AGES 16 / 18 AND UNDER Age Appropriate Strength and Conditioning LESSON WORKBOOK DARRYL NELSON

AGES 16 / 18 AND UNDER Age Appropriate Strength and Conditioning LESSON WORKBOOK DARRYL NELSON

2 Coaches need to create an environment in which athletes can participate in functional strength training that is highly organized and performance-oriented. In simplest terms, functional strength training can be defined as training that prepares an athlete to perform at a higher level. Functional training is not about lifting heavy weights, building big arm muscles or developing a physique that looks good. An enhanced appearance is a positive byproduct of the training, not the end goal. The basic goals of functional strength training are to make the athletes faster and reduce the rate of injuries. Functional training better prepares your athletes for competition. In order to understand hockey-specific functional training, the coach must understand what hockey really demands. How many hockey skills (or general sports skills) are performed sitting down? The only ones that come to mind are kayaking and canoeing. However, far too many people still perform strength training exercise program while sitting down. An effective strength training program should be designed to get the athletes out of a seated posture. How many hockey skills (or general sports skills) involve movement in only one joint? The answer is ZERO! Too often we isolate muscles while training. Performing sports skills like skating, running, jumping, throwing and striking require highly synchronized contractions of different muscles and muscle groups across multiple joints. Think of how many joints move during something as simple as a golf swing. Another question to ponder is how many sports are played in a rigid, onedimensional environment? Again, the answer is ZERO! When athletes are on a field, track, court, or sheet of ice, they must provide stability for themselves. Free weight exercises and activities that incorporate the athlete s body weight are the most functional in this scenario. Free weight and body weight exercises are multidimensional and, for the most part, require the athlete to be weight-bearing. Barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, stability balls, TRX Suspension Trainers, and medicine balls are the most effective pieces of strength training equipment. Functional strength training also incorporates small amounts of instability and single extremity exercises. By doing exercises on one foot or with one arm or on unstable surfaces, the athletes will learn to quickly regain their stability when it has been lost. With hockey being played on steel blades only 1/8 of an inch thick, the ability to create force and power during instability is the highest form of strength. Too often, athletes waste time and energy by lifting with two feet or two hands at the same time. This is ineffective because it is not the way our bodies are designed to function. Most sports skills are performed by using the left and right sides of the body separate from each other. When shooting a puck, one hip joint will internally rotate while the other externally rotates. The bottom hand pushes the blade of the stick forward while the top hand pulls backward. Some examples from other sports A baseball can be thrown further with one hand as opposed to two. In football, a field goal is kicked by planting one foot and striking the ball with the other foot. Another major mistake our young athletes commonly make is performing too many repetitions while lifting weights. The reality is that increases in strength are made when performing a relatively low number of repetitions. Strength and power are developed most effectively when performing less than eight repetitions. At the National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, MI, athletes spend over 80% of their time training at six reps and fewer. They only spend around 1% of their time performing sets for more than ten reps.

3 General Athleticism All athletes should strive for the development of total athleticism through participation in a variety of sports. The game of hockey requires great reflexes, balance, flexibility, lateral movement, acceleration, deceleration, powerful movements, etc. These skills can be further developed through other sports to promote a high level of athleticism. Younger players should be encouraged to engage in many sports. Some examples of recreational or competitive activities that are specific to hockey players needs are: baseball, basketball, lacrosse, racquetball, soccer, street hockey and tennis. Through these sports, the many attributes of athleticism are touched upon: Agility Balance Coordination Core stability Endurance Flexibility Power Reaction / reflexes Speed Strength Areas of Development There are four main areas of development. As each young athlete is unique, the coach will see different rates of development among the players on his or her team. Each athlete will grow and mature at different rates. 1.) Physical (height, weight, strength) These are the changes that occur in the physiological makeup of an individual. Physical development is measured by such factors as height, weight, body build, strength, endurance, flexibility, rate of physical maturation, motor skill coordination (eye-hand) and body composition. 2.) Mental (thinking and understanding) This consists of memory, perception, language, information processing and thought processing. These factors influence decision-making and the understanding of the rules of play and team concepts. 3.) Social (interacting with others) In simplest terms, this refers to the ability to interact effectively and get along with others such as teammates, coaches and parents. This involves showing respect for team and league rules.

4 4.) Emotional (feelings and attitudes) This is part of a young athlete s personality development and refers to the ability to control one s emotions. It also involves the ability to remain calm and display disciplined behavior under stressful circumstances. Here are some alarming statistics related to children in America from Operation Readiness: Military Leaders for Kids. 75% of young Americans, 17 to 24 years of age, are unable to join the military because they failed to graduate high school, have criminal records, or are physically unfit. 80% of children who were overweight at ages 10 15 were obese at age 25. Being overweight turns out to be the leading medical reason why applicants fail to qualify for military service. From 1998 to 2008, the number of states with 40% or more of their young adults who were overweight or obese went from 1 to 39. On average, 18- to 24-year-olds in America are 34 pounds overweight. Our healthcare system spends over $75 billion annually for medical obesity expenditures. Here is a breakdown of expenditure in different-sized states. o Wyoming is our least populous state and has and has an expenditure of $87 million. o Michigan, a medium-sized state, has an expenditure of $2.931 billion. o California, our most populated state, comes in at $7.675 billion. What should goaltenders do differently than forwards or defensemen? The simple answer is Nothing. Goaltenders should be integrated into the team s training sessions. With it arguably being the most important position in hockey, goaltenders must be fast and powerful, highly conditioned and possess great stamina.

5 Athletes all have the same joints and muscles regardless of what sport or position they play. We all move in the same way and our muscles generate force in the same way.. Coaches should focus on athlete specific strength training. What does the athlete need specifically to improve his or her game? o How old is the athlete? o How much strength training experience does the athlete have? o Where does the player fall on the long term athlete development model?

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