6 weeks left to go in the Off-Season... What should I be eating?

With only 6-7 weeks left to go in the Off-Season hockey players at all levels should be asking themselves a few questions...
1) It's not too late, so what can I do to get ready?
2) Am I strong enough, especially cardiovascularly to withstand a competitive Training Camp?
3) How will putting the right things in my body effect what my body produces?


"Nutritional intake is dependent on their current status:

- If an athlete needs to lose weight they will require less calories than an athlete that is trying gain weight

- Increased caloric demand would provided by increased protein (~1-2g/kg of body weight) and carbohydrate (which would be consumed in and around their training)

- Eat every 2-3 hours

- Each meal must include lean protein

- Each meal should include vegetables

- 25-35% Calories from fat (unsaturated and saturated)

- eat mostly whole foods

- 90% rule….eat clean 90% of your meals, 10% can be anything

- Pre-workout nutrition (may include): Gatorade, whey protein, BCAAs, HMB, creatine, beta-alanine

Post-workout nutrition (may include);

Gatorade, whey protein, L-Gluatime, BCAAs, creatine, beta-alanine"

http://thehockeywriters.com/training-day-what-nhl-players-do-in-the-off-season/

For players wanting to compete on the highest level, try this 2-a-day approach:

Monday AM – Mobility, Linear movement skill and strength, total body power, conditioning

Monday PM – Warm-up, pre-hab, Strength/Power training, maintenance work, cool-down

 Players will train twice a day like this on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with Wednesday and Saturday being recovery and regeneration days.

Keep your eyes focused on the long-term goal, and these short-term obstacles become easier to overcome...  "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."-- Mark Twain

Advantages of playing Street Hockey

I've heard the argument that "street hockey makes bad habits for ice hockey players".


I think this is hogwash.

Street Hockey will always do these things for you.-

 Learn how to work as a team, specifically making and receiving passes

 Examine where to best position your body against a defender

 See if you can get better at carrying the puck (or ball) with your head up, and quicken your hands.

 Improve your overall conditioning.

 Develop competitiveness and enhance your athleticism.

 FUN.

Think of it this way...
* If you aren't playing street hockey, what are you doing, and how will the alternative improve your game. Playing xbox, going to the beach or the movies.... these activities are fun but have never been the training program of choice for pro athletes.

6 USHL players selected in 1st Round of NHL Draft sets record

A record 6 USHL (United States Hockey League) players were selected in the first round of the NHL entry draft this past week, showing a continued narrowing of the talent gap between the US and Canada. Here are a list of the players with bios and breakdowns-

D Jacob Trouba USA U-18 USHL 6-2 196ALLAN MUIR'S TAKE: One of the best athletes in the draft, he's a defenseman in the mold of Dion Phaneuf -- nasty in his own end with the ability to make things happen in the offensive zone. He's quick on his feet and makes the most of his size to intimidate opposing forwards. If there's a chance to make the big hit, he's happy to oblige. He's aggressive with the puck and has a big bomb from the point. There are some questions about his ability to read the game defensively, but if a team thinks they can address this, Trouba could mature into a top-two defender.

C Zemgus Girgensons Dubuque USHL 6-2 198 Pick acquired from Calgary for picks No. 21 and 42. ALLAN MUIR'S TAKE: "I could see him going [top 10]," a scout said. It's easy to see why after a season in which Girgensons was the most effective draft-eligible player in the USHL. There are questions about his offensive upside -- scouts I spoke with pegged his at 15-25 goals and 45-60 points -- but what Girgensons lacks in finishing polish, he makes up for with grit. He always wants the puck and he'll run you over if that's what it takes to get it. "He's a miserable S.O.B. to play against," the same scout offered. Said another, "Relentless, great intensity, loves to compete." Sounds like a Ryan Kesler starter kit.

D Michael Matheson Dubuque USHL 6-1 178CENTRAL SCOUTING'S TAKE: Matheson represented Canada at the 2011 Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and played for Team Quebec at the 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he finished with eight points (2-6--8) in six games. He captained Lac St. Louis Lions to a bronze medal at Canada?s National Midget Championship in 2011 and was named Top Defenseman after recording eight points (3-5--8) in seven games. In 2010-11, he was named to the LDHMAAAQ All-Star Team and in 2009-10 was named Rookie of the Year.

D Jordan Schmaltz Green Bay USHL 6-2 180CENTRAL SCOUTING'S TAKE: "The type of player everybody wants on their team because he's a puck-moving offensive defenseman who can see opportunities, spring forward and make the great pass from any situation. He loves to join in the rush and has that skating ability to sort of take the risk of taking the puck deep, and be able to get back using his skating ability."

D Brady Skjei USA U-18 USHL 6-2 196ALLAN MUIR'S TAKE: Not everyone likes Skjei -- who is slated to play for the Minnesota Gophers next season -- to go in the first round, but someone might have fallen in love with his effortless skating and big frame enough to grab him early. He's not particularly physical, and his transition skills are average. If you feel like he can be taught to address these flaws, then Skjei might mature into a second-pairing defender. If not, he's going to frustrate a lot of folks for doing so little with so much.
C Stefan Matteau USA U-18 USHL 6-1 215CENTRAL SCOUTING'S TAKE: Posted 32 points in second season with US National Development Program. Intends to join Blainville-Boibriand Armada of the QMHJL for 2012-13. Father is former New York Ranger Stephane Matteau, who played 13 seasons in the NHL.


What does this all say about the state of USA Hockey?  Personally, I think this says a few things... 1) The USHL is rapidly becoming a league that attracts top worldwide talent. 2) Players are seeing the benefit of maintaining their college eligibility by playing in the USHL, rather than losing it and playing in the CHL, including players born in Europe and Canada. 3) Canada is still producing the greatest number of top flight draftees, but USA Hockey is producing just as much talent as the traditional hockey powerhouses in Europe, evidenced by the breakdown of nationalities of the 1st round selections...

6 Americans
2 Fins
3 Russians
2 Czechs
2 Swedes
1 Latvian
14 Canadians


So next time your coach or an uneducated hockey enthusiast raves about competing against a select team from Russian, Sweden or Canada remember that the opponent is probably fearing playing the American team just as much... and rightfully so!

How did Bryce Salvador score so much this postseason?

Let's look at a brief comparison between NJ Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador's 2011-2012 regular season and his 2012 postseason...

Bryce Salvador
2011-2012 Regular Season GP 82 G 0 A 9 PTS 9 +/- +18
2012 Postseason GP 24 G 4 A 10 PTS 14 +/- +9

The numbers don't lie... but several questions emerge.  Did the Devils use him in a different role or in a different position?  Was he the benefactor of an improved collective offensive output for the entire team?  or... did his good habits produce more results in a tighter-checking environment?

Let's use some numbers to make a point-
* In the regular season the Devils averaged 2.63 goals a game.  In the postseason the number was 2.45 goals a game.
* Tracked per player, the Devils were a combined -63 in the regular season... in the playoffs, the Devils were a +43.
* Salvador was 15th in team scoring in the regular season, and 3rd in the postseason.
* Salvador's Regular Season average was 1.29 Hits per game and 1.30 blocked shots per game.  In the postseason those numbers were: 2.25 Hits per game and 1.41 blocked shots per game.
* Salvador has averaged .14 points per regular season game over his 11 year career (692games).  In the postseason he averages .24 points per game.

So the question remains... how and why the offensive explosion?

Perhaps these quotes will shed some light.  Devils captain Zach Parise, who scored New Jersey's first goal on Saturday, of Salvador. "We know when the game is on the line, we need to protect a lead, he's going to be out there for us. We all trust what he does, and that's important."  "Go figure, All season, now these bounces off shots go right in the net," said Salvador.

Look at the some of the goals...

In the end I think it comes down to two things 1) Great Habits & 2) Playoff Urgency.  Salvador's goals were scored by doing the basic principles every young defenseman should understand: quick and surehanded retrievals and walking the blueline to create a better angle, open up opportunities for screens and tip-ins.  Salvador's shot placement is impeccable... they all hit the end, and are 0- 18 inches off the ice.  By walking the blueline he is creating an angle where even if he does miss the net, the rebound is coming right back out to the slot or near the net, rather than rimming out of the zone.  When you combine these good habits with a playoff atmosphere, where teams are trying to block every shot and finish every check, the ability to keep it simple actually makes the routine somewhat unexpected as shots are more difficult to see and the play is moving quicker.  Lastly, and you can see this illustrated in his plus/ minus, Salvador's positive play demanded increased minutes and his coaches responded.  Good Habits= More Production= More Minutes.

Scoring on Butterfly goaltenders

No style is perfect.  Goaltender's come in all different shapes, sizes and skill sets.  The dominant style in today's training model is for kids to learn, understand and use some variation of the popular "butterfly style of goaltending.

For those who don't know, here is a brief history-  "In ice hockey, "butterfly style" is a technique of goaltending distinguished by the goaltender guarding the lower part of the net by dropping to the knees to block attempts to score. The butterfly style derives its name from the resemblance of the spread goal pads and hands to a butterfly's wings. The butterfly style is contrasted with stand-up style, where most shots on a goal are stopped with the goaltender on his or her feet. Many factors helped make it a defacto standard style of play today, including the invention of the goalie mask by Jacques Plante, Vladislav Tretiak's outstanding use of the style at the 1972 Canada–USSR Summit Series, the National Hockey League (NHL) emergence of Tony Esposito in the 1970s and Patrick Roy in the 1980s, the development of lightweight materials for pads and the influence of professional goaltending coaches such as Warren Strelow, Benoit and Francois Allaire. There are few who exclusively employ a stand-up style in the NHL.^[1]
Although it is effective and popular among goaltenders, the butterfly style can leave the upper portion of the net more vulnerable to scoring attempts. The modern "profly" derivative was made most popular by Roy and is the style most commonly used and taught.<sup>[2]" Reprinted courtesy of wikipedia.com


Here are four ways shooters can be proactive in their approach to Butterfly goaltenders.
1) Quick and unexpected release- Catch him off balance and before he can set up.  The faster the release the quicker he'll need to reacte, and the less time he'll have to prepare to control any rebound.
2) Miscommunication- Get the goaltender to make his move first by utilizing a fake shot.  It's like playing poker, you'll know what you are dealing with. 
3) Creating Rebounds-  It may take two shots to score, but aiming low and far pad will create a rebound for a teammate.
4) Understand your angle- A left hand shot coming down the right way, or a right hand shot coming down the left side has an unbelievable angle shooting advantage.  A players vision is actually 1-3 feet to the left or right of their stick and several feet higher than were the actual puck is.  What you see is not what the puck sees.  Generally speaking, lower and closer to your body is better.</sup>

* A 1996 NHL study revealed trends in goal scoring. A whopping 72% of NHL goals were scored from within 15 feet of the net, to the stick side, and between 0-18 inches off the ice.

Here is a video of Brett Hull.  Brett Hull was a natural goal scorer with one of the quickest releases and hard shots in NHL history.  In addition to that, he read goaltenders amazingly well, and exploited their first move.  You can learn a lot by just watching...





Run Hills to Improve Speed and Confidence

Hill running is a great way to build up power in your legs.  Utilizing bodyweight and gravity, hill running is one of the simplest ways to develop explosive power in all the muscles in your legs. When you improve the strength and power in your legs, you will skate faster by maximizing each stride.

The goal of the hill run is to get up the hill as quickly and explosively as possible.   For hockey, you should pick out a hill that can be conquered in at the start 10-20 seconds.  Short bursts of speed most closely replicate the activity you will perform during a hockey game.  Gradually, you should aim to work your way up to 30-45 seconds by conquering longer and/or steeper inclines.  The 30-45 second hill will match that of a typical shift in a typical hockey game.  The longer the hill, the greater the cardiovascular training element. 

To start, these hills should be sprinted up 10 times to start, with gradual increases in the amount of repetitions.  It is important to note that you should jog down at three quarters speed back to the starting position.  The jog return is an important part of resistance training.

Hill training, is a very simple yet very effective exercise. Always try to push yourself past to your limit, as this is the only way to see results!  NFL great Jerry Rice built his off-season training around Hill running, and had amazing results.  Here is a video:

Why a 3- Day "Focus" Camp?

The 3-Day Camp is designed to be a unique training experience:

 

* 3 On-Ice Sessions

* 1 Off-Ice Skill Session

* 1 Video Analysis Session

The On-Ice drill work will be entirely skill focused and uptempo, using the model of previous Scoring Concepts clinics and private training. The Off-Ice Skill session will focus on specific drills that your youth hockey player can learn and take home with them (via a handout for each student) to practice their skill work in their driveway, rec room, or basement. The video analysis will feature footage shot from the previous 2 days of training and drill down into the technical aspects of powerskating, so that your player can learn, in a positive setting, the deep details of stride analysis.

The goal for the 3- Day Focus Camp is for kids to get the maximum bang for their hockey camp buck.  For a very cost-efficient price kids can get the On-Ice instruction and repetition, using drills that will push them to go "out of their comfort zone", and combine them with 2 other elements that players and parents constantly overlook.

1)  Off-Ice Hands work.  Your hands, puck control skills and stickhandling can get dramatically better when drill off the ice.  This is a fact.  It is the central reason why Joe Mullen scored over 500 NHL goals and played primarily roller and street hockey when he was a kid growing up in New York City.  The kids who attend this camp will learn the right way and what tools to enhance these skills, and get a handout/ chart to take home with them so they can continue to grow this skill.

2.  Video Analysis.  Every kid loves to watch themselves play, but do they know what to look for?  This camp will record the first two days of training and analyze, using a positive approach, to dig deeper into the most efficient and powerful components of the skating stride.  Players will have a mental image of the right way to skate, and be able to take that with them... applying those principles to their own strides.

Email Scoringconcepts@gmail.com for info.  Or visit www.rockicecenter.com