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Find the Right Training for Your Player by Josh Levine With so many options, picking the right summer training program for your athlete isn’t easy. The first step is identifying what your athlete needs from a hockey skills perspective and athleticism standpoint. Do they need to work on their skating and edge work? Do they lack knee bend when they skate and so need to focus on building the strength and mobility required to skate properly? Equally important is understanding your player’s temperament and personality. Are they intrinsically motivated? Or do they perform better when surrounded by peers that push them? Do they need to train in smaller group settings or do bigger camps work better for them? There are plenty of questions every parent should be asking themselves to help determine the best possible training camps for their skaters this summer. But for this article, let’s focus on understanding how best to pick a camp based on hockey specific skills and athleticism. Skating and edge work should be a major focus for all youth and high school hockey players. I’ve never seen a peewee skater and thought, “no need for him to work on his skating in the off-season.” Skating is the foundation and the calculated approach even professional hockey players take on it in their off-season training is a good model for our youth skaters to follow. Learn how to place greater pressure on your edges, improve your stride recovery, extend your pushes, etc. In addition to form corrections, players need time devoted to overspeed. Sprinting
at top speeds on the ice with sufficient rest is something many players don’t do during the season because of the many other requirements coaches need to tackle. Dryland training that builds overall athleticism is crucial to long-term development. Dryland training with mites and squirts MUST be fun or there is an increased risk of burnout. There are plenty of fun games that work on developing athleticism – whether playing other sports like soccer, doing relay races, or playing freeze tag. For peewees, they are in the golden window of skill development. The more they can stickhandle and work
on their stick skills, the better. Once athletes hit bantams and through high school, the major focus should be on building speed, acceleration, and explosive power. Pick camps that focus on skills and have good work to rest ratios. Off-season practices should be entirely devoted to skill and work to rest ratios should be no greater than 1:3. If a player skates in a drill that takes seven seconds to complete, they shouldn’t be sitting in a long line for a minute and a half before they go again. This is an easy metric for any parent to note, regardless of their hockey knowledge, Finally, your player should have
FUN! Let’s not forget this one. Passion is the #1 ingredient for success. Players should have fun at camps and summer training. Find camps that help instill a joy and love for hockey. I guarantee that investment will compound for your athlete for the rest of their lives! - Josh Levine is the assistant coach of the Bloomington Jefferson Girls’ Varsity Hockey team and owner of Fortis Academy. He can be reached at joshletsplayhockey@gmail.com. Follow Fortis on Instagram at instagram.com/ thefortisacademy and Facebook at facebook.com/thefortisacademy.