STEP THREE: STRENGTH
This is where I get into trouble with some goalie coaches who insist that power is more important than strength – and they are right.
What they don’t know is the best way to improve goalie’s power is to improve their strength. Want to improve their speed in the crease? Make them stronger.
You see we get speed from two elements – how much force we can produce and how quickly we can produce it. The mathematical formula for power is…
Power = (Force x Distance) / Time
Now how did we get talking about math again? Anyway, the speed with which you can apply your force does have a genetic limit. There are sprinters and marathoners and no matter how hard you train, you will never turn a world class sprinter into a marathoner nor vice versa.
But you really can make dramatic improvements in the amount of force any athlete can produce with the right kind of strength training. HINT: Not using the leg press or the knee extension machine
STEP FOUR: SPEED
This is where power comes into the equation. We increase the amount of force an athlete can produce using their fast twitch muscle fibre and then we help them produce that force as quickly as possible progressing to more goalie specific movement patterns over time.
Remember that you are not trying to mimic on ice training when you are doing your dryland goalie training, but you are trying to use some similar movement patterns.
For example, doing a vertical jump is a great way to build leg power, but can you see how a goalie needs to progress to lateral hops from different starting postures to enhance their ability on the ice. You don’t see many goalies jumping up in the air to make a save.
STEP FIVE: STAMINA
Again, I get some push back on the idea that speed comes before stamina on the hierarchy of goalie training. After all, the goalie is on the ice the entire game right?
I think I can solve this with an analogy. If the goalie spent their entire time on the ice skating laps, then I would gladly bump ‘Stamina’ up in the overall goalie training scheme.
But since a goalie earns their keep by stopping the puck which more often than not hinges on a quick anticipatory or even reactive movement in a desperation save then that is going to take priority.
Even when training stamina in goalies, high intensity interval type training is far more productive than the long slow distance of a marathoner. The goalie is a sprinter – they just have about 40 heats that they need to complete every game.
So there you have the exact steps you need to follow to maximize your performance. Each step is important, you need to do them all, you just need to do them in the correct order.
Imagine if your contractor started putting up drywall before all the plumbing and wiring was finished.
Would you say, “Oh, but the drywall looks so cool and I just want to get the place painted”?
Hopefully not.
Hopefully you would show them the door with your boot and find someone who could follow a strategic progression from start to finish. So this gives you the tools you need to get the job done. If you are not 100% sure exactly how to use all of the tools effectively, then you should probably keep reading…
Now, let’s try reverse-engineering your hockey career. Maybe you want to play up a level or just move up to the first or second line, do you think one of the best ways to do that is to get faster, get stronger and get more stamina? I thought so.
Coaches build their reputation on success, on winning championships, on getting players drafted to the next level. You are trying to make it as far as you possibly can with hockey, maybe even earn that scholarship that would really make things easier for your parents.
I know for a lot of you the best part about going to school is getting to see your teammates so you can talk hockey, the weekend tournament where you fell short in the championship game and how you guys won’t let that happen next time.
Again, there is Jeff , the guy who got bumped down a level last year at tryouts, you still hang out with him, but now he is kind of on the fringe. You guys are continuing along the path to a higher level of competition, to play Junior or earn a scholarship.
Jeff is playing with a team where half of the guys are just there to have fun and they are okay with not making the play-offs. They are participants.
Then there are guys who play hard, but just don’t have the skill to move up and then there is Jeff who is desperately trying to get back to the top level, the competitors.
It is not Jeff’s fault he got sent down (you might be making the same mistakes). Jeff was lucky because he was able to do weight training in phys-ed class three days per week and he really felt like he was getting stronger.
Maybe some of the other guys were maturing a little faster making them stronger, faster and more skilled or maybe they knew something Jeff didn’t.
Maybe they had discovered, either through coaching or by chance that a hockey player needs a very specific type of stability, strength, speed and stamina.
Consider this…
Please don’t misunderstand me, it is fine to be a ‘participant’. I would way rather see you out playing and having fun, than sitting playing video games. This detailed training blueprint is NOT for those of you who tell yourselves it is okay to be playing down a level. After all, less travel, more time for homework and friends – that might be nice.
However for guys like you and guys like Jeff, you live to play hockey, you even dream of playing pro one day. You do not want more time for homework, you want more time on the ice with your teammates; with your TRIBE.
It is what Jeff will use to get back on your team next season, I can tell you that right now, which means someone else will be getting bumped down next season, don’t let it be you.
Comparing you to the players who already know the secret is like comparing a short order cook to a fine chef. With the right tricks and techniques, the cook could step up to the next level, but maybe they are happy where they are, or maybe they just don’t have the right step-by-step recipes to make the shift to the big time.
I wish I had a magic pill that would transform your play on the ice, but I don’t. This blueprint is the next best thing.
Your Step-By-Step Blueprint To Transform You From The Player You Are To The Player You Know You CAN Be.
If you are trying to go somewhere you have never been before you would want a map or even better, a GPS with the directions programed in right? You don’t want to waste your time guessing and taking wrong turns along the way, yet that is exactly what so many of you are currently doing with your off-ice training.
WRONG TURN #1: You have a ‘Chest Day’ or a ‘Back & Biceps Day’
This is a huge mistake that I have seen repeated over and over again for my 19+ years in the fitness business. This may work for bodybuilders who are getting some pharmaceutical assistance (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), but honestly, would you want a bodybuilder on your team?
This is not the way athletes train. PERIOD.
WRONG TURN #2: You think more is better so you train for 6 hours a day
This is a perfect example of trying to do the right thing but actually hurting your performance on the ice. Instead of getting stronger, faster and more agile you are hitting plateaus in the weight room and getting slower on the ice.
You are losing your jump and that is going to make it really hard to stand out on the ice.
WRONG TURN #3: You use machines at the gym because you can lift more weight with them
It is true that lifting heavy loads is what makes you stronger, but when you use a machine you are essentially blocking your body from using that strength on the ice.
You see, we need to be able to stabilize the force we produce. What do machines do? The take away the demand to stabilize. Your stabilizers stay weak, therefore you cannot use that ‘machine’ strength when you are on the ice.
That’s why you get stronger in the gym, but still get manhandled on the ice.
WRONG TURN #4: You do way too much endurance training and not nearly enough speed training
I even know good strength and conditioning coaches who still make this mistake. They make the duration of their speed intervals too long. Their players fatigue through the speed drills, but the coach keeps pushing them.
The player moves slower and slower, but the coach still pushes them. The player gets cut at tryouts because he is too slow – the coach is puzzled and blames the athlete for not working hard enough.
There are times to do the training described above, but that is not your speed training days. These days should almost feel easy as you tap into that elusive ‘extra gear’ which will be your secret weapon on the ice.
WRONG TURN #5: You mistake HARD training with proper training
If I told you the best way to become an elite hockey player was to do 500 jumping jacks, 500 burpees and 500 push-ups would you think I was crazy? Hopefully you would!
If the option is sitting on the sofa eating Cheetos, then the workout described above would be preferable. But if you are trying to become one of the elite players in your league, then the high volume, high relative intensity workouts are going to hamper your development.
I am not saying they are not fun and challenging and HARD. They are all that, but your mission is not to do what is ‘fun and challenging’, your mission is to become one of the elite players in your league.
Maria Mountain continues to shine as one of the best and brightest additions to the goalie community in regards to fitness, injury prevention and nutrition. I have been working with Maria for many years and being an adult beer league goalie she continues to help me strive to meet my personal fitness goals. All of her programs are easily compatible with a straight beginner all the way up to the pro-level.
That’s what make them so perfect and affordable.
We aren’t the ones who have a personal trainer, free gym time and a nutritionist on staff. We get up for work the same as everyone else, except we play in net (usually late at night) multiple times a week. These are the people it’s helping the most, the everyday people, like you and me. I continue to follow Maria and ask for her advice and follow her advice on my fitness needs.
Keep up the good work!
Maria,
I live and play adult/senior hockey in the Buffalo, NY area. Thanks for posting the 14 day challenge (and program) for flexible and durable hips. Since starting the program (maybe 6 to 7 weeks ago) my GAA has dropped by 25. My teams have remarked that my positioning and reflexes are much better. I am sure they are, as a 52 year old goalie (with several serious medical issues) the pain in my hips is (perhaps better to say WAS) excrutiating. Since following the program the pain is greatly reduced. While I still have pain (due to the underlying medical condition) your excellent program has extended my playing career. Earlier this season I was thinking that I may need to retire – now I am the winningest goalie in my division (12 teams)!
Please keep the tips and programs coming!
Maria, Your conditioning tips have helped bring my game to the next level, to the point that I have received interest from a Junior hockey team. Over the past two seasons, I have put up the best statistics of my career in both my league and my high school hockey. Your tips on improving cardio, strength, and speed have allowed me to push stronger and quicker and stay fresher throughout the third period and into overtime.
Your core exercises have taught me houw to properly train my core area without doing sit-ups for an hour and how to reduce the chances of injuries. My flexibility has increased so much that there is never a puck that I can’t reach with a part of my body.
Thank You!
Since starting out as a trainer in a big box gym in 1994 I have had a lot of time to see what works. I can tell you that there is nothing I do today that I did when I started out. I have literally found a better way to do everything when it comes to training athletes.
I know what is relevant and what is noise. What is a nice to have and what is essential. I have learned this by training players from all levels of minor hockey, junior hockey, adult hockey, college hockey and pro hockey including a Stanley Cup Champion.
It is about applying the science of athletic development to the art of hockey. It is about applying the lessons I learned while working as the Exercise Specialist at the renowned Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic at Western University in London, Ontario.
It was actually during my time at the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic that I discovered taking an “Inside Out Approach” to athlete training.
What is the “Inside Out Approach”? You see the sport medicine clinic was the place where all the injured Varsity athletes went for treatment. It was a virtual laboratory for me to try out innovative ways to get athletes back to play quickly and effectively.
We had to work within their restrictions after injury or surgery. So I was forced to work on their mobility first, then add a layer of stability, then add strength, but not just any strength, useable strength or what I call Functional Strength. From there we layered on explosive power and then taught the athletes to be explosive even when fatigued.
Imagine my surprise (and the surprise of their coaches and teammates) when players would head back to play and be even better on the ice than they were before the injury.
The players I worked with actually did not want to get discharged from physio, they wanted to keep coming back to train with me. The clinic had to create a ‘Rehab Membership’ so that the players could come in to train. Then other players started coming to ask if I would train them – – and they weren’t even injured.
This is the foundation upon which I have built my training philosophy and I continually fine-tune it as I learn and discover better ways. It is not a short-order cook approach; it is the approach of a chef.
It allows the athletes that train with us at Revolution Sport Conditioning (yes, my full time job is training athletes face-to-face, I am not another one of those internet gurus who has only ever trained themselves and their buddies) to get consistent results on the ice.
This is your step-by-step guide to success on the ice this season. You can follow a 9 or 16-week training schedule. I recommend the 16-week program, but I know some of you do not have the luxury of time.
It is the GPS to success that I spoke about earlier.
It contains your detailed daily workouts so you know exactly what to do each day of your transformation. I tell you how many sets, how many reps, what tempo to use and how long to rest. Just like I do with the players I train in person.
The Hockey Training Blueprint training calendar outlines exactly when to do each workout, so you are forced to work on the things that are important, not just the things you like.
You will not have the freedom to decide – ‘I think today for training I will just go shoot some hoops with my buddies’ :). You can still do that, just after you have done your Hockey Training Blueprint.
VALUE – $297
Ever bought a training program that has only still images to show you how to do each and every exercise. It is not impossible to follow along, but it is pretty tough to know if you are doing the exercises right isn’t it.
No worries, just like the athletes I work with at Revolution Conditioning, your technique is of primary importance to me. If you are not using perfect technique, then you are not training exactly what I want you to be training. Chances are your body is finding the path of least resistance and you are leaving potential gains behind.
These video tutorials are in M4V format and are compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod and with Quicktime player.
So you will never be left squinting at a photo in a manual wondering, what am I supposed to do? Let me teach you each and every exercise and show you the key mistakes most players make.
VALUE – $67
Even with the detailed training manual and the video tutorials, some of you will still get to the gym and come across that one exercise that you cannot remember for the life of you. This is where the iPhone compatible Hockey Training Blueprint QuickStart videos come in.
I have condensed every single workout in the program down to a 3-minute or less QuickStart video. You will get to see a couple reps of the exercise in action – just enough to jog your memory.
VALUE – $37
But you know darn well that I am not going to charge you anything like that. Since my goal is to deliver four times the value compared to the price, this product is a steal at $97, but I can do much, much better than that – ONLY $67 (ONE TIME PAYMENT)
I know that some of you have never done a hockey specific off-ice training program before. Some of you are thinking that what you have always done is good enough, or just going to the gym and lifting weights is good enough.
But I think I know that you want more than good enough. If you are going to put in the time training, you might as well have a laser focus on the right training. The training that will give you the Stability, Strength, Speed, Stamina and SUCCESS you crave.
I want you to have that success too. The best part of my job is getting emails from players telling me of their successes. I want to get the email from you telling me how you finally made the team that cut you the last three years in a row. Or telling me how you went from a fourth line guy who spent most of the third period on the bench in tight games to a top liner who is getting power play time.
I am a bantam travel goalie in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 18 months of training I went from back-up to the primary goalie on my team. My confidence and abilities have improved so much. I owe a lot to Ultimate Goalie Training and Maria. The emails that Maria sends help me improve and prevent injury. I hope some day to get to Maria’s training facility and thank her personally.
I’ve just returned to hockey after a long time away. I’ve always played defense but decided to try goal tending for something new. Besides what I had seen when I played defense I really didn’t know much at all about the position. What I did know is that I wanted to be prepared physically for my new challenge. The first place I sent to of course was youtube where I found Maria’s videos for land training. Her videos on conditioning and stretching helped me prepare my body for the position so that I could enjoy the game and minimize the risk of injury.
For the first time, I had goalie specific workouts that made a real difference to my speed and movement across the crease. After being forced to do the same warm up as the players for years, I know the goalie specific warmup actually had a massive impact as well.
I have a very busy work and sport schedule so I only used the workouts a few times per week, rather than following the plan religiously.
But what a difference!
This year I was goalie of the tournament at the Women’s New Zealand National Championships.
Thank you!
I would just like to make anyone who is thinking of using Maria’s traning package to not just think about it, but simply DO IT. I found Maria as more of an accident while searching YouTube one day and I can honestly say her advice and knowledge is second to none. I have struggled with flexigility and aches and pains and even eating during tournaments. Maria has it all. You would be a fool to not listen to what Maria has to say!
You are already getting…
This program takes you through the exact on-ice speed and stamina drills I use with pro players.
This is not a power skating DVD, it is just pure speed training and conditioning. Add just 3-4 of these drills you the beginning or end of you on-ice session and supercharge your speed on the ice.
VALUE – $27
I had one coach ask me if I was ‘stupid or just crazy’ for putting my pro player workouts on the internet. He was worried someone would ‘steal’ my programs.
I don’t think that way – I want you to see some of my real-life pro player workouts, so here is one phase from a player that I used during their off-season during the summer of 2012.
VALUE – $170
Last Spring my knees hurt so bad I could barely walk when I got up in the morning. A massage therapist told me that it was due to tight hip flexors and IT bands.
In August I heard about Maria’s programs and started the 14 day flexibility challenge. Just from incorporating that into my daily routine, my knees have been 100%!
Thanks Maria!
Maria: I purchased (one of your programs) and the stretching exercises are amazing. I did them religiously throughout the season and they really improved my flexibility. I went from being very tight with little flexibility, to where I can now put my leg behind my head. This has really improved the balance and power in my stance and my movement around the crease. I also have more range with my pads as well.
Thank you.
Maria’s sole priority is to benefit both skaters and goalies alike in order to help them to their full potential. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player, you can count on her to raise the bar and keep you on your toes!
Q: Can I use the Hockey Training Blueprint program during the season, or is it just for off-season training?
A: Great question. The program is designed to give you everything you need for a complete off-season transformation, but I have included a training schedule for you to follow during the season.
Q: Will this program be right for my 10-year old?
A: This is a comprehensive off-ice training program that was designed for athletes 14 years of age and older. Personally, I prefer to see players under 14 years of age involved in a different sport during the summer – like lacrosse or baseball. I like them to develop as athletes first and then hockey players.
Q: How long will it take for the DVDs to arrive in the mail?
A: The program is entirely downloadable – NO DVDs WILL BE SHIPPED IN THE MAIL – I don’t even have a DVD copy of the workouts.
Q: Can I view the content on my Samsung X4G2000 mobile phone (I made that model up by the way)?
A: I really do not know at all. I am not a hardware (or a software) expert. What I can tell you is that the manuals are saved in PDF format. So if you know how to open and view a PDF, then you are good to go. The videos are in M4V format (Apple format) so if you can view videos from iTunes on your device then you will be fine. You may need to download a M4V player like QuickTime Player. It is free.
Q: What equipment do I need if I want to train at home?
A: Just the basics – some dumbbells, a stability ball and some resistance bands, that is all. You will also need some gymnasium, basement, arena or outdoor space (tennis court, soccer field, back yard) to do your energy system training.
Q: Why does it say the program is from 9-16 weeks? Which is it?
A: Another excellent question. The program is intended to be a full off-season cycle, which here at Revolution Conditioning, is 16-weeks long. But I fully appreciate that you do not all have 16-weeks to prepare. So I have structured the program so you can still make huge gains in just 9-weeks. It is up to you which schedule you follow and I explain how it all works in the Introduction To Hockey Training Blueprint video that you will see on the home page.
You can transform yourself into the player you have the potential to be. Wishing you all the best and much success on the ice.
Sincerely,
P.S. – Remember that just one session in the Revolution Gym with me will set you back $170 (for just one hour). You can get a 16-week hockey specific transformation blueprint for less than $75.
P.P.S. – You literally have nothing to lose – I am putting all the risk squarely on my shoulders, that is how confident I am in this program. You can start the program, heck you can train with it for almost 8-weeks and still get a full refund with the 60-Day No-Questions-Asked-FULL-Money-Back-(yes, every penny)-Guarantee.
Remember, no physical product (DVDs or Manuals) are sent to you through the mail. Once you complete your purchase you will be prompted to register your purchase. This is where you will create a username and password. Then you will have immediate access to all training modules, videos, quickstart guides and bonus material.
Powered by WishList Member - Membership Software