Tag Archive: development
April 5, 2022 3:53 pm
Published by Russ Sinkewich
Often, you’ll hear the phrase “be a student of the game”, but does your athlete truly understand the meaning of this. The impact of living this this idea to its fullest can be profound! No different than our effort and application in the classroom at school the same needs to be done around the sport.
- “Listen” don’t “hear”
- Take the coaching and apply it! Listen and embody the lessons being taught, don’t just hear the coach and settle back to your ways. Coachablity is KEY!
- “Watch + learn” don’t “space out”
- Be totally engaged in the process of learning. When a drill is being done by others watch it like a hawk. The amount of growth that can be done simply by watching and learning from others positives and negatives is a difference maker in your development.
- What are you doing when no one is watching?
- The commitment to your craft cannot be a part time thing. If you have sincere goals about achieving great things in the sport then your commitment off the ice needs to be as sincere as those goals. Shooting-stick handling at home daily, a healthy diet, working on your athleticism, constant self-reflection; not only on your goals but with your mindset and mental approach to your growth.
There is NO better than moment than right now to develop your off-season plan and lay the foundation to become an “A” student of the game!
March 29, 2022 3:43 pm
Published by Russ Sinkewich
When it comes to skating development, we get one recurring themed question above the rest. “Can you help my child get faster?” That answer is always YES! Here’s an awesome at home off-season training exercises to build that speed!
Making your speed and lower body strength training a priority is a must this off-season! Even something as simple as a quick 5-10 minute series of quick feet and jumping exercises will make a world of difference!
February 14, 2022 7:06 pm
Published by Russ Sinkewich
We’re down to the wire! Whether your team is in position to take home a championship or you’re seeing the season end in sight – There’s no better time than this moment to finish the season off the right way!
Prioritize what matters most right now:
- Your contributions to your team
- Focus on your controllables and give nothing short of your best every time you have an opportunity to contribute.
- Your mindset
- Shift at a time mentality. Every rep, every shift, every practice, every game – you’re ascending to the best version of yourself!
- Your perspective
- Take a step back [metaphorically] and don’t lose sight how much fun you’re having. The laughs with teammates, pressure situations in games, depleted feeling you get when you know you gave it your 100% – These experiences are a gift, cherish them!
Block out the noise:
- Upcoming Tryouts
- They don’t matter right now. Fun fact; the better you perform today will provide more for you tomorrow!
- Spring Sports
- They’re not going anywhere.
- Lingering frustrations
- Lows and challenges are what make the successes that much sweeter. Some of the most successful athletes will tell you – “you’ve got to have short memory.” It takes a lot more energy out of your battery to hold on to something versus letting it go and moving forward!
Leave everything you have on the ice – skate with no regrets down these final few weeks!!!
October 16, 2020 2:48 pm
Published by Joe Young
As athletes, it is important to remember to not only take care of the body but to also take care of the mind! Maintaining a healthy mindset can help propel your athlete’s development to a whole new level! Here are a few awesome tips to maintain a healthy mindset through the year:
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Choose and maintain a positive attitude.
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Maintain a high level of self-motivation.
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Set high, realistic goals.
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Use positive self-talk + mental imagery.
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Stay focused on the goals in front of you
Many athletes forget to take care of their minds, as well as their bodies. If your mental state isn’t where it needs to be, your development as an athlete and as a person could suffer. Remember to take care of YOU!
Keep staying healthy and positive amidst these challenging times!
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!
December 12, 2019 6:11 pm
Published by Russ Sinkewich
So often we let our tunneled focus on goals, achievements, and expectations cloud our perspective of what truly matters. Without a doubt, having goals and an action plan to achieve those goals is critical to long term success. However, never at the cost of losing your perspective.
I vividly remember having chapters in my career where I would be so obsessed on the goals and expectations I set for myself that I would forget why I even played the game. I would take my health (mentally and physically) for granted, I would underestimate accomplishments, I would look at “issues” in my hockey world and over dramatize them, and worst of all I lost sight of my reasons why I loved the game so much. Remember, your hockey issues are not the end of the world – your lows are never as low as you think they are!
The first step out of every low point I ever experienced was digging deep and finding my gratitude for so many wonderful things in my life and career. I would mindfully re align my focus to all of the aspects of the game that I cherished so much. Like clockwork, the anxiety and stressors that ate at me would disappear and I would be back on my way chasing my dream.
Keep your goals in sight, but never lose your perspective, gratitude, and passion for the game!
October 14, 2019 1:21 pm
Published by Russ Sinkewich
As a player, you work your tail off to put yourself in a position to get a shot on net. Be sure to make each and every shot count! Here’s a few pro tips that should be racing through your head just before you take that picturesque shot:
- Use Key Fundamentals
- Flex. Let the flex of your stick do the work. This is what adds speed and power. Your top hand “pulls” at the same time your bottom hand “pushes”.
- Blade Positioning. Your blade needs to ALWAYS stay closed (and cupped) over the puck. The second the face of the blade opens; a bad shot will follow.
- Follow Through. Turn your wrists over at the end of your shot allowing an accurate, powerful follow through.
- Total Body. Its not just your arms. Engage your legs and core muscles to add power to your shot!
- Heads up – Placement Matters!
- The hardest shot in the game still won’t go through a goalie! Take that split second and pick up your head to lock in your sights on where you’re shooting! When in doubt, keep the puck low to allow a rebound for a teammate driving the net!!!
- Release Speed
- You shouldn’t be counting out “Mississippi’s” during your shot release. Get the puck to your loaded position at the back of your stance ASAP, then trust your fundamentals to drive that shot from the loaded position to the final point of the release as quickly as humanly possible!
We can’t wait to watch the goals pour in this season!
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!