Off - Ice (w/Jeff LoVecchio)
When Should Kids Start (off - ice)?:
Short answer - if you can afford it your player should be involved in “other athletic endeavors” to build their body. Example - Gymnastics. There are many resources online you can find. Look for LTAD (Long Term Athletic Development).
Hockey Specific Training v Athleticism:
Fundamentals of training are all the same (Stability, mobility, movement, learning to express strength and power).
Training Pyramid:
Be weary of things you see on the internet that feel like they are doing too much. Work on the foundations, and basics and as you get closer to the season you can incorporate more hockey specific movements.
3 Things People Don’t Emphasize Enough with Off - Ice?:
- Recovery: You have to “fill up your gas tank” no matter how hard you workout. Think - how much are you sleeping, how well are you sleeping ? What are you eating? You need to be eating proper things - not cereal & soup.
- Not Enough Focus on the Fundamentals 1st: People want to do the sexy stuff first - you NEED to work on mobility, stability and injury prevention. Do the small stuff before you try to do the big stuff. “If you’re injured, Scouts can’t watch you.”
- Train With Intensity: Are you timing your rest period? Are you progressing in the gym? Everyone has a trainer now - you NEED to be intense and vigilant with your training.
How Often Should Kids Be Training?
3-4x a week out of season is what Jeff recommends. Including mobility and movement.
Should they be training in season?
In season depending on age and other factors - you should be in the gym AT LEAST 2x a week. Youth Hockey schedule allows you more time to workout during the week since you usually have games only on the weekend. In season think lower reps, deeper exercise with long rest.