Nobody ever likes to see a player get injured to the point where they can’t continue to play. Having an injury stop a player from playing for any length of time is really unfortunate for the player, teammates and the coaching staff.
Dealing with injuries is always a difficult situation. It requires coaches to shuffle lines and/or positions around and maybe even rethink systematical strategies. Players may have to play a position they are unfamiliar with or uncomfortable in. Now in today’s blog I am simply only focusing on injuries that are curable and a player can come back from in the future, I don’t even want to think about career ending injuries. I am lucky enough to have never had to have a player in a situation such as that and hope I never do. So, what can we as players, coaches and parents do to prevent injuries?

A great starting point would be come into the season in shape!!!! This is the most important thing a player can do. Not only will you be better prepared and lower your risk of injury, but you will see results on the score sheet quicker, impress your coach and possibly get more ice time. Time and time again I see players coming into the season doing very little in the off-season to prepare for the upcoming season. This can be a dangerous time for players to be injured for multiple reasons. First of all the obvious reason is they are not in shape and muscles that haven’t been properly prepared are now being asked to perform at a level of stress that they are not ready for. Secondly, coaches see that players are not in shape and see that their conditioning is not where the coach would like to see it, so what does the coach do? BAG SKATE! I understand the coaches reasoning for this; unfortunately the players are not prepared for this and need to be properly conditioned prior to an excruciating 45 minute no puck practice. Hockey is a very physical demanding game that requires players to be in shape and ready to perform. Even at the younger levels we can prepare our players to be better athletes and give them a well rounded, fun training program that gets them prepared for hockey season. This may be playing other sports in the off season, playing outside with friends and not sitting in front of the T.V. all summer or spending a 30 – 45 minute per day with a training program throughout the off-season. At M2Hockey we are dedicated to the progress of our players and making sure they are ready for their upcoming seasons and having fun while doing it. Have a great season, stay healthy and have fun!!!

Train for a Change

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M2Hockey

M2 Hockey Push Up Training
M2 Hockey has just launched a simple yet effective training tool and it’s absolutely free!  Click on the above M2 Hockey Push Up Training and check out our new short video. One of the greatest exercises of all time – Push ups. A lot of people are trying to come up with the next greatest thing and sometimes people just forget about the good old fashion exercises that flat out work! No fancy gadgets needed. I have been doing these particular sets of pushups for over 15 years and it is a great little workout. We would do them before every practice in midget hockey and it contributed to good strength and no shoulder or upper body injuries. So, check out our new free video and get a great workout for absolutely free. Thanks and keep training hard, hockey season is right around the corner. www.M2Hockey.com

Well, it’s that time of the year again and hockey season is right around the corner. Which means tryouts are coming soon, very soon. So, here’s the famous questions all coaches want to know…”What have you done in the off season to get yourself better and prepare for this year’s tryout and season?” What would your answer be? There isn’t much time left, but M2Hockey does offer some very good programs to help you get in shape prior to stepping on the ice for tryouts. We would also recommend getting some instruction instead of just playing pick up hockey on Wednesday nights. If all you do is play pick up hockey you will look like a pick up hockey player. Get some instruction in the offseason. Check out our programs available online, there is everything from very simple pushup routine to advanced preseason workouts great to push you prior to tryouts. If you are in the Southeastern Wisconsin or Northern Illinois area give us a call and we would be more than happy to help you with some on ice training. Take a look at what we have to offer and even if you have some special request give us a shout and we will tailor a program to your needs. Well, tryouts are coming so remember always get noticed, do something even if it is wrong. Get noticed out there! Make the coach say “Hey what do you know about this guy?” Put the body on someone, get a nice shot on goal, make a nice pass, SCORE, win a battle against the boards, HUSTLE, win a race to the puck, DO SOMETHING!!!! Good luck to all this year and have fun with the greatest game ever played!

Here are some snap-shots from our checking clinic on 8-22-09.  These photos are from the off-ice training portion of the clinic, which includes USA Hockey video instruction and off-ice checking technique instruction.

Here are some snap-shots from some of our recent training sessions…

Jason and I just got done doing some evening training with our upcoming Advance Hockey Training Program. Lots of high-intensity exercises. Here’s a sneak peak:

One of the things that really intrigued us about using the P90X program was the attention to flexibility training through their Yoga and Stretching DVDs. Most players and coaches would admit that flexibility is a crucial aspect to the game of hockey. The flexibility improvements we’ve been seeing over the past several weeks is astonishing. We have players who just a few weeks ago couldn’t even touch their toes – now they’re grabbing their heels on seated hamstring stretches! Now that’s progress!

The question that inevitably comes up whenever people start a new program is – “DOES IT WORK?”  I thought I’d some results taken right from one of the workout logs…my own.  Both Jason and I figured what better way to get a feel for the program than to do it ourselves.  In the first six weeks, my pull-up count has more than tripled.

Pull-Up Log

In addition, we’ve had several players increase their reps by 50% in just three short weeks. More results coming soon!

Currently Kevin (my friend and partner) and I are test driving the first year of M2 Hockey on our own players from the Kenosha Komets organization. It is exciting to see the boys come together, having fun but still working hard. I have seen them gaining confidence in themselves by feeling better physically. I am excited to see how this upcoming season is affected by the hard work and commitment these boys have put in. Maybe less injuries to report this year, maybe someone who makes the jump to varsity from the JV team, maybe an overall better record and a NIHL banner. It is great to see in action. Our kids are doing: plyometric training, strength training (mostly body weight exercises with a little dumbbell work too), and cardio training as well. M2 gives you all the tools and does all the leg work for you as a coach, all you have to do is implement it with your team. M2 gives you a full year calendar which spells out everything for you in how and when to use the products. Visit M2 Hockey at www.M2Hockey.com and Train for a Change!!!!

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