Ondrej playing in Czech league.

I know I share a lot of stories with you about what Paul and I get up to when I am not training clients or creating programs/exercises for you guys, but I want you to know it is not all about me!  So I am going to turn the spotlight on  you guys by featuring a Hockey Training Pro All-Star each month.

Meet This Month’s Hockey Training Pro All-Star: Ondrej Raszka

Vitals:
Fav Goalie: Price Lundqvist, Rinne, Smith, Rask..
Pads: Vaughn 7900

Ondrej is one of our Ultimate Goalie Training VIP members, in fact I think he was one of the first guys to jump on board.  I have been following his progress since he joined and I can tell that he is something special.

I can tell he has the determination and grit to play up to his potential.  How can I tell?

• He posts his testing results – he holds himself accountable
• He asks questions – he does not make the ‘I didn’t know’ excuse
• He helps others who have questions – he is passionate about goaltending

Too Small, Too Slow

Like many of you, Ondrej was told from the time he was a kid that he was too small or too slow – – he was giving lots of reasons to fail, but refused to listen and ended up playing pro hockey in Poland, pretty good for someone who was never supposed to make it!

Looking at his last testing results I see he has added 29 seconds to his core plank and hold and 9cm to his standing long jump, which is a measure of his leg power – this is a great improvement and is a testament to his consistency.

Taking the necessary steps

Playing in the Polish league final.

In addition to committing himself to goalie specific off-ice training, Ondrej has also sought out Goaltending Coach Jon Elkin to help with his technique which helped him develop a style to suit his tall frame.

When asked what his favourite exercise from UGT VIP, he says;

DB Squat Jump To Hold – “Because I like it when my legs are burning whein I’m done.  I also like Shuttle Runs – I don’t know why because I generally hate running but I like them. ”

So we can also determine from this that Ondrej enjoys pushing himself, since those are probably two of the toughest exercises in the whole program.

“I can see that I’m getting better with every practice.  I realized that I did so many things wrong over the past years in my off-season.  I can’t wait for next season because I know that I’m gonna be ready!

– Ondrej

Congratulations Ondrej – thanks for being exactly the type of hockey player that I love to work with!
Cheers,
Maria