Goalie Off-ice Training (from an unlikely source)!

Well, those who haven’t yet gotten with the social media craze ought to think again, since I met a number of our top guest writers through either Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.  Such was the case with this article’s author, the personable and very bright Cynthia King.

Actually, this article kicks off a special series Cynthia has in store for us…  Each month, henceforth, she’ll provide a new exercise specific to goaltender training.

With that, the following acts as an introduction to Ms King, along with a basic philosophy that should carry over to those future monthly articles.

– Dennis Chighisola

Goalie Off-ice Training (from an unlikely source)!

By Cynthia King

As I was gathering my thoughts to write this article, my first concern was, “Who is going to listen to goalie off-ice training advice from me?”.  There are a few reasons why I asked myself this question.  The first is that I am from Mississippi originally and had never seen hockey until 2004.  I reside in the Atlanta area now, and a family friend is the majority owner of our local ECHL team.  He introduced my sons and myself to the game, courtesy of the Gwinnett Gladiators (www.gwinnettgladiators.com).  The second reason is that I am a 45 year old Southern mom.  The third reason is that I am just a personal trainer.

However, when you combine all 3 of my concerns, you get 3 very important pieces to a puzzle that is still being assembled.

Shortly after seeing our first hockey game, my youngest son gave up being a baseball catcher and became a hockey goalie. Simply having said son explains concern number 2.  Concern 3 was eased a bit as I train, and have for years at a fantastic fitness center, Body Plex of Newnan, GA and I spent 2010 training with one of TV’s current Biggest Loser trainers.  Concerns 2 and 3 led me to an amazing opportunity which gets me here.

In July of 2011, I was offered a chance to help with off-ice training at Pro Tek Goaltending Camp in Montreal, Canada (www.protekgoaltending.com).  My son was participating in the camp.  My mind was in overdrive trying to figure out how in the world was I going to prove myself around the professionals that I was about to join.  Yet from day 1 of camp, I knew I was just given a gift and realized that THIS is just what I wanted to do.

My first order of business was getting 70 French speaking goalies to say “Bonjour y’all”.  They complied and that became our greeting everyday.  After that, I knew that talking to these goalies and asking them questions was my best way of understanding exactly what their specific training issues are.  As a trainer, I already had an idea of what needed to be strengthened and stretched.  Watching them on the ice and discussing their specific, or lack of, training methods, allowed me to tweak some of what they already do and introduce them to new goalie specific workouts.  I particularly enjoyed working with players at the Junior level.  They were eager to learn and apply the new techniques to their training program.

An obvious point of concern for goalies is the lower back and core.  I was rather shocked to learn that so many do not realize the importance of good core strength.  With so much emphasis placed on legs, goalies may not understand the role of stabilizing muscles in their often sudden, quick bursts of play.  I use medicine balls, BOSU balls, bands, and ropes to help improve balance and engage the core.  If your core routine only consists of sit ups, then you are severely limiting the power and stability that is afforded with solid core strength.  Conditioning the lower back is IMPERATIVE  to a goalies overall performance and injury reduction.  I incorporate all of the equipment listed above when targeting the lower back.

I like to work on different stretching movements for inner thigh.  As you know, groin injuries are prominent with goalies.  They can be reduced or heal faster if inner thigh regions are properly stretched and strengthened.  I like to use certain cable exercises that can help target some of the harder to reach muscle groups that are so easily injured.  There are several variations of lunges that I also prefer to help engage inner thigh muscles.  Each muscle group must be utilized during a session to give a goalie his best defense at warding off the dreaded groin injury.

As I continue to learn this sport, I am in awe of the athleticism that is required.  Even as I watch the youngest on the ice, I appreciate the fact that I could never be even a mediocre hockey player.  To achieve professional level astounds me.  I congratulate you all who have.  As a trainer,  I truly enjoy learning and improving  hockey specific training…especially goalie specific.  I really love talking to coaches and players and understanding their needs.  I must say that I do smile when I, of all people, can show a coach or a player a new move and they realize the value of that move.  I always enjoy exchanging ideas and thoughts with those coaches and players and working together on ways to improve their longevity in this sometimes brutal sport.  Learning from those who actually play, helps me as a trainer to gain more insight into their off-ice needs.

It is my hope that you understand the importance of core conditioning.  A strong core is vital to your performance as a goalie.  Even though I’m just a hockey mom from Mississippi and at first glance, an unlikely source, I am always happy to help any way that I can.  Until then, Bonjour Y’all!

Cynthia King – NFPT Certified Personal Trainer/NFPT Certified Advanced Weight Training Specialist

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Make the Most of Half-ice Hockey Practices

I have my good friend, Seth L, to thank for this entry.

As he explained things, he just coached his first hockey game in 2-years.  And, very much in “Coach Chic-ese” fashion — , he said that he was excitedly, “Decompressing now & expanding on my notes from the game.”

Although his team had lost the game, 7-2, he felt his kids had “outchanced” their opponents by about 3 to 1.

What inspired this post, however, was Seth’s seeming frustration with having only a single half sheet of ice for his coming weekly practices.  As he said, “1/2 ice is tough!”

– Dennis Chighisola

Make the Most of Half-ice Hockey Practices

I partly agree with Seth on that one — that half-ice practices can be inhibiting at times.

However, let me share something from a coach who has been fortunate enough to have lots of full-ice practices over 40-years on the job:

Even at times when I owned the entire ice surface, I’m betting that I’ve spent most of the time in a single zone.  In other words, a majority of my time with older teams is spent on segments of our system — like defensive zone coverage, breakouts, forechecking, powerplay plays in the offensive zone, attack plays, etc.

Sure, there are times when a coach wants to run a series of plays from one zone to the next and to the next.  However, that is something I’m going to address a little later down the page.

As soon as I saw Seth’s concern about half-ice practices, I immediately went back to where he mentioned the level he’s working with.  Why?  Well…

I think his Bantams are older enough to mentally re-orient themselves with each change in drilling.  I mean, I think kids that age can understand that we were just working in the defensive zone for our breakouts, but now we’re going to switch around and work on attacking the offensive zone with some plays.

Littler guys, on the other hand, are a whole ‘nother story…  I can imagine that Mites — and maybe even some Squirts/Atoms? — can have some difficulty adjusting to what I just described above.  They may not even understand the terminology yet (as in our being in the “defensive zone”), never mind be able to make the mental shift from one phase of play to another.

Okay, with all that, I do have some ideas that can help with the lack of regular full-ice practice time.  If there’s something a coach needs, it’s a group of coaches around him or her that is receptive to some new ideas.  Most guys and gals will like what I’ll suggest, while I have come across a few (rather lazy ones?) who aren’t looking to accomplish more with their own kids.

Confused by all that?  Well, what I’m getting at is that the coach you share the ice with may not be interested in sharing it in different ways, or he or she may need to agree with doing some non-traditional kind of things.

That said, here are some things I’ve done over the years to overcome the problem with only having a half-sheet of practice ice:

1) Hoping the group before you hasn’t torn-up the ice too badly, consider gaining an extra 10-minutes per practice by not having the ice resurfaced.  This doesn’t immediately help the half-ice situation, but it does typically gain a team about an extra 300-minutes of practice over a long winter (10-minutes x 30-practices), and it also paves the way for the next ploy.

2) Arrange with the coach of the other team that one remain back in the lockerroom for 10-minutes, while the other gets to go out on the ice early for that amount of full-ice practice.  (I always like to be the one who gets the lockerroom chalktalk time first, so that I can prepare the kids in advance for the way we’ll later use the full-ice.)  The two teams switch roles at the end of practice, with one leaving 10-minutes early, and the other staying out on the full sheet.

3)  Although I haven’t done this, I’ve seen other teams split the ice longitudinally, so that units can start an attack from one corner of the ice and finish with an attack on the far net.  Lines or units from the same team stay together and re-form in the corners so that they can continue attacking both nets in waves.  My guess is that with some imagination, the ice could also be split in other ways.

4) If our two teams aren’t too different in abilities, I’ve arranged with another coach to have a brief — say 15-minute long — controlled scrimmage to work on a specific area of team play.  One example might be to have a team attempt to move the puck up-ice, gain the red line for a dump-in, and then try to apply their forecheck.  Sometimes the two coaches want to do different things, but the idea is for one team to sort of dummy for the other for a time, and then for the teams to reverse roles for an equal amount of time.

In closing, I’ll suggest that Seth isn’t going to have as much difficulty as he thinks coaching his (older) team on half-ice.  Still, there will be times when one or more of the above ideas might help his kids work their plays over the full length of the rink.  (The above measures probably aren’t necessary every week, but probably only on occasion.)  Of course, I’m guessing that I’ve just scratched the surface with my ideas, and I’m hoping some members might having even more good ones.

NBC Brings ‘Science of NHL Hockey’ to TVs and Classrooms

I boast often about the quality of our membership.  I mean, we have some really into it guys and gals here who not only take advantage of this site’s content, but they also contribute a great deal to our hockey discussions, and thereby drastically increase CoachChic.com’s value.

One such member is Tim Taylor, for whom I am hugely grateful.

As it pertains to this post, Tim happened to run across something I hadn’t seen yet, he alerted me about this exciting event, and I thought I’d get the word out to all our members as quickly as possible.

So, thanks, Tim!

– Dennis Chighisola

NBC Brings ‘Science of NHL Hockey’ to TVs and Classrooms

Before going any further, here’s a video clip from that series…

Now, here’s a link to the article Tim sent me (which also includes the above video):

NBC Brings ‘Science of NHL Hockey’ to TVs and Classrooms

It appears to me that NBC wants these videos to get a wide distribution, for the sake of science — this because they’ve included an embed code within this first video.

With that, I’d suggest that each of our members share this (and maybe other videos from this series) with their team members.

As for me — and if it’s permissible by law, I’ll try to post more from the series here.

Build a Backyard Hockey Rink

Freezing cold temperatures have been slow to arrive in the Northeaster United States this winter, which should explain the lateness of this post.  If I’d have had my thinking shoes on, however, I’d have probably helped my member friends all the more by giving them some time to plan.  In other words — for reasons I’ll explain later, perhaps the best time to start thinking about a backyard rink is during the summer or early fall.

Yet another reason I’m posting this right now is because my good friend Christopher has been working on his own backyard rink, and — running into a bit of difficulty with that — he just wrote me seeking some help.

Actually, I’m a bit embarrassed that I don’t have a quick answer to Christopher’s question, despite having long ago built a dozen or so rinks for my son and grandson.  So, I’m thinking that this post might prove a great way for all of us to share ideas or experiences on this subject.

– Dennis Chighisola

Build a Backyard Hockey Rink

This project caused me to scurry through YouTube.com to see what others had done so far in this area.  To be honest, almost all the various videos on backyard rinks are nearly the same, with most of them only varying in extras — like lights, high boards, doors in the boards, etc.

I finally settled on the following video, mainly because it’s a really basic set up, and because it gives a pretty good view of everything.  So, please have a look before we go further on the subject.  (Don’t panic that you don’t hear a soundtrack; there is none for this video.)

Having built a number of these, I can tell you that finding a truly level area is critical to preparing for a backyard rink.  And, that’s part of the reason I suggest planning things earlier in the year, when the ground is still soft and workable.  Truly, spending some time in the warm weather leveling the planned area for your rink might be the best thing you ever do.

I also suggest erecting the boards section of the rink while the ground is still relatively soft, so that some stakes can be driven into the ground to hold the boards in place.

I highly recommend thinking about disassembling the rink as you plan its assembly.  I mean, large screws and metal brackets can make things a whole lot easier to take the boards apart at season’s end, rather than using large nails or spikes.

I might also offer the idea of buying the plastic liner beforehand, just so that you can design the rink’s measurements accordingly.   (There’s nothing worse than discovering you have to piece together several sections of plastic in order to get coverage, knowing full well that there’s a strong chance the thing is going to leak with each thaw.)

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As an aside here, you know I’m all about teaching, or development.  So, let me share a philosophy I’ve held for a good many years…

The kind of discipline I provide in my clinics and practices is essential to players acquiring all the skills and smarts necessary to play at a high level.  Hey, there are proper ways to move on the ice, puckhandle, pass, receive, shoot, check, deal with critical situations, what have you.

Beyond that, however, I’ve always said that the mark of a “real player” is based on what he or she does in his or her spare time.  In other words, gain discipline from proper instruction, but then go freelance as much as possible to truly separate yourself from the pack.

In-lines can help us do that during the warm months, as can dryland training and even floorball.  However, I think the backyard rink is an awesome place for a youngster to really experiment — or hotdog a bit — during the hockey season.

*

Okay, from here onward, let’s consider this YOUR post, or a place where anyone can share ideas, ask questions, etc.  I’m even going to leave this available to the public, just so we can gain even more input.

Christopher will actually kick things off, since I’ll post his current problem first.  Hopefully, we can find some help for him and many future rink builders to follow.

*

The singer of this song actually stopped by here to suggest that I share his video with other backyard rink enthusiasts.  So, enjoy (and, thanks, Geoff)…

 

Out of the Mouths of Babes

In most instances, we use that expression — “out of the mouths of babes”– in reference to young kids saying the darnedest things.  In this case, however, the enclosed video was sent me by an adult lady friend I’ve met through Facebook.  Much like we’d envision young kids, however, my friend is purely a casual hockey fan, but, as you’ll discover, a pretty insightful one.

With that, she’s going to help me reinforce a couple of principles I’ve stated over and over again within these pages.

– Dennis Chighisola

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Our Facebook dialogue began with my friend asking me if I’d seen the penaltyshot goal scored by a member of her favorite team, the Montreal Canadiens.  No, I hadn’t caught Lars Eller’s sensational move, but CoachChic.com members have to know that I’m always dying to see any kind of new and exciting offensive play.

Once you watch this video, we’re going to discuss it on two levels — one from a quick philosophical perspective, and the other from a fairly close look at what really went into Eller’s play working.  (Oh, as my lady friend said, “Look at this shot… amazing !!!!”)

Okay, so here’s where that “out of the mouths of babes” thing comes into play.  For, my friend followed the sending of that video with the observation that, “…that is exactly what the HABS need… there’s not enough of twist like that with the hockey stick.”  Ya, her terminology isn’t quite the same as we’d use to describe the move — or the difference in Eller’s approach to many other players.  But, at the same time, I think you’re sensing exactly what she was trying to say.

‘Tis the Time to Think About Tryouts

Perhaps members recall me getting into and having a little fun with a new video program that allows me to use a couple of robots to get my messages across to YouTube.com and social media friends.

So, at the risk of boring (or maybe slightly amusing) you, I’ve included a recent one down below as sort of a backdrop to a very important topic.

Hopefully, within a few minutes, you’ll discover why.

– Dennis Chighisola

‘Tis the Time to Think About Tryouts

Okay, as I hinted at above, there’s a method to my madness in creating those robot featuring videos for other areas on the Internet.  In the case of the following one, it was produced to: 1) get folks thinking about tryouts far ahead of when most others will, and to 2) let them know about my soon to be leased Skater’s Rhythm-bar.

As a member, you don’t have to worry about the latter, because I’ll be sure to keep you abreast of any such developments.

However, it’s the former — or all that stuff having to do with tryout prep — that I feel the need to expand upon for your sake.  In a way, I think my short video will raise as many questions as it will provide answers.  So, my aim here is to do my very best at explaining everything for you.

That said, let’s have a look at that video first…

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If you know me at all by now, you know I hate the idea of spring tryouts.  Still, I can’t change the (hockey) world, so instead I have to go with the flow and do what’s best for my players.

And, if you do know me, you’ve come to realize that I like to take a long range view on absolutely everything.  I mean, something as important as a tryout isn’t to be taken lightly — heck, a player is going to live or die for an entire season based on the team he or she ultimately makes.  So, I’ve always taken tryouts seriously — for my students’ and players’ sake, and well as for the benefit of my own son or grandson.

As an aside…  I think it absolutely absurd that some local rinks or organizations will advertise a week-long program to be held just days before, these aimed at getting players ready for tryouts.  Geeeeeeeze…  A player is hardly going to be changed much at that point, and I’ll even suggest that more harm can be done than good if players are pushed to their limits and enter their tryouts either bumped, bruised or tired.

And that brings me to the importance of taking the long-range approach instead.  With still months to go, some positive changes can be accomplished.  And so can players even be given a few days off prior to tryouts so that they enter the fray feeling fresh, both mentally and physically.

Now, in that video, it’s said that individual skills are the most noticeable in a tryout atmosphere.  And, think along with me on that one if you will…

If we’re talking about young players, coaches tend to use a lot of skill drills to get a good look at the kids, one by one.  If the coaches go to scrimmaging, there’s little doubt the the best skaters, puckhandlers and shooters will stand out.  Then, if it’s a “small game” — like 3 against 3, a shifty and nifty player is most likely going to really stick out.

When we’re talking about tryouts for older players, most coaches resort to lots of scrimmaging.  And, once again, it’s the great skater, stickhandler, passer, receiver, thumper and scorer who is going to attract the most attention.

Of course, you’re probably wondering about when a player’s smart positional play is going to stick out, and I’m going to suggest that it’s hard for a coach to recognize much of that during a scrimmage atmosphere.  Oh, sure, a coach might spot a little of that, but I can tell you from all my years of experience, that it’s the flashy player who catches the coach’s eye first, and probably makes a lasting impression.

Okay, so what about that stuff I mentioned in reference to the Skater’s Rhythm-bar?  Well, it really is so — that coaches notice the player who cruises nicely around the ice.  He or she can’t help it, really.  There’s just something impressive about the smooth, powerful, seemingly energy efficient skater, because it suggests to a coach that a player has practically lived on the ice, and that all the hockey movements likely come naturally to him or her.

Finally, I’m not saying that any of the above is right or fair.  All I am saying is that it is the way it is.  Coaches don’t get the chance to necessarily know what a player is truly like.  And it’s probable that a coach will only discover if a kid is smart (or dumb as a rock) once the selected players begin working within a team practice setting and then in games.  Until that time, all the coach can go on is how the player “looks” in the tryout setting, or how he or she looks relative to all the other players.

Knowing When Your Hockey Players “Get it”

Talk about a satisfying feeling.   But then, I know this is going to take some explaining.

– Dennis Chighisola

Knowing When Your Hockey Players “Get it”

My AAA Bantam team had about 3-weeks off from games over the recent Christmas through New Years break.  Still, we had our two practices per week, these giving us a chance to polish our act a little in preparation for the rest of our season.

As for the theme of this article, I noticed some things over recent practices that were kinda making me smile a bit.  In actuality, though, these didn’t come at times when my guys were executing perfectly; to the contrary, they happened at times when some of our attack plays went slightly awry.

Okay, so as practice wound down tonight, I decided it was time to tell my kids exactly what I’d been seeing, and to even let them know how pleased I was with them.

First, though, a little background to all this…

Personally, I can’t imagine why this hadn’t hit me a lot of years ago.  However, I think it was about three summers back, when I was working with my NEHI High School Prep team when the idea of my guys “getting it” really struck me.

The squad had a lot of returnees, but we also had a handful of skaters who needed to be indoctrinated in The Old Coach’s way of doing things.  And, in particular, the new guys had to gain an idea of what I saw as good passes and good pass receptions.

And, oh, did I beat it into them, hardly ever letting up, and forever reminding them to make firm, flat passes right on their mates’ sticks, or to find a way to handle any pass that came even close to their own sticks.

The interesting part came late in our training camp when I noticed one new player muttering to himself a few times during a drill, and then sorta banging his stick on the ice in frustration a few other times.  Hmmmmm…

Starting to get a handle on what I was seeing, I whispered to a nearby assistant that the new guy was finally “getting it”.  I mean, he now knew the difference between a good pass and a not so good one, and he was getting a little upset with himself when he made a teammate work a little harder than he should.

Well, almost the same scenario played out tonight.  I mean, I was seeing the same thing happening as my current team went through a series of attacking drills, and I also snuck over to whisper to a current assistant about my belief that this group of kids was finally “getting it”.

Actually, I couldn’t resist going into our lockerroom after practice and telling my kids how pleased I was with them.  And, as I started to tell the story about my old HS Prep guys showing displeasure with themselves in some passing drills, one of my youngest current players said something to the effect that, “That was me, Coach, huh?”

Ya, he was one of the more noticeable ones out there.  And, while I told him I wasn’t thrilled at him banging his stick, I wanted him to know how happy I was that he did finally “get it”.

Okay, so why do I make such a big deal out of this seemingly small turn of events?

Really, that’s because I think it IS a pretty big deal when our players suddenly do “get it” — and I’m talking about any part of their game we deem important to their overall development.

I’m also encouraging other coaching to stick to their guns when it comes to proper execution, or when it comes to playing principles you feel important.

Then, here’s what I consider the biggie, as far as I’m concerned…  For, once a player truly does “get it”, I’m going to suggest that it sticks with him or her for the rest of his or her playing days.

Would you believe that a Facebook Fan Page existed in honor of This Old Coach several years before I even joined that popular social media site?  It’s the truth.  As I discovered, a bunch of my former hockey students and players who by that time had reached their mid- to late-20′s created a page entitled something like, “Coach Chic says to do everything both ways!”    The history behind this is that I have forever harped on my players to discipline themselves, and to make sure they can cut left and right, stop to each side, and perform just about any skill in all the ways possible.  Did my constant reminders to do everything both ways make an impression on my players?  I’m guessing that’s so, and I’m guessing it’s in the backs of their minds today as a lot of them play in adult leagues or pick-up hours.

That “do everything both ways” principle can actually cause me to laugh in the middle of my Learn-to-play clinics and in the ADM program I work in.  Ya, by the midpoint in a season, those 6- and 7-year old little rascals will often stop me before I can get those words out of my mouth — I mean, they’ll all chime in and yell, “Coach, you have to do it both ways!” 

On a more personal level, my son has played about a dozen years of minor pro hockey, and I can hear some of my old, long ago harped upon principles emerge in conversations we have today.  And so can I see the occasional shake of my college hockey playing grandson’s head if failed to do something like put a pass exactly where he’d intended.

So again, I’m suggesting that we all — coaches and hockey parents — stick to our guns, keep hammering at those principles we feel important, and never fear sounding like a broken record, because that’s the only way our players will someday really “get it”.