Hockey Performance Training Tips for Your Kids to Try
Hockey is one of the great pride and joys for patriotic Canadians everywhere. Nothing seems to quite bring us together as this sport can, and that’s why it’s so exciting when our kids show an interest in playing it themselves!
Of course, nothing worthwhile ever came easily, and becoming a better hockey player is no exception. To improve, kids need dedication and hard work, keeping up with their training so they can continually push themselves to new heights, both on and off the ice.
So if you’re a parent with kids who are getting into (or thinking of getting into) playing hockey, you might be wondering how you can help set them up for success and ensure they have everything they need to play their best. Here are a few hockey performance training tips from us to help your kids while they're on the rink!
1. Don’t be hyper focused on one sport
Of all the things you can do as a parent to a budding athlete, one of the most counterproductive choices you could make is forcing your kid to focus only on hockey. While it’s true that more time on the ice leads to improved skills, studies have actually found that kids with more varied experience in multiple sports tend to become better hockey players overall.
Rather than having your kid only play and train in hockey skills year-round, encourage them to try out other sports. Whether it’s a similar team sport like lacrosse, soccer, or baseball, or a solo sport such as martial arts or track and field, different kinds of sports training can all help your child on the rink, even if the training technically has nothing to do with hockey.
This is because sports training of all kinds helps with athletic skills. From nervous system exposure, to stride length and cardio, to overall strength, your kid can learn a lot about hockey from playing other sports. So be sure that they know that’s an option for them, and encourage them to try new things—you never know how those skills will show up when hockey season rolls back around!
2. Try out fun, creative ways to do agility training
We’ve all seen so-called ‘agility courses’ being run by tired-looking kids as part of their sports training. In reality, these courses don’t really teach the dynamic agility that kids need to thrive in fast-paced team sports like hockey. Because obstacle and agility courses have a predetermined route, there’s no snap decision-making tied to the actual motions that a participant has to go through. This means that although they’re getting better at, say, running through a few cones, they don't have to quickly observe, process, and decide on a course of action to complete that obstacle.
Hockey games aren’t like that. In reality, players need to observe their surroundings, make a plan, and execute it in split seconds to be truly agile on the rink. That’s why mixing up the way you approach agility training can be so useful for improving hockey skills in your child.
Simple activities like tag and dodgeball are honestly much more useful for building agility in your kid. Why? Because these are dynamic, spur-of-the-moment games, where no two rounds are the same and players need to think on their feet. You can probably already see why these skills translate so well to hockey!
3. Educate yourself on safe, healthy strength training
Contrary to popular belief, strength training isn’t all about pumping immensely heavy weights and bodybuilding. Put simply, strength training is any kind of organized exercise regimen that involves resistance and muscle engagement. Whether it’s lower-intensity exercises like resistance band work, or something slightly more intense like bodyweight exercises, strength-training comes in all forms, and they all help your child get stronger and better at their sport.
Of course, you need to do your research and ensure your young athlete is strength training in a safe way that’s appropriate for their age. Overall, high-intensity strength training should be avoided with younger athletes. Their bodies are still growing and developing, and heavy weight-lifting and high-intensity training can easily lead to injuries. Conversely, with regular but lower-intensity exercise like resistance training, your child will not only get stronger, but they’ll be less likely to sustain an injury come game time!
4. Set positive expectations
The best thing you can do as a parent to a young athlete is to be supportive at every step of the way. Although sometimes a little tough love is necessary to push them to their fullest potential, it’s equally (if not more so) important that you encourage and support your child as they train to become better at hockey. Be sure to educate yourself on the realistic results you can expect to see from a kid their age, and ensure you’re setting positive, realistic expectations that are within their reach.
When your child does succeed at a goal they’ve been working on, don’t just immediately move on to the next one! Young athletes may be budding talent and raw potential, but they’re also still kids. So be sure to celebrate with them when they reach a goal, and they’ll be much more motivated to carry on!
5. Get some help from the experts
Of course, the number one way to ensure your child is on their hockey A-game is with a little help from the professionals. Physical therapists have years of experience in training athletes of all ages and skill levels, and they can assist you with recommendations and routines to help develop strength, flexibility, and agility.
Choosing a physiotherapist
If you’ve been searching for a trusted, highly experienced physiotherapist to help take your child’s hockey game to the next level—we can help!
Our team has the knowledge and skills your child needs to reach their full potential. Not only can we help with strength-building and other foundational hockey skills, but we also assist with injury prevention, and can provide physical recovery in case they do sustain an injury on the ice.
If you have more questions about training for kids’ hockey performance, or if you’d like to book your appointment today, contact us!
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