Wooooo – happy Canada Day! For those of you not from Canada, let me explain…
July 1st is Canada Day and it is a holiday in these parts. The typical celebration for Canada Day is to head to your cottage, go camping, hit a patio, sit on a dock, go to the beach, pull up a chair on the front porch – – and have a beer or two, all while feeling very proud to be Canadian.
Paul and I change the flag that flies on the front of our house on Canada Day. So for my fellow Canucks and those of you from abroad, I think there is no better way to give you a sense of Canada than showing you this beer commercial 🙂 Enjoy and then check out the Hockey Training Exercise Of The Week.
Don’t forget that today is also the last day to get 4 months of training up front with the Hockey Workout Club and Goalie Workout Club
Hockey Training EOTW #3: For Quicker More Powerful Shot
The hockey training EOTW for this week is a Med Ball Rotary Pass Variation which adds an extra impulse to the traditional med ball rotary pass. My goal for this exercise is to give the goalie or skater a chance to practice a quick, powerful release off a change of direction. You cannot always just pull the puck back and fire it, sometimes (most of the time) you need to stick handle a little before letting it fly.
This drill lets you practice getting the puck away with speed and power.
Muscles Targeted:
Too many to mention – integrates stabilization and power production from the hips, torso and upper body
Technique:
- I cannot stress how important it is to move the hips and shoulders together, this is not a twisting exercise.
- Stand sideways to a solid concrete block wall (do not do this against a dry-walled wall – you will go through the wall)
- Bend the knees slightly, cradle the ball in your hands.
- Use your ankles, knees and hips to generate power and then transfer that to your upper body through a stable torso
- Let the ball float from your hands on release, do not ‘throw’ it at the wall.
- On the return impulse, keep a very short arc of movement (only about 45-90 degrees) and remember to keep your hips and shoulders moving together
When? How Much?
This is a plyometric drill, so you will use it during your max strength and power phase. Use it 1-2 times per week when training rotary power. Perform 4-6 reps each way for 2-3 sets. Remember to insert 2-3 minutes of active recovery between sets.
Happy training gang – Happy Canada Day!
Cheers,
M