Hey gang, it’s Maria here from goalietrainingpro.com with Goalie Training Pro TV Episode 31. And in this episode, we’re going to be going over what to do when you’re two weeks out from training camp, or tryouts, or starting back with your team.
Check out the full video on YouTube here >> https://youtu.be/8_rHYy-N2rI
Basically, the first question … and this is a … there’s no middle ground here, so you’re either gonna be Group One, or you’re gonna be Group Two. Group One are those goalies who actually did their off-season training like they were supposed to. And I don’t mean like the last three weeks. I don’t mean you went to the gym and did bench press with your homies. I mean you actually followed a goalie-specific, periodized program. If you don’t know what that means, then you probably didn’t do one.
Basically, from May, I’ll give you June until now. So if that is you, no matter what you’re doing, if you’re on the bus, at the coffee shop, whatever, put your hand up….
Not bad. Not bad.
Don’t lie.
Now here’s group two. You did not.
And you can’t be like, “Well I sorta did, and I did…”
Uh, no. This is a “yes” or a “no.”
So, I’m gonna start with the “yes” people because, no offence against the “no” people, but I just like them better. I like action-takers, so … Sorry. Sorry.
So let me start with the number one people. The questions … ’cause this is where most of the guys and girls that I work with … this is where they’re at right now. So did you do all of your training? Did you … and I know we have family vacations or things like that, so if you had a family vacation the last week of July, you don’t need to take this week off before you go to training camp.
What I usually ask is, how do they feel?
So how do you feel? Do you feel like a bag of hammers? Do you feel tired and sore, and like you’re not recovering from day-to-day?
What’s your training camp schedule going to be like? Is it gonna be nuts? Is the off-ice training gonna be crazy? Are you gonna be playing tons of scrimmages? What’s that gonna be like?
And do you have a spot on the team and not, “Oh yeah, I think I’m the best goalie. I’m pretty sure I have a spot on the team.” I mean, “No, no. I’ve signed my card. I have a spot on the team.” I know there’s never a guarantee, but where do you fall on that spectrum.
So are you gonna have to battle for a spot?
I think if you are feeling good, like you’ve done all your training, but you’ve taken some unloading phases and things like that. You’re feeling good, you know, your camp’s gonna be pretty intense. You’re probably gonna battle for a spot. I think you should take probably take anyway two days off before the camp, and just relax, love life, let your body super-compensate.
Make sure you’re getting your sleep; make sure you’re well hydrated.
Get on the ice. Don’t sort of get on the ice five times more than you normally do, but make sure you’re getting on the ice, trying to see some good shots, fine-tuning those things.
If you’re just feeling really exhausted, like you’re not getting any recovery, I think it might be okay to take three or four days off before heading into that camp. But again, that doesn’t mean just doing nothing. That means working on your hand/eye, trying to get on the ice, working on your movements, and again, trying to see shots ’cause that’s gonna be the hardest part just to adapt back to seeing some good, quality shots.
So that is for the goalies that did do their training.
Even leading into it … sorry, I’m sticking with you guys still. Drop your volume a little bit, so if you normally do … so one of our guys, today’s his last day, and then he’s going off to his Junior Camp. He’s only gonna do two sets today, and he’s not gonna do the speed and the stamina. And tthen he’s gonna have Friday off, and then his camp, I think, starts Saturday or something like that.
But he’s been feeling good, and he had a nice vacation with his family earlier in the year, and yesterday he had a day off because the company he works for in the Summer had a golf tournament, so that’s how we’re working it.
But for sure, your volume’s gonna come down a bit, just a couple sets, and then you’re just not gonna tempt fate. So I’m always paranoid on the last day. It’s like, “Let’s not do something where this athlete’s just going to sprain our ankle,” or just ’cause the weirdest things happen. So yeah, that’s it for you guys.
Those of you who didn’t do your training, don’t panic and start trying to work out now. It’s not gonna help. So forget about that.
Try to get on the ice; try to see some good shots; try to get back in sync with what you’re doing. You could do a bit of work, some mobility work, some self myofascial release. You could do the butterfly challenge, it’s a couple weeks long.
Then you could work on your strength, and because it’s not even so much strength/strength, it’s a little more positional strength which I think is gonna be a little more neuromuscular, a little more nervous-system oriented. But you know, work on things like your bottom up half-kneeling squat.
So from a half kneeling position, arms out in front, your body pushing or coming up together over your front foot over a counter of four, kinda building that strength in a nice, low position. I think that’s probably … just like four reps on each side. We’re not really trying to build strength; we’re just trying to help you use the strength you have in a functional way.
I think just working on a little knee recovery, lateral hop, and a bigger hop … so getting that … thinking about your body position, staying stable, a nice knee recovery lateral hop to balance would be good.
You could work on your single knee balance, so lifting up your font foot, trying to stay square because that plays a big part when you’re moving in your crease and one knee is on the ground.
So those are things that I would work on. Again, maybe four of those squats; maybe four lateral hop and stick each way; 30 seconds on each knee of balancing; and then working on your mobility.
I think those actually will improve your performance a little bit. Actually more than a little bit. I think it will help. It won’t make up for the whole off-season, but it’ll help.
Then I think maybe my last piece of advice is … Write a letter to yourself with how you feel because you might feel a little bit like, “Ugh, why didn’t I do what I told myself I would do after the season ended? Why didn’t I do the things I said I was gonna do to make this my best season ever, and to be able to come into the season knowing that I was so prepared, and this was my best season ever?”
So kinda write down how you feel, and then read it when the end of the season comes to help remind yourself, “Yeah, I wanna take advantage of every opportunity.” Or maybe you’re young, and you’re just not there yet, but for next season, you’re gonna up your game.
There was something else I thought of.
Oh, then the other thing I think you should do is be checking out and start making a plan. I know the first week of the season is gonna be kinda hectic, but then make a plan. “Hey, what am I gonna do during the season? What’s the plan I’m gonna follow so that I’m actually gaining momentum as I go, and not sort of getting slower and weaker?”
And even for the people that did their off-ice training all Summer, it drives me bananas because guys come back to us in the Spring and they’re fatter, they’re weaker, they’re slower.
So you don’t want that to be the way you’re going into playoffs. So have a plan so that you actually can gain momentum as the season goes on, and maybe at the start, you’re gonna be fine. But maybe not your best.
Some guy who did their training like crazy in the off-season is gonna come out gangbusters, but if they don’t keep it up, they’re gonna be tailing off, and now you’re gonna get your ducks in a row and you’re gonna be climbing as you head into playoffs. So that’s what we really want.
Wow! Oh, yeah, here’s another thing. So if you didn’t do your testing, you didn’t do your training, if you’re going to a team that’s going to be doing some testing.
Do you know what the testing is?
I would practice that testing so at least you’re familiar with it. Really, technically, we don’t ever wanna just train for a test, but at this stage, it’s … and don’t go nuts on it, but just make sure you’re familiar with what to do, so then maybe you can fool them a little into thinking that you did your training.
That’s it, man. That’s all I have for you guys.
Thanks so much for joining me on this episode of Goalie Training Pro TV. I will catch you on the flip side. Bye-bye.