Strength matters in ice hockey! Here’s why. The ice is a near frictionless environment. This is a distinct disadvantage during acceleration when the player must overcome inertia and accelerate. In order to be effective, the player must possess large amounts of strength in order to create a large propulsive angle between the ice and skate. In addition, large step widths and single force peaks are reliant on both strength and coordination. Recent research has correlated single leg broad jump (strength reliant) with on-ice acceleration abilities of competitive hockey players. Take home message: get strong!
Although each child develops uniquely based on their individual genes and environment, young children should not be viewed as miniature adults, neither from a cognitive or physiological standpoint. From a cognitive perspective, the frontal lobe of the brain is less developed in growing children. This area is responsible for reasoning and objective thinking. Young children are much more emotional thinkers than their adult counterparts. From a physiological standpoint, the heart is not yet fully developed (the greatest increase in heart volume occurs at approximately eleven years of age for girls, and approximately fourteen years of age for boys) and many lack the requisite enzyme glycogen phosphofructokinase to produce energy anaerobically (think of glycogen as gasoline. In order for the car to work it must use, or break down gasoline.), coupled with the fact that there is a less amount of stored glycogen in the liver and muscle due to size. Finally, anabolic hormones such as testosterone don’t start making large jumps until puberty.
“Most of the problems that exist in youth sports result from the inappropriate application of the win-oriented model of professional or elite sport to the child’s sports setting (R.E. Smith 1984).”
It’s about that time of year again! A time where youth athletes’ are finishing up their competitive seasons and looking forward to the summer. It’s also a time when parents are looking at enlisting the service of a “personal trainer” or strength coach to aid in the athletic development of their children. This is a big decision for a parent that warrants a little homework. After all you wouldn’t give your hard earned money to an investment banker without knowing their background, philosophy and practical experience. The same can be said for physical conditioning. Health is the most important investment of all, and to place it in the hands of a competent Coach takes a little investigating. Below are three pitfalls to avoid when choosing where you’re son or daughter will train this summer.
I miss the good old days! A time where hard work, commitment, discipline and positive attitude were expected, not rewarded, failure was not final and earning meant sacrifice. These lessons have stood the test of time. Growing up in Canada, I never played AAA hockey, I got cut from most of the teams I tried out for. I knew at an early age that hard work; desire, dedication and discipline were the keys to success. My father never responded by formulating a new league, moving across town, getting involved in “politics” or buying me something to ease my self pitied state. By doing so, he taught me a very valuable lesson that would pay off later in life: In the real world not EVERYONE GET’S a TROPHY.
The current state of youth development is at a crossroads. What we’ve done for the past decade or so has been sub par. Kids have been encouraged to specialize at an early age (year round), play too many games, and parents dream on behalf of their children with the cumulative result to this equation leading to burnout and an underdevelopment of our youth. Hockey is a glaring example. Here are some of the issues currently plaguing youth development (exert taken from Misha Donskov/ADM presentation):
