Players who engage in only traditional hockey training are too often found lacking in qualities such as overall athleticism, agility, problem solving, and even the daring demonstrated by many of the sport's superstars. They tend to be robotic in movements, and sometimes even have difficulty avoiding injuries when faced with certain physical challenges.
Most experts today prescribe participation in other sports, and various forms of cross-training. My kind of dryland treats almost every necessary physical quality, as well as some beneficial mental skills...
That video actually shows my Boston-area "High School Prep" kids from a few years ago. Those twice weekly sessions were geared to that team's specific ages and needs. Other times during the week, younger groups were doing far different drills, but those drills were designed to gradually bring the younger ones up to the abilities shown in that video. The earliest years are when any human's foundation is laid, so I like to help very young ones with athleticism, proprioception and smooth movements. That job done right, those youngsters are ready to take on agility, speed, quickness and some strength training through the next few years. Then, make no mistake about it: A player's style of play is pretty much cast as he or she reaches puberty, so that's when I try to enhance his or her explosive strength, speed and conditioning.
*
Off-ice Training - This program should run twice weekly, with a 2-month sign-up = $240 (roughly $15/player/hour) - maximum 25 students of similar age/ability
