Training to Win

Training to win
By Dr. Michael R. Bracko & Dean Lyons
Oct 29, 2001, 20:33

Jumping jacks: 20 reps (Illustrations by Matt Busch).

Before beginning any exercise program, please consult with your physician.You play once, maybe twice a week. Your games start when “normal” people who do not understand your addiction are just going to sleep. You have done all the right things by eating a good sports nutrition meal the night before the game, and you’ve been “hyper-hydrating” by drinking Gatorade until your blood turns “Gatorade Green.” You lace ‘em up, thinking you’ve done everything right, and you’re ready for the game of your life!

But, as you do during most games, you get ridiculously tired half way through your shift. The puck starts to feel like it weighs 10 pounds, and you come to the bench not so much because you are tired, but because you need to lie down.

Wondering how to prevent these feelings of extreme fatigue and improve your performance on the ice? Then, man, are you reading the right article!

Playing puck once or twice a week is simply not enough activity to maintain a high level of fitness. And it is certainly not enough to maintain a high level of performance. But, the good news is that there are many off-ice activities that you can do to improve your fitness level and subsequent performance on the ice.

What affects performance

Let’s start by identifying the most important factors that affect performance. They are:

1. Genetics

2. Conditioning and Practice

3. Nutrition

4. Psychology

5. Coaching

Push-ups: 10-20 reps (toes or knees)

There is nothing you can do about genetics, short of some Iron Curtain steroid cocktail, but there is a tremendous amount that can be done about your conditioning. While the other three can also be manipulated to improve performance, those are areas for other experts to discuss. Here, we will concentrate on conditioning.

Next we should outline the most important components of conditioning and fitness for hockey players. They are:

1. Cardiovascular Endurance

2. Anaerobic Power

3. Muscle Strength, Power and Endurance

4. Flexibility

5. Body Fat Percentage

Half-sqauts: 10-20 reps (back straight)

You will notice that cardiovascular (CV) endurance is at the top of the list. This is not by accident. CV endurance is the most important component of fitness for most athletes because it is the basis upon which most other components are built (see Fitness Pyramid illustration). For instance, when you increase your CV endurance, you will have an increased capacity to perform high intensity anaerobic work, resist fatigue, lower your body fat percentage, and recover more quickly from high-intensity exercise.

When you have a high level of CV endurance you will have an increased ability to use high amounts of oxygen in the working muscles. Higher amounts of oxygen helps in two ways; you are better able to produce energy for muscle contractions, you can clear waste products (such as lactic acid) quicker and more efficiently. The tangible benefits are that your lungs will not be “burning” during a shift, it won’t feel like someone poured battery acid into your legs, and you will recover your wind more quickly between shifts.

In other words, you will be able to “skate all night” and still be able to get out of bed the next morning!

Sit-ups: 10-20 reps (with knees bent, don’t hook feet under the couch!)

In other words, a high level of CV endurance will prevent extreme fatigue at the end of each shift, period and game. Fatigue adversely affects the fine muscle movements required in shooting, passing and receiving a pass. Therefore, you should be more accurate with your shots and passes, be able to carry the puck, receive a pass, and out-skate most of the players on the ice. Worthy goals, don’t you think?

 You play yourself out of shape

The irony of all this is that in spite of its importance, CV endurance actually decreases during the season because most activities in hockey are anaerobic—meaning “high intensity, but short duration.” Professional hockey players now realize that they must engage in some kind of CV or aerobic training off the ice to counteract this loss of conditioning. Most players use an exercise bike, a stair-climbing machine or a skating machine after practice.

But what should you do?

Back extensions: 5-10 reps (lie flat, hands under hips, and raise shoulders)

As a recreational hockey player you can drastically—yes drastically—improve your performance by doing some off ice aerobic training at least three times a week.

The good news is that aerobic exercise does not, and should not, be high intensity. Rather, the exercise should be at a moderate pace. Aerobic exercise can be described by the following components:

1. Duration of 15 minutes or more

2. Activity of moderate intensity

3. Must involve moving the legs

4. Must be continuous/non-stop

With that in mind, the time has come to prescribe a conditioning program. Again, there are four aspects to consider; frequency, duration, intensity, and mode of exercise.

Frequency is easy to address. In order to improve or maintain your CV endurance you should engage in aerobic training at least three times a week. Four, five, six or even seven times a week is fine, but considering that you play hockey once or twice a week, three days per week is recommended.

Duration—the amount of time you work out—can vary according to your initial level of fitness, time constraints, motivation, and the activity you choose. Generally speaking, you can get a good training effect from 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, but the minimum amount of time we can exercise and still get a benefit is 15 minutes. The maximum amount of time? Well, that depends.

When you first start an aerobic conditioning program (weeks 1-3) you should only be working out for 15-20 minutes. During weeks four and five, increase the time to 20-25 minutes. Weeks six and seven, try 25-30 minutes. After two months, you can try varying the length of your workout, making sure you are getting at least 15 minutes.

Hockey hops: 20-40 seconds (with knee bent, hop from one leg to the other while extending the non-landing leg)

Ego figures in

Intensity is a tough factor to address for two reasons; ego, and the tradition of athletes being trained to always workout “hard.” The ego is such that many of us still believe the misconception “No Pain, No Gain.” In fact, when it comes to aerobic training this is simply a myth. Most athletes (or ex-athletes) are taught that the key to success is “hard work,” and this is true in most cases. However, it is not true with aerobic exercise. The truth is that you should always perform aerobic exercise at a moderate pace.

There are many ways to determine the correct intensity at which you should be exercising. One method of determining exercise intensity is an objective measure, and the other four are subjective. The objective method of monitoring the intensity of exercise is by calculating your “Target Heart Rate” using the five-part formula in the accompanying box.

The target heart rate works as follows. You will get maximum benefit from aerobic exercise when you keep your “exercising heart rate” (EHR) between the numbers (rounding up or down) that you calculate for the 60% and 70% levels (for weeks 1-4). After week four you will want to increase the intensity of the exercise so that your EHR is between the 70% and 85% levels.

Shoulder presses: 10-20 reps (use hand weights)

Your EHR is beat taken on your wrist every five minutes during your workout, for six seconds (just add a zero to your pulse number, and you have your Target Heart Rate).

Here is an example: Let’s say you are 32-years old with a resting heart rate of 72. Your Target Heart Rates will be 141, 153 and 170 for your three exercise levels (rounded, they are 140, 150 and 170). During weeks 1-4 of your program, you will want to keep your exercising heart rate at 140 or 150 in order to receive maximum benefit from the exercise. If your heart rate is at 170 or 180, you are exercising too hard. And if your heart rate is 100 or 120, you are not exercising hard enough and you need to increase the intensity. After week four, you should increase the intensity by exercising with your heart rate between 150 and 170.

The other methods of monitoring your exercise intensity are much more subjective and are based entirely on how you feel. The “Talk Test” indicates that if you can carry on a relatively normal conversation while exercising then you are working out at the correct intensity. If you are exercising so hard that talking is impossible, you need to slow down. The true meaning of “aerobic” is “in the presence of oxygen.” When you do aerobic exercise you want oxygen demand to meet oxygen supply; in other words, you should be breathing hard but not to the point where you are gasping for air.

Half-squats with a hop, 10-20 seconds

Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) indicates that if you feel like you are exercising too hard, you probably are—and you need to reduce your intensity. By the same token, after you finished exercising (immediately after or the next day) if you feel like you worked too hard, you probably did. If you can’t got out of bed or climb stairs because you are so sore, you really need to decrease the intensity of your exercise.

On the other hand if you feel like the exercise is not hard enough you should probably increase the intensity. If you feel pretty good the next day, then you are most likely doing the right thing.

Some days are better than others

Another way to determine your exercise intensity is by your Subjective Energy Level (SEL). Some days you may feel really good, with a lot of energy, so you may want to exercise harder and/or longer. Other days you may feel tired—but still want to work out—so you might decrease the length and/or the intensity of your workout.

Yet another way of determining the correct exercise intensity is by using the “Reading Test.” If you are reading while riding a stationary bike or using a Stairmaster and you cannot comprehend what it is you’re reading, then you are probably exercising too hard.

There are many types of exercise from which you can choose. You should keep in mind, however, a rule of conditioning called “specificity of exercise,” which means that you should emulate the movements of the sport for which you are training. So, with that in mind, here are some of the most hockey-specific aerobic activities that will improve your CV endurance; in-line skating, slide boarding, stair climber machine, stationary bike, and step aerobics.

Reverse flys: 10-20 reps (arms extended, make sure you’re stable)

A second group includes some other very good aerobic activities which are not quite as specific to hockey. They are: running, cross-country skiing (or a cross-country ski machine), a recumbent exercise bike, rowing, and rock climbing “treadmills.”

Yet another method of improving your CV endurance (along with your anaerobic power and muscle strength) is circuit training. This type of workout is a better “all-around” activity because you get a little bit of each of three types of fitness; endurance, power and strength.

In a recently completed research study, we analyzed the skating characteristics of NHL forwards and found some very interesting information about the way the players skate during a game. Of particular interest is the fact that the players spent the majority of time (on the ice) gliding on two feet, and struggling for the puck or position also had a higher percentage of time-spent than did skating at full speed. This may indicate that the fatigue experienced in hockey is not caused by full speed skating, but rather by battling with other players for the puck or position. Therefore, a workout that involves “total body movements” may provide a better stimulus for hockey.

You can perform circuit training at home, with or without weights; at the gym (with weights); or even in the park.

The sidebar shows an example of a circuit which can be done at home. All that is needed is a soft surface (an exercise mat or a rug) and some hand weights. As with any type of exercise, you should always start with stretching and a warm-up, and the first circuit should be performed at a low intensity. One circuit should take approximately 3-5 a minutes, so move through the circuit five, six or seven times.

Whatever you end up doing, always remember the key points of aerobic training—moderate intensity, 20-30 minutes of continuous activity, and always move your legs. And once you’re well into a program designed to increase your CV endurance, you may find you’re also well into your best stretch ever as a hockey player.

Dr. Bracko and Dean Lyons are sports physiologists who specialize in performance enhancement for hockey players.

This first appeared in the 06/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

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Keith Tkachuk: You can hear him coming

Keith Tkachuk: You can hear him coming
By Sam Laskaris
Oct 29, 2001, 20:30

©BBS

Keith Tkachuk has that choir boy look. Nice, innocent—the kind of guy any girl would love to take home to mother. But throw some hockey equipment on the Winnipeg Jets captain and he instantly transforms into a terror on blades.

Tkachuk, who turned 23 in March, is already regarded as one of the top power forwards in the National Hockey League, a 6’2”, 210-pound left winger who can punish opponents in any number of ways.

Last season he led the Jets in scoring, collecting 41 goals and 81 points. And what makes this accomplishment even more significant is that Tkachuk managed to achieve those totals while also chalking up a whopping 255 penalty minutes. In fact, enforcer Tie Domi was the only Jets player who spent more time in the sin bin (347 minutes) than did Tkachuk.

“The scary thing about Keith is that he’s only going to get better,” says Domi. “He’s still got a lot to learn and (has to) mature more. But he’s going to be a great player for a long time.”

Tkachuk is in his third full season in the NHL. He joined the Jets in February of 1992, after helping the United States to a fourth-place finish at the Olympic Games in Albertville, France. Winnipeg had selected Tkachuk in the first round, 19th overall, of the 1990 Entry Draft.

They call him “Walt”

Tkachuk is not related to former New York Rangers forward Walt Tkaczuk (note the different spelling), who played 14 NHL seasons before retiring in 1981, but that hasn’t prevented his teammates from nicknaming him “Walt.”

There’s another NHL player, however, whom Tkachuk prefers to emulate—Boston Bruins rugged right winger Cam Neely.

“When I was in high school, I watched Cam Neely play,” says Tkachuk, a native of Melrose, MA. “Just by watching him I (knew I) wanted to be like him. I didn’t get to a lot of games, but I watched him on TV all the time.”

Not surprisingly, Tkachuk was a Bruins fan.

“I really liked the Bruins style of banging,” he says. “It was just fun watching the big black and gold bullies. And watching Cam play, he was everything I wanted to be.”

Well, sometimes you get what you want. When Tkachuk broke into the NHL, he too steamrolled his way to a reputation for toughness. “When you first get into the league you want to get some respect (from the opposition) and earn some respect from your teammates,” he reasons. “I had to go out and crash and bang and, when the opportunity was there, get into the odd scuffle.”

Since Tkachuk is as valuable a scorer as he is a physical presence, the Jets would like to see him maintain his aggressiveness while cutting down on his penalty minutes. After all, you can neither score nor bang when you’re in the box.

“He should probably show a little patience sometimes when he gets hit,” says Winnipeg center Thomas Steen. “He likes to retaliate.”

But don’t get Steen wrong for chiding the young winger; he’s a big Tkachuk booster. “He’s still a young guy,” says Steen. “But he’s growing into a Mark Messier-type of player. He’s very hard to stop in front of the net.

“He’ll be a great leader for this team for some time.”

Steen, who is in his 14th NHL season, all with Winnipeg, says the Jets have never had a player like Tkachuk. “He’s a force all over the ice. Even in the defensive zone, he does the job. We’ve had big forwards who were good forecheckers before, but not the type of player Keith is. There aren’t too many guys like him in the league.”

The few names that do come to mind are Neely, Kevin Stevens, Rick Tocchet and Brendan Shanahan. All of whom, like Tkachuk, can strike fear into an opponent’s heart.

“They know when Keith Tkachuk is coming,” notes Steen. “They can hear him coming. He’s like a train.”

The Olympic line

Earlier this season, Tkachuk was playing on a line which looked more like a runaway train. Alongside Russian center Alexei Zhamnov and Finnish right winger Teemu Selanne, this international trio—dubbed The Olympic Line, because each player represented his country at the 1992 Olympics—comprised what was then arguably the NHL’s top line.

“They can all be the best player in the world at their position when they’re playing,” boasts Jets GM (and, until recently, coach) John Paddock. “There’s nothing they don’t have when they want to play. They’ve got a sniper (Selanne), a great playmaking and skilled goal-scoring centerman, and a player who will be one of the best power forwards in the game for the next 10-12 years. They have everything.”

Obviously not a subscriber to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” theory, Paddock broke up the hot-scoring trio in mid-March. When Igor Korolev joined the Jets from St. Louis, he was teamed up with former Russian teammate Zhamnov and left winger Dallas Drake. Nelson Emerson was switched to center with Selanne and Tkachuk.

Paddock said the move wasn’t a message to anyone, just an attempt to spread the wealth. “We (were) just trying to get a little more balance, and trying to get some of our other forwards producing more.”

And it’s hard to argue with the results: Zhamnov soon had a five-goal game against the Kings, while Emerson notched a goal and four assists in another tilt in which Tkachuk registered two shorthanded goals.

As one would expect of a team-oriented captain like Tkachuk, he took the line change in stride. “I think we need a little more balance, and John obviously (thought) that too. I don’t mind.”

Besides, things changed before, and they may well change again. As for The Olympic Line’s brief moments of brilliance, Tkachuk credits his linemates.

“First of all, Alex Zhamnov is just playing tremendous hockey. Anybody can play with him right now and he would make them better. Put any guys with him and they’re going to produce. And Teemu is Teemu. He’s flashy, he’s got that great speed, and he’s collecting goals. Alex is going to set him up every time, and Teemu is going to put them home.”

Even after the big break-up, the trio still found themselves sharing some power play time. Paddock had Zhamnov playing the point while Tkachuk, Selanne and Korolev comprised the forward line.

Zhamnov, who played against Tkachuk in the Olympics, wasn’t going to dwell on the fact that the captain was taken off his line.

“I’m not the coach,” said Zhamnov, who helped the Russians capture the Gold at Albertville. “I don’t think much about it. If the coach thinks we need to play together, we’ll play together. If not, we’ll play on two lines.”

Proud to wear the ‘C’

Tkachuk is one of only a few NHL players who were drafted out of the US high school ranks. After completing his secondary school studies he joined Boston University, but only for one season. After that, he opted to leave school and join the American national team program.

The Jets are obviously delighted Tkachuk turned pro earlier than originally expected.

“He’s got all the skills,” says Selanne. “He’s got power, he can skate and he can score goals. He’s a very important player. I’ve been with the team three years, and it’s been a pleasure playing with him.”

Though some eyebrows were raised when Tkachuk was named Jets captain at the tender age of 21, Selanne says he wasn’t surprised.

“He can win games for the team sometimes just by himself when he’s playing his best hockey,” says Winnipeg’s flying Finn. “And he’s a big leader here. He wants to show all the players that he cares about this team.”

Tkachuk is proud of wearing the C.

“It’s quite an honor,” he says. “It shows a lot of confidence from the coaches in me, and that makes me play a lot better. Being one of the youngest guys (on the team) makes it tough, but I’m getting a lot of help from the (other) guys. The biggest positive I have about being captain is that I can hopefully go out and lead by example on the ice. Inside (the dressing room), it will take care of itself.”

Though Tkachuk is expected to remain the team’s captain for some time, it’s uncertain whether the Jets will still be in Winnipeg. A deadline of May 1 has been established to see if government officials are willing to financially assist the franchise in the construction of a new arena, which Gary Bettman has said is a necessity if Winnipeg is to keep its team. Speculation has the Jets moving south of the border—where Tkachuk will be an All American drawing card—possibly to Minnesota.

“There are a lot of rumors going around, but we don’t know what’s going to happen,” says Tkachuk. “It’s out of our control. You just have to go out and do your best. It’s very important to our lives whether we’re going to stay in the city or not, but we just have to go out and try to win some hockey games.”

If he had a vote, Tkachuk would want the Jets to stay put.

“I love Winnipeg,” he says. “It’s a great town. The fans are great. People are great. But we need a new building to generate some money for the team. That’s something they have to work out, and like I said, it’s out of our control.”

Performance matters now

What is in control of the team’s players is their performance on the ice. Despite Tkachuk’s individual success, Winnipeg has yet to win a playoff series in his time with the club. The Jets didn’t even earn a post-season berth last year, and are in danger of missing the playoffs again.

“If you look around, we’ve got the talent,” says Tkachuk. “We just have to put it together. Whether we’re missing a player or two is not up to me to say. That’s the management’s job. We’re pretty happy with the guys we’ve got. We just have to put it together and work as a team.”

Management did make a few moves at the trading deadline, adding forwards Mike Eastwood (from Toronto) and Ed Olczyk (from the Rangers), and defenseman Greg Brown (from Pittsburgh). Out of the Winnipeg mix are forwards Tie Domi and Mike Eagles, and defenseman Igor Ulanov.

Like other Winnipeg players, defenseman Dave Manson also speaks highly of the club’s captain, ranking him high among the league’s power forwards.

“If not first, he’s second or third,” says Manson. “He’s definitely in the top three. He’s young, he’s a leader and he’s already proven himself in the NHL. He doesn’t take (bull) from anyone, and that’s the bottom line.”

Manson doesn’t agree with the suggestion that Tkachuk would be even more well known if he were playing elsewhere, even though Winnipeg is far from being a major media market.

“If we won the Stanley Cup then he’d get more recognition,” says Manson. “But he’s got a lot of recognition now throughout the league. You ask any other team, and they’ll say they’ve got to stop him.”

Which has so far been about as easy as stopping that runaway train.

This first appeared in the 06/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Warrior Projekt Shin Pads

Patrick Perrett takes a look at the newer model of the Projekt Shin pads from Warrior.

Hockey School Reality Check

Hockey school reality check
By Bettina Young Prochnow
Oct 29, 2001, 20:27

One glance at the long list of summer hockey camps, here in the US and in Canada, is enough to confuse both player and parent. Sales brochures do everything but guarantee that a player coming out of their camp will be ready for the professional leagues—usually in only a week! They will tell you who their “big name professionals” are; how much ice time a skater gets a day; and then talk about their state-of-the-art facility and teaching techniques.

Stop. It’s time for a reality check. Is that famous hockey player there to teach, or just to bring in students and sign autographs? Is the promised ice time realistic? (Just try to find an athlete who can spend 10 hours a day on the ice!) How much player improvement can be expected in a one- or two-week camp? Are they still using outdated drills from the ‘50s and ‘60’s, or are they doing plyometrics and explosiveness training?

No doubt about it, finding the best camp for your money is a tough call, so here are a few guidelines to help you make an informed choice.

Cost considerations

The first consideration is financial. How much money the family can afford to spend will determine whether the player goes to a live-in camp—almost always more expensive—or attends a day camp. If you can’t afford a live-in camp, don’t fret; day camps can offer very good skill development as well.

However, for those looking into sending a player away to camp, take some advice from Glenn Olson, athletic director at Vermont’s Rutland High School and USA Hockey’s coach-in-chief for the New England District. “The number one key,” says Olson, “is to find a camp that has a lot of other recreational activities to offer.

“College coaches are seeing that on the whole, US hockey players are not well-rounded athletes. Summer should be a time to not only keep up your hockey skills, but (also) to develop athletic skills that come from other sports. The more varied athletic opportunities you participate in, the better.”

Bob McCrum, USA District head coach for the Twin Cities area in Minnesota, echoes that sentiment. “Look at Russia, which has the best hockey in the world. Many of their players didn’t pick up a hockey stick until they were 14 or 15 years old. But they grew up with intense physical training in all kinds of sports, from gymnastics to soccer.

“There are more indoor ice rinks in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area than in all of Russia,” he adds, “so you have to ask yourself if development is (taking place) on ice or off ice?”

Obviously, a mix of both is important. When looking into a camp’s on-ice sessions, Bob suggests you watch the drills.

Avoiding grinders

“You don’t want to go to a camp for example, where ‘grinders’ are still being done. I was doing those back in the ‘50s—(drills) where you skate to the blue line as fast as you can, stop, turn and skate back to the red line only to stop, turn and go back to the blue line.”

This is a drill that teaches two things, he says—endur-ance, and how to cheat (watch how well a kid stops by the third or fourth go-round)—in a game where endurance is not needed. What is needed is explosiveness, quickness and power training, followed by recuperation time—which is just as important as power.

“A camp that is on the cutting edge will have this kind of training along with correctly designed practices—where kids are with the puck more than they’re not!”

The basic skills of stickhandling, passing, receiving, shooting, and checking should always be emphasized.

“The one big area where you can see growth and development in a hockey player from a camp,” says Olson, “is in one that specializes in developing these basic skills.”

Some of these include power skating camps like Laura Stamm, Gary Hebert, Robby Glantz and Paul Vincent, which have sessions in all parts of the country. Turcotte Stickhandling is another one. And Huron Hockey Schools have sessions all over the country as well.

The good news is that many of these types of camps are day camps, which helps keep costs down.

“Keep in mind,” adds Olson, “that the time of year may make a difference in how well a player retains his new skills.” A player that attends a session in June may not be quite as sharp by September.

Finally, just who is doing the coaching at these camps? You don’t always need “a big name.”

“My personal preference,” Olson says, “is (a camp with) an all college and/or high school coaching staff. They have experience teaching and they develop hockey talent for a living.”

And McCrum brings an often forgotten point into the decision-making process. “The best coach,” he notes, “is one who helps kids have fun and keeps them fired up.”

Which is what summer hockey camp should be all about.

Bettina Young Prochnow is a hockey player with the NCWHL and has two sons in hockey. She is a columnist for a newspaper in Livermore, CA.

This first appeared in the 06/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Warrior Projekt Shoulder Pads

Patrick Perrett takes a look at the newer model of the Projekt Shoulder pads from Warrior.

Warrior Projekt Shin Pads

Patrick Perrett takes a look at the newer model of the Projekt Shin pads from Warrior.

Warrior Projekt Elbow Pads

Patrick Perrett takes a look at the newer model of the Projekt Elbow pads from Warrior.