Be Active in the Off-Season

Be active in the off-season
By Mitch Korn
Nov 5, 2001, 19:55

So it’s the “off-season,” you are out of school, and there is not a lot of ice time available. What should you be doing?

First, I’ll tell you what you should not be doing. You are a hockey player, and athlete, and you should not be like the other “normal” people. More and more of the youngsters I meet in the summer are overweight, spending more time in central air conditioned homes with Nintendo and computer games than ever before.

It used to be that when I would ask a group of 32 goalies at one of my schools how many played organized baseball, the response would be almost 100%. Now less than 50% play organized baseball.

Athleticism is the key

Athleticism is the No.1 key trait for a successful goaltender. Guys like Dominik Hasek, Mike Richter, Curtis Joseph and Kelly Hrudy are excellent athletes. You cannot be a great athlete sleeping until noon, spending all day on the couch, and not participating in athletic activities.

I remember being a kid (I’m only 36) and playing outside all day in the summers. We never even wanted lunch. Stick ball, baseball, street hockey, basketball, soccer and other made-up games which involved hand-eye coordination, aerobic training, body flexibility, and the competitive spirit.

I recently went back to my roots in New Jersey. The box on the wall where we all played stick ball was gone. The patch of grass that was always dirt because of a variety of baseball-type games was green and thick. The basketball court had 2 broken hoops. The parking lots where we played street hockey had a few very young kids messing around. I had no problems finding teens hanging out smoking and drinking after dark, What’s going on here?

Today, you have the opportunity to get the jump on your competition and opponents by preparing yourself right now for next season. Work on strength training if you are 16 years of age or older… spend a lot of time on lower body flexibility (the best goalies have it)… watch your diet, and most importantly be active.

Mitch Korn is the goaltender coach for the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL. In addition, he is an administrator at Miami University (Ohio) and directs the 8-week Summer Hockey School. Miami has Division I ice hockey in the CCHA.

This first appeared in the 06/1994 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
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