IN-LINE SKATING

Speed Skating Versus Hockey Skating

By | November 7, 2023

I pulled parts of this piece out of my archives. It’s a few years old now, but it’s still loaded with great advice for my current hockey friends…

The Nature of Our Game (revisited)

By | October 26, 2023

Despite my inclination to frequently think outside the proverbial box, I’d like members to know that I don’t make hockey related decisions without a lot of serious thought. In fact, over my forty-plus years in coaching, I’ve mostly relied upon a set of standards I’ve come to call “The Nature of Our Game”…

Rope Skipping Benefits for Hockey Players

By | October 24, 2023

I think it best that I show you a very short video before we get into a discussion on the benefits of rope skipping, this to act as sort of a frame of reference…

Addressing the Hockey Skating Posture

By | August 31, 2023

I want to introduce something I doubt many members have ever seen before.   Yes, it’s a training device that was long ago developed by a Canadian speed skating coach.

Beware of Some Foolish Training Devices

By | August 22, 2023

Okay, the above title might seem a bit pushy (if that’s the right word), but please hear me out…

Is Sleep More Important Than Practice?

By | August 18, 2023

If you’re a hockey parent or coach, and if you’ve ever tried to nail that perfect golf swing or master those dance moves, you know it takes practice. What you may not realize is that sleep plays a huge role in reinforcing those motor skills and muscle memory…

A Few Off-season Training Thoughts

By | August 17, 2023

Of course, amateur players approach hockey with varying degrees of devotion. Working mostly with pretty dedicated kids, I’ve designed a very long-range, off-season plan to include age-specific speed, agility and strength work…

The Merits of a Family Slideboard

By | August 12, 2023

How about the merits of having a slideboard around this lady’s house?  Ha…  What do you think I had to say about that?

About That Student-to-Coach Ratio Thing

By | August 4, 2023

Personally, the student:coach-thing didn’t work for me.  So, I’d explain how I cared more about getting different jobs done — correctly, I mean…

Stride Length Versus Stride Frequency

By | July 18, 2023

A recent question submitted to our friendly Professor Bee asked, “What can I do to increase my stride?”  Our mascot did his best to answer that query — and he went to some lengths to do so, but he kinda missed sharing the most important advice when it comes to hockey skating.