Monday, June 27, 2011

Friday Night Ice Practice Plan- 6/24/2011 Powerskating Phase 2: Dynamic Edge Control & Balance

6:15-6:18pm Free Time & Warmup
6:18-6:20pm Introductions & Welcome
6:20-6:30pm Group Warmup
          * Forward 5 Circle C-Cuts/ Backward 5 Circle C-Cuts
          * Entire Group on Goalline (advanced Drill)
               - Puck Balance 1- legged C-Cuts (Goalline to Goalline)
6:30-7pm  Splits (Forwards/ Defense with Coach Trimble & Goalies with Coach Donald)
6:30-6:31pm Group Athleticisim puck control drill at center ice/ 2 sets
6:32pm Edge Control
          * Corner Start> partner C-Cuts with 1-leg> use all both legs/ both partners
          * Line Drills
               - Snowplow drill
               - Knee Propulsions
               - Partner Cross over pushes
               - Start/ Stops and high Knee series
6:45pm Balance
          * Half- Moon Drill ( use 3 circles in our section of ice & go both sides so they get all variations)
7-7:10pm  Balance Stickhandling/ Athleticism Warmup (Center Ice)
          * 1-legged bounces with whistle jumps
          * 1, 2, 3 1-Legged puckhandling series
          * partner pendulum stick swings
WATER BREAK
7:11-7:20pm Obstacle Course  (use whole ice and finish with shots on goalie)
7:20-7:25pm Figure 8 tight turns around gloves for 30 seconds at a time/ inbetween instead of rest do 5 high jumps (group activity) 3 sets
7:25-7:40pm Small Ice Games divided in zones based upon size and ability
7:40pm- End  Competition Relay Race (make it competitive... losing team picks up pucks)
7:45pm Dismissal





Our Next Clinic is Friday Night from 6:15-7:45pm at the Rock Ice Center in Dunellen, NJ!  Clinic runs each and every Friday this summer till September 2nd.

       

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Facility Review- Hawk Sports Performance

On Friday morning Kevin Hawke, the founder/ owner/ head trainer, of Hawk Sports Performance spent over 90 minutes with me, giving me a tour of his facility, explaining to me what sets him apart from his competition, and sharing his philosophy on athletic development.  Never mind that it was great to catch up with an elite athlete that I knew since Little League, but for the owner of any business to take time out of his day and demonstrate such passion about his program speaks volumes about the type of business Kevin is running.

For those who have never heard of Hawk Sports Performance here is what it is-
Hawk Sports Performance is an elite 8600 square foot facility with a 2,000 square foot gym, a full tennis court, and 34 yards of training turf located right off of the Garden State Parkway. Hawk Sports Performance employs the top speed trainers and strength coaches in the area and defines itself by being the absolute best at training and conditioning an athlete for peak performance.Hawk Sports Performance originated as Hawk Speed School in 2006 at The Bill Clark Tennis Academy in Florida. Four years later the Hawk Sports Performance facility was created at the shore and home town of its founder Kevin Hawke. Besides specializing in Sports Performance training we also offer an amenity of services to the public including personal training and tennis instruction.

Kevin, a former professional tennis player, previously was a private tennis instructor, training a near baker's dozen US Amateur Tennis Champions.  In a brief period of time, he became one of the best in his trade, but came to the realization that the concepts of Sports Performance or Speed Training lacked some of the modern methods, principles and theories that he was using with his own elite athletes.  His methods, he realized, could be seemlessly introduced to athletes in other sports besides tennis, namely football, basketball, baseball, and potentially hockey, and dramatically improve not only their speed and fast-twitch muscle fibers, but also their overall strength and power.  It was this realization that became the genesis for Hawk Sports Performance.

Not only is Kevin's gym an outstanding facility with plenty of room, all the latest equipment and necessary amenities, but Kevin's philosophy and ability to tinker and adapt his craft that sets him apart.  We briefly spoke about beach training and the use of sledge hammers and tires to develop outstanding core muscles, and he laughed... took me around the back of his facility and showed me giant "Monster Truck" tires that he has been using with his students.  In all due respect, Kevin looks like a "magician" to the untrained eye, as he takes a fundamental approach to teaching students proper technique, surrounding that honed technique with dramatically increased strength, and then drilling down passionately to push that athlete to the limit.  In a brief time these methods consistently produce dramatic results-

* An 11 year old went up in their squat 85lbs from 115 to 200 in just one month.
* A students Vertical jump went from 18" to 27". Thats a 9 inch vert gain in just 6 weeks.
* Check out these scores for the 60 yard run's of the St. Rose Baseball Team after a season of training-
C. Reynolds dropped from a 7.4 to a 6.75
Z. Vuono from a 7.8 to a 7.25
K. Case from a 7.8 to a 7.3
R. Kurtz from a 7.75 to a 7.37
F. Biase from a 7.6 to a 7.3
W. King from a 7.8 to a 7.4
C. Napolitano from a 8.05 to a 7.7
P. Grodeska from a 7.35 to a 7.0
T. Howell from a 8.9 to a 7.9
M. Kellert from a 7.8 to a 7.55
T. Petillo from a 7.45 to a 7.1
C. Pilot from a 7.9 to a 7.55


Simply put... Amazing, trackable results, and accomplished in a short period of time!

In summation, if you are looking to take your game to an elite level you can no longer afford to dust off the bench press in your parents garage, especially when you are competing against athletes who are being trained at Hawk Sports Performance.  At Hawk, you will get an elite gym full of cutting edge technology, individual instruction, and personal programs tailored to your specific needs.  With an eye for evolving and improvement, Kevin's passion continually puts him ahead of the competition, and I'd HIGHLY recommend him to any and every aspiring athlete!

Check out their website- http://www.hawksportsperformance.com/
Or contact them at-
Address:
Hawk Sports Performance
3535 Route 66 Building 2
Neptune, NJ 07753
Phone Number:
732.922.0090

 
Some information reprinted from Hawk Sports Performance website and Facebook page.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Goal Setting for Improvement

Here's a simple mnemonic-

  • S - Specific (or Significant).
  • M - Measurable (or Meaningful).
  • A - Attainable (or Action-Oriented).
  • R - Relevant (or Rewarding).
  • T - Time-bound (or Trackable).
Goal setting is a key, and often overlooked method to personal improvement.  Players of all ages should not just think about what they want to accomplish with each season or off-season, but rather write down and keep track of very specific goals that they wish to accomplish.

For example, instead of having "To score a lot of goals" as a goal, it's more powerful to say "To double my goal production from my sophmore year total of 10 to 20." Obviously, this will only be attainable if a lot of preparation has been completed beforehand, and the player can drill down into ways to accomplish this by setting practice hour goals, game shot totals, and conditioning standards.

If you want to improve between now and next year, in hockey, life, academics, or business, set goals for yourself that are measurable and attainable.  Then devote all your energy to fulfilling them... but never stop pushing to go further.

Anthony Robbins is one of the most recognizable motivational speakers in the world.  Here is a terrific clip of his on "Goal Setting".



Each season or off-season devote 10 minutes of your life to setting specific goals for your chosen trade, and make an activation plan to achieve those goals.  The results can be amazing!