The field of strength and conditioning is a delicate mix of art and science. Both play an important role in professional development. In this day and age information is at a premium. Science plays an important role in evidence-based practice. However, the art of strength and conditioning is just as important. As John Wooden once said: “The person who can answer the question “how” will always have a job. The person that can answer the question “why” will be his/her boss.” In my opinion, one without the other is like peanut butter without the jelly. We can learn the “how” from science, textbooks, Dr.’s, PT’s and Coaches, however, to learn “why” takes years of experience. This is the art of strength and conditioning.
It takes years of hard work to reach the pinnacle of a profession: a lifetime of commitment, hard work, long hours, failure, success, passion, perseverance and enough caffeine to kill a large farm animal. Overnight success only comes from the lottery; it’s not how the best coaches reach the top of their respective fields. Our society does not conform to these standards and instead revolves around convenience and the quick fix. This has created a separation in the strength and conditioning community. You can’t steal home plate unless you round the bases first!
Hockey is an extremely demanding sport! A quality strength and conditioning program needs to reflect these demands. Components such as: soft tissue work, static stretching, mobility, dynamic flexibility, upper/lower body plyometrics, speed development, strength training and energy system capacity are all vital for performance gains. When designing programs we often overlook one of the most fundamental questions, what are the demands of the sport? Does my program reflect these qualities?
Building a strong “posterior dominant” shoulder has been shown to be of great value for the overhead athlete. Based on the demands of the sport (the fact that many great overhead athletes have acquired laxity) and the construct of the joint (the shoulder joint in and of itself sacrifices large amounts of stability for mobility) this anatomical landmark plays an important role in the athletes’ protocol. However many times direct cuff strengthening is overlooked in the practical programming for the contact athlete. Is this valid or do we need to look deeper into preparing our athletes for the demands of their sport? Lets take a look at the evidence regarding shoulder injuries in contact sports.
I’m sure during the coarse of a regular workday many coaches feel overworked, over stretched, and under strengthened. Being successful takes hard work, early mornings, late nights, hours of deliberate practice and plenty of caffeine. However, the scope of this article is not about our lives as coaches, but about our athletes and their ability to perform at high levels without setback. Through hours of screening, education and application, I believe that we have plenty of muscle groups that are either overworked, overstretched or under strengthened. In some cases, I believe that certain muscle groups fit in all categories. That’s right! I do believe that in certain instances we are overstretched! Below are several examples of the overworked, over stretched, and under strengthened thought process.
I have had the privilege of learning from some of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the world. Attending mentorship programs from Coach Michael Boyle, listening to Alwyn Cosgrove and Gray Cook lecture, reading books from the likes of Stuart McGill, Shirley Sahrmann, Hoppenfield and Myers, and becoming a member of StrengthCoach.com, a web site leader in strength and conditioning information and research. Some may say that I spend a lot of money on continuing education. I would disagree wholeheartedly! I choose the word invest! In fact, my business (2,700 sq foot facility in Columbus, Ohio) has prospered enormously from the valuable information that I have gathered from these coaches and put into practice.
