How great is this – it is early Spring and the thermometer is going to reach 26C degrees here today! Now that is awesome! I am starting to think about beach season…rain and 8C over the weekend will get rid of those ideas. Hope things are great where you are!
If you are looking for some ways to improve your stick handling or if you are like one of my subscribers who gets elbow pain in his stick hand, you want to check out this video on forearm strengthing for hockey goalies.
PS – if you are looking to make next season your best season ever (seriously, not just hoping and wishing) then circle May 1st on your calendar. That is the day you will start the Ultimate Goalie Training System. That is the day you start moulding yourself into the top notch goalie you know you can be!
Great question Steve. In my opinion 11 years old is too young. I still want goalies of this age to be playing a different sport in the summer – keeping hockey that special treat that they get to play the other 8-months of the year. Fostering the love of the game is what will help them stick with the hours and years of training that it takes to excel at the highest level when the time comes. Be active, be involved, but stay away from ‘hockey training’. Not to say you cannot be active with your son. My dad and I used to go running together almost everyday. It was a great way for me to spend some quality time with my Dad as a youngster, but we never did it for ‘training’, just for fun.
In terms of sprint training for you, this is a tough question, it is more a question of when your body is ready. It would be unwise for me to give you a guideline here because it can vary from person to person. If it is something you would like to include then start very slowly with gradual accelerations and longer distance. Go very easy with the change of direction stuff until you are extremely comfortable with it.
I hope this helps a little.
Cheers,
Maria
Maria,
I was wondering if my 11 year old son can use the training modules that you have outlined, or if there are adjustments to the program for a hockey player this age. Are there things he should steer clear of?
I would also like to do the training with him, but have yet to build the cardio base that he has. What level of cardio fitness do I need before I can start the sprint training? I am a 39 year old male in good health, and have an athletic background including elite hockey and 1/2 marathons but have fallen off the wagon for the last couple of years. Thanks.