Hi Tom. Great topic and couldn't agree more. Just to add to this, I'll qualify myself in that I'm a typical dad here that's been involved with my kids and their teams as their coach for many years. So, not an "expert" or have a degree in kinesiology BUT went the "engineering" route vice the phys ed route in university. I've tryed to "informally" keep abreast with the phys ed side, though, by learning, reading, testing and applying.
That aside, it's really interesting to see which kids are active or have (likely) been active and those who are not or likely haven't been. And, after awhile, you can see the similar tendencies on both sides no matter what the sport (hockey, tennis, court sports, etc) Active (likely active) - walk or run on their balls of their feet; quicker east/west agility; good postural habits when standing still or playing the sport (core) ; being first in line for drills; usually the last or near the end of the line when going off the ice; to even things such as watching what kids eat after a sport activity. Non Active (likey non active) - pretty much the opposite to the above.
One of first things I look for is how a kid walks. Are they flat footed or is there a "bounce" in their step and they tend to walk on the balls of their feet or their toes.
Kids who tend to be more active ehibit many of the above traits and even more. These kids tend to be the ones that are (were) active lots in their early childhood be it playing lots in the school playground, play lots of tag, etc.
Skateboard polo !! Now, that I'll concede to today's younger generation - active AND non-active !! haha
Just as kids like SAG's as opposed to 'drills' on the ice, they will prefer games to 'exercises' off the ice. Having said that, I am open to any and all ideas when it comes to off-ice training. The rink where we play our home games has just added a fitness center. I am trying to get the college, the rink and the gym to form some sort of alliance that will benefit everyone.
There seems to be so much material now on off-ice and I am overwhelmed. Does anyone have a condensed publication of what works best for hockey players. Given that information, I am going to form teams and have a Phys-Ed version of the Stanley Cup for non ice training.
Our strength and conditioning coach does a dynamic warmup that is game like.
He takes all the guys (23) and puts them in a circle. He takes 4 hurdles of different sizes and places them from smallest (knee high) to the largest (right at or above the naval) about two feet apart. The guys in the circle are given a soccer ball. They juggle it trying to keep the ball off the ground using their knee, feet, etc. If the ball hits the ground, the player who's fault it was, runs over to the hurdles and quickly does a two foot hop over all four hurdles and returns to the circle where all the guys have started again with the soccer ball.
I think our guys do it for 15-20 minutes or so. I think they even end it with if you drop it, you have to do the hurdles then sit out until there are just two left in the circle.
I have been watching a video a day from the seminar section of the IIHF hockey site. I just watched Harri Hakkarainen who is the expert in Finland and works with the national team in hockey and other sports. Here are a few of the points he made.
We need between 15-20 hours a week of movement to develop physically and maintain ourselves. This includes walking, sports, or basically any type of physical activity.
Youth now have between 5-6 hours of screen time a day (tv, computer, video game, cell phone) and this replaces the time they used to spend playing outside etc. Children under 12 get about 12 hours of movement a week now and by the time they are 16 it goes down to about 10 hours a week.
This causes problems for coaches because now we have to assume that the players have a poor fitness and movement base and it is another challenge in developing players. What they are trying to do in Finland is to have 15 minutes of activity before and after practices. This can be movement that varies from games to exercises like the agility ladder. They also give the players activities to do on their own at home to try to get to 15-10 hours.
It was a one hour presentation and Harri showed a lot of exercises for various age groups and stressed how important it is for pre puberty children to do things that promote agility, balance, coordination, ideal % of body fat, flexibility and also speed, power, reaction time, strength, endurance.
We are born with a certain amount of fast and slow twitch muscle and neutral muscle and it is critical to influence the neutral muscle to become fast moving by doing things that require speed. So learn technique slowly and keep increasing the speed that it is done at. Be careful before puberty to do speed exercises that don't exceed about 20 m. or yards. When the player is older they can recover from longer distance.
Also one legged exercises imporve core strength which is the weakest part of the chain in todays youth.
So those are the problems but what are some of the solutions.
-play, play, play games like tag, pick up football, scrub baseball, ball hockey, bandy, netball, basketball, go to the park and play on the climbing stuff.
-I think the new SUPER EXERCISE that kid's love is the skate board or long skate board. Alternate legs that push and what do you get?? Agility, balance, speed, power, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, core strength.
- New Game - Skate Board Polo
'Enjoy the Game'