Tag Archive: Cleveland monsters
December 31, 2019 10:45 pm
Published by Russ Sinkewich
We hope everyone has had a great, refreshing holiday break. Friends, family, time off for the holidays – it’s the best! With the break, there’s no better time than NOW to reset, reevaluate, and focus on making your goals a reality heading into the new year! Take a hard look at 2019 – celebrate the positive, embrace the negative, and grow through the hard lessons learned along the way. Most importantly establish your plan to make 2020 your year! It’s about the game plan, and the ACTION! Set your game plan, and get after it this year!
We can’t wait to watch you make it happen in 2020!
October 29, 2019 4:54 pm
Published by Russ Sinkewich
When one of the most exciting parts of the game presents itself – “the breakaway”, don’t waste this one on one opportunity to light the lamp! Whether you’re watching a game on TV, or a youth practice or game, here’s some next level secrets that will make all the difference!
- Speed
- Your attack speed is a vital element on your side. Understanding when you should be skating at full speed to push a goalie back in their crease, or when to slow down (time permitting) to allow you to out wait the goalie. The speed and timing of your approach is crucial!
- Deception
- This features your stick handling ability, as well as your lateral (side to side) movement with your head and shoulders. The sneakier the better! Remember, when stick handling, its the top hand that drives each cradle of the puck!
- Angles
- If possible, take an angle in your approach to the net. This will challenge the goalies positioning in net. The more you’re able to get a goalie moving side to side, the more holes will open.
Have a safe and fun Halloween!
October 1, 2019 3:43 pm
Published by Russ Sinkewich
As physical as the game of hockey is, so much more is mental than you’ll ever believe! Resilient, mentally tough athletes (and people) always find a way to succeed! I believe there are 3 different scenarios that will test your mental toughness as a hockey player:
- Managing uncontrollabes.
- Your favorite stick broke, the ice sucks, the ref made a bad call, the coach changed the lines… Acknowledge them, see them as challenges and realign your efforts.
- Self-inflicted mistakes – Have a short memory!
- Being properly prepared to perform will eliminate a lot of mistakes right out of the gate. With the self-inflicted mistakes of poor play, develop an in-game routine of controlled breathing and visualization to calm down while re-focusing to get your mind back in the game.
- Safely playing through pain + discomfort.
- This is not regarding serious injuries. More so, when you feel that burn in your legs, or your trying to catch your breath, or knowing that blister is killing you – Dig deep and find a way to persevere!
Be the best warrior version of yourself you can be this season!
May 10, 2019 10:18 pm
Published by Russ Sinkewich
After nearly 30 years of being involved in the sport in every capacity I’m a firm believer that reflecting in a few key areas has brought some of the greatest rewards!
Living in the moment
Ride the highs and never let the lows bring you down! Celebrate the positive, filter the negative, and grow from the mistakes. Treat every opportunity like its game 7!
Embracing the process
The “process” is an ever-evolving journey of your development as an athlete setting out to accomplish goals. Your journey is always changing as goals, passions, and expectations should shift. If you ever think you’ve arrived, you’re in the wrong place.
Perspective & Gratitude
Your perspective is what truly makes everything so fulfilling. Be honest with yourself and fully understand where you’ve come, and where you want to go! Gratitude is a special experience never lose sight of how fortunate we are for our abilities, resources, and accomplishments.
We can’t wait for huge off-season of growth and gains!
April 21, 2019 1:20 pm
Published by Russ Sinkewich
Just because you’re not on the ice as much as you would be in season doesn’t mean you can’t be putting in the work in other parts of your game! For all of our athletes not yet in a gym consistently or working with performance training specialists here’s some simple key factors to work into your home training regimen!
- SPEED
- Agility foot speed ladder
- Sprinting – focus on short bursts
- Agility cone drills – focused on aggressive, cutting patterns.
- Jump rope
- POWER
- Body weight pushups, squats
- Any type of jumping exercises
- Squat jumps, tuck jumps, single leg jumps, lateral jumping
- Single leg balance exercises
- Hill or Stair running
- Band resistance exercises.
- CONDITIONING
- Jogging for distance or time
- Rollerblading
- Burpees
- Join Mom at a spinning class!
- CORE STRENGTH
- Countless number of ab and core exercises.
Don’t worry about getting too hung up about “hockey specific” workouts. Focus on improving athleticism, with some added attention on speed and power. The main mission is to build a foundation, so when you’re throwing around weights in the years to come your body is prepared to make some serious gains!
Looking for some extra professional guidance? Let us know! We’ve got some awesome industry contacts!
April 11, 2019 12:34 am
Published by Russ Sinkewich
Often times you’ll hear the word “grit” get thrown around. It can vary in meaning based on the circumstances. But, what does it really mean? I like to think of it as:
GRIT
Made up of hustle, passion, and perseverance.
Grit encompasses a player’s ability to “find a way”. Grit can be physical, just as much as it can be mental. Some will say grit is a character trait ~ you either have it or you don’t… Sure, that can be true for some. However, I would also argue that grit is a skill, and like all skills, it can be learned, and improved upon over time. Regardless of how you choose to view someone’s grit, it’s essential. Not only in hockey, but in life!
Always be on the hustle. Never lose the passion. Persevere no matter what!
March 25, 2019 1:49 am
Published by Russ Sinkewich
There’s no better time than the present to sit down and write down your off-season goals. As we move into the spring, what a perfect time to constructively criticize your game and create plan of attack on how you’re going to improve and take your game to the next level! Visualize your goals into existence. Start with a few simple, short terms goals that will build your confidence and generate some momentum. Then target your larger, long-term objectives which are months on the horizon!
Remember, a goal without a plan is just a wish!
February 26, 2019 9:15 pm
Published by Russ Sinkewich
Being a “bubble” player… To the many young players living in the bubble, rest assured, you’re not alone. I spent many of my formidable years in this frustrating space – being good, but often times falling short of the end goal. Here’s some key concepts that will help burst that bubble and lead to future successes.
- Persevere
- No matter what, there can never be any quit! Every NO, gets you that much closer to the YES you’re looking for! Valuable lessons are learned with falling short of your goals!
- Jump off the page
- You MUST compete with an extremely high level of desperation! Make a panel of evaluators say, “Wow, who’s that?”OR “We love that kid’s heart and hustle!”
- Find Your Role
- An extension of “Being A Swiss Army Knife”… What role or series of contributions can you make to a specific team that will make you a desired player?
Looking back on my career, life in the bubble (where I spent A LOT of time) was the best thing for me – I’d take that over life on “easy street” any day! The adversity shaped my character and put the growth of my mental toughness into hyper drive!
February 14, 2019 1:06 am
Published by Russ Sinkewich
Being a Swiss Army Knife – The ultimate compliment!Simply, this is a player’s ability to carry and excel at many skills. Sure, being very good at specific traits helps catch an early eye… However, the players that stand the test of time in their careers and ultimately “make it”,are the ones who have the capacity to bring many quality traits to the table at the same time that better their team. These (positive) shape shifting, utility players are ready and able to contribute however they’re called upon.
Swiss Army Knife Players are…
- Good at a number of skills. Versus only dominating one or two.
- Not hung up on what role they play on that team.
- Great teammates. Prioritizing how they can help the team.
- They can do a little bit of everything!
- Necessary on every successful roster.
Swiss Army Knife Player are NOT…
- Selfish
- Worried about their “role” or “place” on a team.
- Single skill focused.
Sure, every team can use a star… Never forget for every star on a team there’s 2-3 Swiss Army knife players that fly under the radar, that are an invaluable piece to that team’s success!
January 31, 2019 3:49 am
Published by Russ Sinkewich
One of the greatest tip’s I wish I could go back and tell my younger self: Enjoy the ride! Hard to believe we’re rounding out the final month of the season. Rest assured the upcoming tryouts, (all that go into those; good and bad) and future opportunities are on their way… But, before you punch the gas to the finish line, take a moment to let the gratitude of this year’s experiences soak in! All the hard work your athlete and their teammates have put in! Some of the great families you’ve shared memories with this year! The highs, the lows and everything in between…
Speaking from the heart on my experience, the ride was 10x greater than any destination I ever arrived at! Here’s to a great final month of the season! Make it count!!!