When I first started working with volleyball I did what I thought was correct and had the team run a couple times a week for conditioning like I would with our teams. Typically we would run two times a week with a sprint based day and a tempo based day, and then perform slideboard intervals … Continue reading Conditioning the Volleyball Athlete

Another Sunday which means another handful of sport performance articles from the past week and some sport performance podcasts that I listened to in the last week, some new and some older. Enjoy! Podcasts Physical Preparation Podcast with Jorge Carvajal Just Fly Performance Podcast with Chris Korfist CVASP Podcast with Jason Dierking Just Fly Performance … Continue reading Weekend Goodies

Nothing earth shattering, but here are a few thoughts on training ice hockey (or any athlete) during the in-season period. I think 2 lifts a week is more then enough if you are programming well. If we really wanted to I am sure we could arrange things so that we could train 3 or 4 … Continue reading In-Season Ice Hockey Training Thoughts

“If breathing isn’t normalized no other movement pattern will be.” Karl Lewit Diaphragmatic breathing is probably the simplest and easiest thing we can perform with our athletes when it comes to changing and improving movement and performance, yet is constantly overlooked. Proper respiration leads to better posture. Better posture leads to an athlete that is … Continue reading Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing

Last week I wrote a post that touched on Janda’s Upper-Crossed Syndrome and the effect it can have on the hockey athlete. Dr. Janda’s Lower-Crossed Syndrome is classified by a weak/inhibited glute max and anterior core along with tight/facilitated hip flexors and erector spine resulting in a malpositioned pelvis (anterior tilt). This issues commonly cause … Continue reading Thoughts on Lower-Crossed Syndrome in Ice Hockey

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Here are a handful of both articles and podcasts that hit the internet over the last week or so. Enjoy! Articles Thoughts on Upper-Crossed Syndrome In Ice Hockey In-Season Off-Ice Conditioning Understanding and Training Hip Flexion by Michael Boyle Anecdotes and Ideas on Isometric Training for Athletic Speed … Continue reading Weekend Goodies

Dr. Janda’s Upper-Crossed Syndrome, classified as weak/inhibited deep neck flexors, lower traps and serratus along with tight/facilitated pectorals, upper traps and levator scapulae, is commonly seen in hockey populations. As a result of this you’ll find manyathletes have malpositioned cervical spine/thorax leading to ‘neck breathing’ and not allowing the diaphragm to work effectively, which leads … Continue reading Thoughts on Upper-Crossed Syndrome in Ice Hockey

It's a new month which means another brain dump of random thoughts that have been going through my head with a couple quotes tossed in for good measure. Enjoy. A robust system under stress remains strong. – Dave Tenney Great coaches have the same energy at 5pm that they do at 9am. Take care of … Continue reading Random Thoughts: November Edition

A few weeks ago I decided to pick up and read a book that I had previously read, Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink. Jocko is a retired United States Navy SEAL, a SEAL that was awarded both a Silver Star and a Bronze Star for his efforts and leadership in the Iraqi War, who wrote … Continue reading 15 “Extreme Ownership” Quotes from Jocko Willink