Playing at the AAA or Junior level is challenging. Being the best you can be so you can get to that next level, is an even a greater challenge. Physical preparation for playing hockey is not something you should take a chance on. In my 20 plus years in the NHL and OHL I have seen many players who made the mistake of participating in a training program that decreased their strength, speed, and agility…yet their body fat was low and they looked good. The problem was a performance decrement that cost them draft positions and their ability to stay at a high level.
If you have been following this blog you know I DO NOT APPROVE of the use of DANGEROUS exercises just to show a player how difficult it is or that he cannot do it, so you better work with that trainer. We KNOW that physical development is a process that includes: evaluation, program creation to meet evaluation results, and effective coaching to ensure your training gets you to where you need to be. Too often I see young players being pushed with inappropriate exercises that results in poor form, and leads to injuries. Note the picture below. This is an OTTAWA AREA NHL player whose picture is used as a marketing tool to attract young players into its local hockey fitness program. The problem is that the exercise execution is completely wrong, resulting in severe stresses in the lower back, hips, shoulders and results in poor posture. I have highlighted the poor biomechanics with the yellow lines. Most importantly the torso lines should not have any kind of severe bend. They should be straight as demonstrated by the picture on the right. Exercises such as this sap training resilience, and do not contribute to a positive result.
The very fact that this picture would even be posted demonstrates the fact that the trainer has no idea how to coach. This player should never be put in this kind of position. A blown disc will not further his career in hockey.
