recover properly and
they are going to hate it and not want to come back. A fun
atmosphere where everybody is making progress is the cornerstone
to long term adherence. Recovery is a huge part of this because if
you are coming back for your next workout and you feel 100%,
you’re ready to go! But if you feel 50%, you want to go home.
Don’t think short term when developing youth athletes, they have their
whole lives ahead of them and the entire purpose of youth training is
to build a solid foundation so that at a later stage in life you can build
upon that.
You can think about it like a skyscraper. These building stand
extremely tall but do you know how they begin the construction? They
dig. The first step in making a skyscraper is to dig downwards so you
can build the most solid foundation possible for the build to reach
maximal heights.
Same goes for youth athletes. The greater you build their foundation
during this crucial stage of their life, the greater amount of structure
you can add on top later.
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Remember, it is very likely that this is the kids first time ever performing
these movements. Proper technique must be taught and slow
progression from there can be introduced to create a stronger
adaptation. Technique makes up a large part of the pie when I say
the word foundation.
When training youth hockey players, proper progression and
program variation will optimize gains, prevent boredom, and reduce
the stress from overtraining. All things important to keeping a kid not
just making progress, but also staying interested.
When structuring a resistance training workout for youth hockey
players it should contain:
1. A proper warm up
2. Foundational exercises to improve health and hockey
performance
3. Finish off with stretching routine
A proper warm up has to be in play to increase the core temperature
of the athletes, lubricate the joints to prime them for physical activity
and get their heads in the game. Warm ups drastically decrease risk
of injury and create a more “in the zone” psychological state for kids
who are there to truly get better. Additionally, this “in the zone” state
will improve adherence to the exercises and slow down the
distractions kids find themselves in.
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Foundational resistance training exercises that are safe and effective
for hockey youth development include:
Chin up variations
Pull up variations
Dip variations
Squat variations
Split squat variations
Lunge variations
Push up variations
Abdominal circuit variations
Always keeping the intensity low with rep ranges anywhere from 10-
30 per exercise while keeping a close eye on proper technique. From
a non-bodyweight perspective, youth athletes can also safely use
light dumbbells, medicine balls and light weighted sled drags.
What you want to stay away from is directly loading the spine; squats,
overhead press, etc. It’s also wise to stay away from barbell
movements in general, unnecessary at this point in time and to be
later introduced in adolescence. Stick to dumbbells, body weight,
medicine balls and light sleds.
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Frequency of training sessions depends on the athlete’s interest and
overall schedule. If the kid is loving the training and saying things at
home like he/she loves making progress and getting stronger. Or if
you can clearly see they are having a great time with their friends,
coach or parent who is training them then don’t be afraid to increase
training frequency. This is a perfect world scenario if you have got
them loving it. In this case, 3-4 times per week would be ideal.
Coming in the form of 2-3 resistance training sessions and 1-2
conditioning sessions.
If the athlete isn’t so sure yet, or is still totally brand new to the idea
and you don’t want to rush into anything; two times per week works
here.
The reasons why I stick to the 2-4 times per week strategy is:
a) Even at the max end of 4x per week, they can still effectively
recover from that.
b) Even at the low end of 2x per week, they can still effectively
make progress from that.
c) Even though progress can be seen at 2x per week, greater
progress is seen at 3-4x per week.
d) Even at the max end of 4x per week, they can still compete in
any sport throughout the year and effectively recover. But once
puberty hits and heavier movements are incorporated, training
volume goes down during the inseason of hockey and a more
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educated eye should be monitoring training, ice time and
nutrition.
When structuring a conditioning workout for youth hockey players it
should contain:
1. A proper warm up
2. Energy system specific conditioning to improve hockey
performance
(or)
3. Fun activity that still “secretly” improves energy system specific
hockey performance
4. Finish off with a stretching routine
From a conditioning perspective, youth athletes can make great
progress with both aerobic and anaerobic work. But for the
anaerobic work, opt for no bodyweight loading, i.e. no conditioning
systems built entirely around the use of weight circuits, prowlers or
weighted sleds.
From an aerobic perspective, playing sports year round is enough for
a proper aerobic capacity base for hockey development in youth
athletes. This can sometimes get off track in mature athletes in
adolescence or adults as they tend to more neglect aerobic work
and gain unwanted weight. To address aerobic capacity in these
scenarios while not sacrificing hockey performance would be done
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through tempo work which is thoroughly discussed in my book Next
Level Speed. But doesn’t truly apply here as children tend to already
have that aerobic base simply by playing various sports and playing
outside with their friends.
But when it comes to anaerobic work, youth athletes should work on
this 1-2x per week based on a needs analysis (how poor is their
conditioning on the ice? How do they look in the 3rd
period?) and
should be performed without additional resistance. When
anaerobically training youth athletes, here are your best options:
Sprints
Hill sprints
Other sports
Games
Variations of these workouts will be provided in the workout section as
anaerobic conditioning is a key factor in making the team for tryouts.
Conditioning can separate you from the pack even if another player
has a greater skill development. Consider this, if you still have a full
gas tank in the 3rd
period while an opponent who may technically
have better skills than you is totally exhausted, you’re going to blow
by him 10 times out of 10. Just on conditioning alone.
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CONSIDERATIONS FOR TRAINING
YOUTH ATHLETES
If you’re a coach who has purchased this book and is looking for
ways to improve the team’s performance or if you’re a parent looking
for ways to optimize your kid’s athletic potential, some considerations
need to be brought up before starting up the youth performance
system.
#1: Emotional maturity
Although we are talking about kids at a young age here, they must
possess the required amount of emotional maturity to be able to
perform technical movements repetitively and stay on task for 30-
45mins. Parents and coaches more often than not know right away
which kids are ready for this and which aren’t, which is always great
and even still, you can always try it out for a few weeks or so with
some teammates whom you may believe can hang in there. It should
also be noted that in a team or group setting, the more emotionally
mature children performing the given tasks will influence the other
kids into joining in without too much distraction.
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#2: Pre-training medical examination
The reasons for this go without saying. Especially if you are a coach,
liability could be a serious issue. Always smart to have the kids go
through a medical examination to ensure they are fit to perform the
given tasks or have them fill out individual safety forms that are similar
to those filled out with all contact sports.
#3: Education and inspiration
The goal with youth training is not just to increase strength and
performance, but should also include teaching children about their
bodies, promoting an interest in performance based training and just
having fun. A real hallmark to show you have done a great job is
when kids begin to not tie exercise in with negative implications.
Being active should be a positive thing and becoming healthier and
stronger should be a positive thing. Making the training session fun
and not focusing so hard on performance markers makes the kids
enjoy it much, much more and this will not only improve their
performance short term due to training adaptions, but long term as
well due to the fact that they have a different outlook on training and
being active. Ingraining at a young age some very healthy habits
that will be with them for life.
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#4: Quality of instruction
To tie in with the above statement on ingraining healthy habits at a
young age, you want to do this the right way. Because if they learn
poor technique and poor training strategies at a young age you
don’t want them taking those lessons with them later on in life as well.
This is why you want an instructor who has lots of experience and
education in the field guiding the youth athletes through my provided
training system. This can’t be stated enough, quality of
movement/technique is key and a good instructor also knows how to
make it fun.
#5: Rate of progression
Although education, inspiration and keeping everything fun are
extremely important to the process I am a very results driven strength
and conditioning coach. Throughout the process the youth athletes
can and should be making considerable progress in the program
exercises. The use of workout logs can be of incredible value here to
both the coach and the kids. First and foremost it is a direct
measurement of the rate of progress they are making on the
program. If they perform 15 squats this week and 16 next week we’re
doing well. That is a no-nonsense way to measure and have a record
of progress for all athletes. But, it is also a tremendous opportunity to
teach kids the concept of progression and what it means to them.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 31
“This means you are getting stronger!”
“This means you are getting faster!”
This teaches the kids why they are there, what it does, what
progression means and instills healthy habits in their minds and
psychology that exercise is fun and productive. In addition to this, it
sets goals each and every week for the kid and their individual
progress.
For example, if Bobby got 10 squats next week, his goal is to get 11
next week. If Jimmy got 20 squats this week, his goal next week is to
get 21. This would all be on paper for you and very easy to organize
in your head. You have what targets they need to hit and you are
also guaranteeing a higher rate of progression as opposed to just
going out and doing exercise not knowing whether or not they are
truly getting better. What’s also helpful about recording it on paper
beyond all of the above benefits is you have something to show the
parents to prove progress.
#6: Play down competition between athletes
Look I’ll be the first to tell you that competition between kids is a good
thing, and I’m not always a fan of “every kid gets a medal” type of
stuff. It’s not how I grew up and I honestly don’t think it drives home
the important lessons surrounding the fact that you have to earn your
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medal. When every kid gets a medal I think it drives “well, I’m getting
something anyways” type of attitude which breeds non-
competitiveness and laziness.
But, there is a time and a place for everything and when working out
this is not the time nor the place. In this setting there should be no
award for who can do the most push ups, pull ups or squats.
Everybody has a different starting point and everybody is making
their own progress. It is also likely that one or two kids are going to
dominate the other kids in all the exercises and they will always win,
which doesn’t give a team feeling to the activity and promotes
separation during the workout.
To instill long term healthy habits and a positive attitude towards
physical activity, an emphasis should be placed on individual
progress and technical execution of the movements. Not who’s the
strongest or fastest. This is especially true for those on the team who
may be overweight. Overweight individuals can lose a tremendous
amount of weight with resistance training and it is also much, much
more manageable and enjoyable on their body then aerobic work
(running). Creating competition from the word go is going to crush
the confidence in an overweight kid who could have found
something that is going to reverse their current situation.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 33
#7: Children should be given the opportunity to
develop proper technique
This goes hand in hand with consideration #4 which should include
whatever means at which you feel is the best fit for your current
situation. Here are a couple options:
If you’re a coach looking to train his team and you have solid
experience and education in the field of strength and
conditioning simply take 1-3, 15-30min sessions to just teach the
team proper technique before actually performing your first real
workout. Technique should not be taught on the fly and the kids
should have a reasonable understanding of what the exercises
are called and the technique to perform them properly before
the first training session.
If you’re a parent, best case scenario is to hire a strength and
conditioning coach who is familiar with the youth training setting
and can run your kid through it. But, personal training isn’t
always for everybody as the price can get high pretty quick. If
this is the case, you have a couple more options.
#1- You could hire the strength and conditioning professional
for just a few sessions in order to teach proper technique and
get the kid started on his way and then he can perform them
with friends or with you after that. In this case, you could also ask
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 34
the professional for feedback based on your kid’s current
individual needs.
#2- If you have some reasonable experience in strength and
conditioning and want to run your own kid through it, this is ok.
But to ensure you are doing everything as correct as possible
check out online databases of video exercise demonstrations
and get them down to a T prior to training your kid. And don’t
forget, you need to be able to do what he’s doing if you’re
planning on coaching him.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 35
YOUTH NUTRITION
At the end of the day we can talk about the activity levels and
training application of youth all we like but in my opinion the
decreased activity levels of modern day kids is the lesser of two evils
when compared to their typical daily intake. Youth nutrition is at an
all-time low, consuming copious amounts of sugars day in and day
out in the form of snacks (that are usually sadly marketed at healthy),
candy’s, ice cream, fruit juices, pop, lots of ketchup, sports drinks
outside of the training window, chocolate bars, fast food, etc. You
name it, kids are eating a lot of it.
You are what you eat.
Most people pass off “oh well they are just kids they can eat whatever
they want and their metabolisms run right through it”
This logic is becoming more and more flawed as the years go on and
childhood obesity rates keep steadily climbing. Children are still
humans, they can’t be expected to maintain optimal health and
performance on a diet filled with junk. Not to mention, the highs and
lows of sugar intake leads to both highs in lows in physical and mental
energy. Offering up physical hyperactivity for a brief period of time
followed up by a crash in energy but also mental fatigue. Decreasing
focus, attention span, retention of new things learned while
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 36
simultaneously increasing whining and complaining because they
are tired. Sugar highs and sugar crashes played out in real scenarios.
These physical and mental crashes lead to less focus and attention
span on the ice and during the youth workouts, but also less focus
and attention span in school. Take breakfast cereal for example,
even the so called “healthy” cereals are completely full of various
sugars leading to a high on their way out the door and maybe for the
first couple hours of school but then a crash during school. This can
be offset by snack time or lunch time, but the circle will always
continue. Highs and lows.
The best thing a parent can do for their child’s diet is not actually to
make it perfect. The average kid is going to hate that and drive you
crazy along the way. What your job to do is to make the best of the
current situation.
Do they get a bunch of snacks at school? If yes, they probably don’t
need ice cream, juice or pizza pops at home.
Is there packed lunch at school bang on the money in terms of health
and nutrient density? If yes, a small dessert at night time is totally cool.
Is there breakfast everyday a cereal that more resembles candy then
it does breakfast? If yes, this should probably just be eliminated
entirely.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 37
“So the number one goal is to decrease daily sugar intake, got it.
What else can I do?”
The next most important thing that is missing from the average kid’s
diet is adequate, high quality sources of protein. Especially with
breakfast. Research has shown that higher protein breakfasts are not
only more effective for fat loss in the long term, but also provide more
mental focus and physical energy throughout the day. This is also true
regardless of what they eat for lunch. Meaning, so long as you have
a high protein breakfast, your brain is going to be much more on
point for the rest of the day and you will have more physical energy
even if you alternate your lunches throughout the week. This is perfect
for kids who need to be paying attention both on the ice and in
school as well.
A perfect way to get this done is a nice omelette for breakfast, this is
an especially good choice as well because you can add lots of
vegetables into the omelette mix and it will still be palatable for kids.
Sending your kid on their way with a high protein high fiber breakfast.
Sounds good to me!
In a perfect world, here’s what you would try to improve:
1. Decrease sugar intake
2. Increase high quality protein intake
3. Increase fruit and vegetable intake
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 38
The decreased sugar intake can be done without much resistance
from the kids, they already receive more than their fair share of sugar
and when something is absent it normally creates zero issues as it
goes unnoticed. Just removing the frequency of juice / pop alone
without even touching anything else drastically brings down weekly
sugar intake. That in combination with less fast food and you’re off to
a great start.
The increase in high quality protein intake is also not met with much
or any resistance. But keep in mind, I say high quality protein. Not
pepperettes, not packaged deli meat slices, not cheese strings; real
actually good sources. Such as chicken, steak, whey protein powder
(yes it’s safe for them), Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, fish, eggs etc.
Choosing your kids favourites out of the higher quality sources and
incorporating them more often is going to do good things for their
mind and body. This can be done simply with an omelette for
breakfast, little meat on their sandwich at lunch time and some
chicken for dinner.
But, number three is probably the one met with the most resistance.
That is, increasing their daily fruit and vegetable intake. That latter
being the tougher between the two. Kids normally have no problem
with fruit. Peaches, apples, bananas, berries and anything of the sort
are all met with little to no resistance. Vegetables on the other hand
can be a battle for some. The best thing you can do here is pick their
favourite vegetables and use them as often as you can. If their
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 39
favourite vegetable is broccoli (which oddly enough is one of my
niece’s favourite foods all together) then repeatedly use this
vegetable as much as you can and add in other ones whenever
possible. When it comes to other vegetables, there are many ways in
which you can sneak in vegetables into other recipes such as:
Omelettes
Smoothies
Pastas
Chicken or steak fajitas with lots of added vegetables
Veggie meat balls
Casseroles
The options are endless and if you’re ever stuck for ideas, simply
google “kid friendly vegetables” or “vegetable recipes for kids” and
you will get tons of options to choose from and you can pick the ones
you think your kid would like best. Don’t brush vegetables aside as
non-importance, they improve health and athletic performance.
One of my favourites is actually the smoothie option. In a well-
designed smoothie you can get tons of vitamins, minerals, protein,
fiber, antioxidants and healthy fats all in the same shake. Offering
way more nutrients than your average meal and is packaged in a
way kids enjoy and won’t know what’s all in there.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 40
Here’s what you do.
Pick a protein source:
Whey protein powder
Hemp protein powder
Protein blend powder
Cottage cheese
Greek yogurt
Protein powders, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt all add a high
quality protein source to the meal and help thicken up the shake
making it taste much better. Plus, you can use flavour variations here
too. If you have chocolate protein powder, you can use natural
peanut butter as your healthy fat and you have a chocolate peanut
butter smoothie. Don’t be alarmed about the cottage cheese, you
can’t taste it in the smoothie, it simply adds a smooth creamy
consistency once blended up and the other flavours take over. For
youth athletes, 10-15g of protein is what you should be looking for
here.
Pick a vegetable:
Spinach
Swiss chard
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 41
Kale
Pumpkin
Sweet potato
Cucumber
Celery
Beets
Disclaimer! Vegetables change the colour of your smoothie, but you
can hardly taste them. Especially spinach, it is one of the most
nutrient dense foods in the world and yet when you add them to a
smoothie their taste completely disappears. 1-2 handfuls of any of
these would be a huge nutrition bonus to the day. Vegetables add
plenty of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber to the shake.
Pick a fruit:
Berries
Peach
Apple
Banana
Cherries
Dates
Mango
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 42
Fruits sweeten the deal here. Cut into manageable pieces so your
blender can deal with it and if you’re using frozen fruit you won’t need
to add ice cubes. Normally 1 fist size serving does the trick. Fruits add
even more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber to the shake.
Pick a healthy fat:
Raw nuts
Ground flax
Chia seeds
Hemp
Natural nut butters
When blended well, the nuts add a good texture to the smoothie and
offer tons of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy fats. Walnuts
especially provide a large amount of omega-3 which is crucial for
proper brain development. Ideally here you are looking for 1-2
tablespoons.
Pick a flavour boost:
Coconut
Cinnamon
Ice cubes
Oats
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 43
Cacao
Yogurt
I mentioned cinnamon here but all spices work well, it just depends
on what you’re making. Cinnamon goes well with banana, PB +
chocolate mixes, vanilla and sweet potato. Oats is a good option if
it’s after a workout or game when they’ll need extra carbs and yogurt
can add some more thickness and protein to the mix.
Pick a liquid:
Water
Almond milk
Cow’s milk
Avoid juices and other sugary drinks all together here. The flavour
profile should be coming from the above ingredients and not from
the liquid. Keep in mind, the less liquid you add the thicker it is going
to be and the more liquid you add the thinner it will be. In most cases,
8oz is a good consistency.
Done!
Tons of different recipe options just from the above lists alone, but feel
free to experiment and do what’s best for your kid’s favourite foods.
Just always remember the goal, it’s supposed to be healthy! If you
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 44
can nail down a recipe they love you will be giving your kid a ton of
good nutrition every day.
Here’s an example:
Chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie
10-15g chocolate flavoured whey protein isolate
1-2 handfuls of spinach
½ banana
1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter
A pinch of cinnamon
6-8oz milk
4 ice cubes
When real comes to real, forcing your kid to eat like a professional
athlete (like the meal plans I provide in Next Level Performance) is just
flat out unrealistic. So the best thing you can possibly do is just to
simply improve their current situation. Eliminate the frequency in
which the obvious bad things enter the diet such as fast food and
junk food and add in some more nutrient dense options. In a perfect
world, these would be your targets:
Replace other liquids in the diet with water. Lots of water should
be coming in every day.
5+ servings of fruits and vegetables per day
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 45
High quality protein sources coming in 3+ times per day
Healthy fats coming in 3+ times per day
A protein rich breakfast being offered in the morning
Grains coming in a more fiber rich form than their processed
brothers. For example, opt for 12-grain bread over white bread,
quinoa instead of white rice, oats instead of cereal, etc.
Overall intake should be coming in the form of whole, minimally
processed foods. This more often than not means less things
should be coming in boxes and packages and more things
should be food in its natural state you would be able to find
outdoors.
If you can slowly introduce 1 small thing at a time here, you’ll be off
to a great start and you will be giving your youth athletes a distinct
advantage both on and off the ice. You can’t put regular fuel in a
premium sports car, and you can’t put junk food in a growing athlete.
The limiting factors will present themselves very quickly.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 46
THE WARM UP
Warming up youth athletes properly is crucial to their safety and
progress development. Some guys like to rush through the warm up
because they feel it is boring or unnecessary but trust me, if it was
unnecessary or if it wasn’t going to improve their performance I
wouldn’t be writing about it.
Proper warm-ups increase body and core temperature which is
going to improve mobility and in turn decrease their risk for injury.
When you’re doing resistance training or conditioning the amount of
power output and velocity that is required puts you at a high risk for
injury if you are not properly warmed up. Think about just putting an
athlete into a wrestling match cold, he is going to be tight and have
a much higher risk for injury when compared to if he had properly
warmed up for the competition.
Once the body has reached top speed in a sprint the forces coming
down on your body each stride can reach 5-6x your own body
weight. That is a tremendous amount of weight when you think about
it especially when you consider how many sprint steps are taken
during a given run. Being warmed up to properly absorb these forces
is critical for both safety and performance.
Additionally, a proper warm up stimulates the central nervous system
which is going to improve performance earlier within the session. You
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 47
know that feeling you get half-way through a workout and you’re like
“Man I’m really killing this thing I feel great!”
That’s your central nervous system waking up. The object of a proper
warm up is to get that nervous system woken up at the beginning of
the session so their performance is strong right from the beginning
and all the way through. This nervous system effect will also transfer
over to attention span and focus, getting them more “in the zone” for
training.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 48
SAMPLE WARM UPS
WARM UP #1
1. Jog for 3-5mins
2. 10 jumping jacks
3. 10 push ups
4. 10 walking lunges
5. 10 Cossacks squats
6. Hip circles x 10 in each direction
7. Big shoulder circles x 10 in each direction
8. Small shoulder circles x 10 in each direction
9. A-skips x 10yds there and back
10. B-skips x 10yds there and back
WARM UP #2
1. Jog for 3-5mins
2. Body weight squats x 10
3. Cossacks squats x 10
4. Leg swings forward/backward x 10 per leg
5. Leg swings side to side x 10 per leg
6. Hip circles x 10 in each direction
7. Scapula floor slides x 10
8. Push ups x 10
9. A-skips 10yds there and back
10. B-skips 10yds there and back
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 49
NOTES:
Ensure all exercises are performed with proper technique.
The kids should have a light sweat on, but still be fresh by the
end of it.
The warm ups were designed so you can perform them either
individually or in a group setting.
Squats should be below parallel.
Push ups should be all the way to the ground.
An emphasis has been placed on hip mobilization as that is the
#1 issue with hockey players entering the offseason and if we
can improve hip mobility in youth you will be saving a lot of
corrective work at a later stage in life.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 50
STRETCHING
When it comes to youth, keeping it simple with a static stretching
routine post-workout is going to hit the nail on the head. Some
dynamic stretching movements are already incorporated in the
warm ups and it’s always wise to finish off with some static stretching.
Keep in mind, this doesn’t have to be immediately post-workout if you
are in a time crunch. Static stretching can be done either post-
workout or whenever they can fit it in later on that night. I do want to
make a note though that there has been much conflicting research
on static stretching actually decreasing performance when being
done prior to competition or a workout. This is why it is always best
kept afterwards. You get the benefits of stretching without the acute
performance detriment.
Static stretching has been shown to effectively improve range of
motion and not to mention it is very easy to learn for anybody at any
level. Which is why it is such a good choice for youth athletes.
Best case scenario for a hockey player would be to incorporate any
and all static stretching after games and workouts, hold the stretch
for no longer than 15 – 30 secs and use the static stretches on the
areas of the body where hockey players so often create the same
tightness’s.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 51
For hockey players, this means working the static stretches for the:
Hips
Calf / Achilles tendon
Lower body in general
Shoulders
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 52
SAMPLE STATIC STRETCHING ROUTINE
1. Groin frog stretch – Hold for 2 rounds, 15-30secs
2. Seated piriformis stretch – Hold for 2 rounds, 15-30secs
3. Seated glute stretch – Hold for 2 rounds, 15-30secs
4. Hip flexor stretch, rear foot elevated – Hold for 2 rounds, 15-30secs
5. Calf/Achilles tendon stretch on a stepper – Hold for 2 rounds, 15-
30secs
6. Anterior delt/pec stretch – Hold for 2 rounds, 15-30secs
7. Posterior delt stretch – Hold for 2 rounds, 15-30secs
8. Lying, internal rotator cuff stretch – Hold for 2 rounds, 15-30secs
9. Lying quad stretch – Hold for 2 rounds, 15-30secs
10. Seated hamstring stretch, reach for the toes – Hold for 2 rounds, 15-
30secs
NOTES:
Best performed post-workout, or sometime in the evening.
In addition to counting 15-30secs, focus on taking deep
diaphragmatic breaths.
Ensure that the kids are not trying to be impressive and start
overdoing it, there is no trophy for who can do the most.
When trying to improve ROM, perform this ideally 3-4x per week. For
range of motion maintenance, 1-2x per week is appropriate.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 53
RESISTANCE TRAINING:
PHASE 1
Duration: 4-6 weeks
WORKOUT A
1. Body weight squats 4 x 15-30 with 60secs rest in between each set
2. Russian step ups 4 x 10-15 per leg with 60secs rest in between each
set
3. Push ups 4 x 10-15 with 60secs rest in between each set
4. Chin ups 4 x max with 60secs rest in between each set
5. Walking lunges 3 x 8 per leg with 60secs rest in between each set
WORKOUT B
1. Bodyweight split squats 4 x 8-10 per leg with 60secs rest in between
each set
2. ¼ squat to vertical jump 8 x 3 with 60secs rest in between each set
3. Bench dips 4 x 5-8 with 60secs rest in between each set
4. Pull ups 4 x max with 60secs rest in between each set
5. Walking lunges 3 x 8 per leg with 60secs rest in between each set
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 54
WORKOUT C
1. Alternating reverse lunges 4 x 8 per leg with 60secs rest in between
each set
2. Wide arms push ups 4 x 10 with 60secs rest in between each set
3. Partner towel resisted rows 4 x 10 per arm with 60secs rest in
between each set
4. Box jumps 8 x 3 with 60secs rest in between each set
5. Backwards light sled drag 3 x 10-20yds with 60-90secs rest between
each pull
NOTES FOR PHASE 1
No additional resistance in this phase even if they are showing large
improvements
No additional conditioning in this phase even if they are showing
large improvements
Emphasize good technique
For those who cannot do chin ups or pull ups, it is ok to do light one-
arm DB rows for 15-20 reps per arm
Workouts should be completed in 30-40mins MAX
Begin with a suggested warm up and finish with the suggested
stretching routine
Workouts are built so they can be performed in a group setting with
kids at each station. Meaning, they do not all have to start at 1 and
end with 5. They can be placed at different stations and work their
way around to completion.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 55
PHASE 2
Duration: 4-6 weeks
New optional conditioning sessions 1-2x per week
WORKOUT A
1. Light DB resisted goblet squats 3 x 15-20 with 60secs rest in between
each set
2. Front foot elevated reverse lunge 3 x 10 per leg with 60secs rest in
between each set
3. Push ups 3 x 10-15 with 60secs rest in between each set
4. Chin ups 3 x max with 60secs rest in between each set
5. Walking lunges 3 x 8 per leg with 60secs rest in between each set
6. V-ups 2 x 10-15 with 60secs rest in between each set
WORKOUT B
1. Bodyweight split squats 4 x 8-10 per leg with 60secs rest in between
each set
2. Broad jumps 8 x 3 with 60secs rest in between each set
3. Bench dips 4 x 8-10 with 60secs rest in between each set
4. Pull ups 4 x max with 60secs rest in between each set
5. Cossacks squats 3 x 8-10 per leg with 60secs rest in between each
set
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 56
6. Elbow to knee crunches 4 x 10-15 with 60secs rest in between each
set
WORKOUT C
1. Front foot elevated split squats 3 x 8-10 per leg with 60secs rest in
between each set
2. Light DB flat bench press 3 x 15 with 60secs rest in between each set
3. Bent over two arm DB row 3 x 10 with 60secs rest in between each
set
4. Single leg box jumps 8 x 3 per leg with 60secs rest in between each
set
5. Backwards light sled drag 3 x 10-20yds with 60-90secs rest between
each pull
6. Band resisted anti-rotation alphabets 1 alphabet per side, no rest
between sides
NOTES FOR PHASE 2
Keep the additional resistance very light in this phase even if they
are showing large improvements
A decrease in repetitions and sets has been made to accommodate
new training stimulus with the added resistance, conditioning and
core movements
Emphasize good technique
For those who cannot do chin ups or pull ups, it is ok to do light one-
arm DB rows for 15-20 reps per arm
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 57
Workouts should be completed in 30-40mins MAX
Begin with suggested warm ups and finish with suggested stretching
routine
Workouts are built so they can be performed in a group setting with
kids at each station. Meaning, they do not all have to start at 1 and
end with 5. They can be placed at different stations and work their
way around to completion.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR PHASE 1 AND PHASE 2
I designed the workouts so everything can be performed outside in a
park setting with minimal equipment. To complete both phases in
their entirety, all you need is:
Light dumbbells
A band
Something you can step on for step ups (park
bench/stepper/stairs/bleachers)
Something you can do pull ups on (monkey bars, playground
equipment)
Something you can do bench dips on (park
bench/bleachers/playground equipment)
Weighted sled
Towel
Something you can jump on (park bench/stepper/stairs/bleachers)
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 58
You are expected to bring some light dumbbells, a band and a
towel. In addition to that pretty much any local park is going to have
some combination of the above substitutions with the exception of a
weighted sled and a bar that works for pull ups. In a scenario where
you can’t do pull ups or the athlete isn’t strong enough to do pull ups
yet, bent over one arm or two arm DB rows is a totally viable substitute.
When replacing sled drags, any weighted carry is fine. DB farmers
walk is a perfect substitute here and still only requires some
dumbbells. Also if the kids are strong enough, they can always work
in partners and fire men carry each other the 10-20yds per set, this
would also work well and would be a fun time for the kids.
Last but not least, the flat DB bench press can be substituted with a
weighted push up. Simply add a light plate on the center of their
upper back.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 59
CONDITIONING
Choose anyone of the following and add 1-2 sessions in max per
week into phase 2. Only add these sessions in if they have been
recovering well and are still showing positive interest in training.
WORKOUT A
Sprints: 10 x 15secs all out sprints with 90-120secs rest in between sprints
WORKOUT B
Hill sprints: 10 runs of a steep hill at an all-out speed with 90-120secs rest
in between hill runs. To perform this workout in a partner setting have one
kid run up the hill and come back down and as soon as the kid gets back
to the bottom the other kid runs up the hill, once he gets back the first kid
goes back up again, etc. This can be performed just in partners, or if you
have the team out at a hill have them be in groups of 2 or 3 and have
them take turns and race to 10 completions.
WORKOUT C
Here’s an option that is totally conducive to hockey training development
and the kids won’t even have any idea it is part of their youth training
development. That is unless you want to tell them. Simply pick a high
intensity sport or game, and have them play some scrimmages just for fun.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 60
But, switch it up just a bit so they are forced to work a little harder.
Here are some examples:
3 on 3 basketball
5 on 5 soccer
1 on 1 or 2 on 2 tennis/badminton
3 on 3 ball hockey or ice hockey if you have the ice
Touch football
Game of dodgeball
Game of tag
Any sport that is high intensity but is still a lot of fun is the best
conditioning in my opinion. It is my experience kids like the
competition of the 10-hill run, but they like the competition of sports
and the enjoyability of the games much more. That’s just a given. Not
to mention, remember all that nervous system talk we discussed
above? Playing new sports is huge for optimal nervous system
development, that’s why I recommend playing different sports year
round. But if you can include it in your conditioning routine that’s even
better! Not to mention the above listed sports I mentioned are directly
specific to the same energy system substrates the body is using to
fuel hockey performance so believe it or not, playing basketball is
sport specific training for hockey speed, conditioning and agility
development. Who would have thought?
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 61
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
PHASE 1 SCHEDULE
DAY 1: WORKOUT A
DAY 2: OFF
DAY 3: WORKOUT B
DAY 4: OFF
DAY 5: WORKOUT C
DAY 6: OFF
DAY 7: OFF
Proper warm up performed prior to every training session and proper
stretching routine performed after every training session.
PHASE 2 SCHEDULE
DAY 1: WORKOUT A
DAY 2: OFF (or) OPTIONAL CONDITIONING
DAY 3: WORKOUT B
DAY 4: OFF (or) OPTIONAL CONDITIONING
DAY 5: WORKOUT C
DAY 6: OFF
DAY 7: OFF
Proper warm up performed prior to every training session and proper
stretching routine performed after every training session. This includes
conditioning.
YOUTH TRAINING FOR HOCKEY 62
CONCLUSION
I kept this book almost completely science-talk free because I
wanted to give you the most straight forward youth training
techniques that produce results and will have you ready to apply
them today. Instead of back tracking and trying to make sense of all
of the “why” that goes into intricate training design and create more
confusion than results.
You know why I did that?
Kids don’t care. They really don’t. All they want to do is get stronger
and better at their sport and it is our job to provide the most effective,
fun and safe way to get the job done and that’s what this book
provides. A no nonsense approach to proper youth development
and what you should be looking for when seeking out a youth
athletics trainer or when incorporating some of these techniques
yourself to use with your kids or team.
I hope you enjoyed the book and thank you so much for supporting
hockeytraining.com