By: Brandon Aldan – Bio
Quickness and agility are arguably more important than straightaway speed. Follow an NHL player throughout an entire shift. Much of the time on the ice is spent changing speeds and directions and only taking a few high-speed forward strides at a time before transitioning to a different skating maneuver or direction.
By: Brandon Aldan – Bio
When I ask players what area of their hockey game they would most like to improve, most tell me their shooting. That’s because goal scoring is considered the most glorious aspect of hockey. To put the puck in the net, you need to develop power and accuracy with all your shots.
By: Brandon Aldan – Bio
As a strength and conditioning coach, one of the hardest areas to change is most athletes’ nutrition. A good diet is essential to fuel maximum performance. A hockey player’s body is like a high performance machine. The type and amount of fuel you put in are extremely important to how you play. Good nutrition can enhance focus, raise energy, expedite recovery and improve overall performance.
By: Brandon Aldan – Bio
Strength training is one of the most misunderstood aspects of hockey off-ice conditioning. Hockey is very unique in the biomechanical demands involved and many people make the mistake of using a program designed for athletes of other sports. A lot of hockey players even use bodybuilding programs. Bodybuilders train to build large amounts of muscle and to create a certain look. Unfortunately, this is not very functional for athletic performance, particularly hockey performance.
By: Brandon Aldan – Bio
Hockey is an extremely demanding sport physiologically. Most agree that endurance is very important to performance but, there are many misconceptions and few people understand how to properly train for hockey-specific endurance. Hopefully, this article will clear up some common misconceptions and dispel myths associated with endurance training. I apologize for the technical information but, I believe it is necessary to support the arguments for or against certain training modes and protocols.
By: Brandon Aldan – Bio
Hockey is a very complex sport with unique demands which makes it very difficult for parents, coaches and athletes to find a properly designed program. I hear a lot of hockey players saying they’ve been lifting weights with the football team all summer or doing P90X. Some are doing something a little more effective by working out at a sports performance facility doing the same general workouts as soccer, football and baseball players. Although, doing these things is better than nothing, this is not hockey training.
