Neurology 101 for Hockey

I’m thinking that this should have been the very first article I ever posted in CoachChic.com. I mean that, because this topic — about neurology 101 for hockey — should really be a prerequisite to everything we’d henceforth study. But, let me play you a video so you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

This video is absolutely awesome, it’s done by the highly qualified Dr Eric Cobb, creator and co-founder of Z-Health, and what I like best about it is Cobb’s way is to explain a rather complex topic in very simple terms.

That in mind, try to watch and think about the physical (and mental) challenges a hockey player faces, both while practicing and while playing…

I got a kick out of Dr Cobb referring to “all the crazy stuff” he does, and I had to laugh thinking back to the parents who used to call me “The Nutty Professor”.

Oh, well… More seriously, I think that video was close to the equivalent of a college course on neurology 101 for hockey. Once again, I’d like members to consider what the doctor was saying as it relates to what our players go through…

First, there’s little doubt that hockey players receive input (in the game action, we’d refer to that as “reading” the situation).

Secondly, a player interprets the input he receives, followed by the need to make some sort of decision.

Thirdly, the player needs to create an output — or responses by muscles, reflexes, etc (which is called “reacting” in hockey coaching jargon).

And that, as Cobb would suggest to Coachchic.com members, is neurology 101 for hockey.

Now, let me interpret a few things from above for my member coaches, parents and older players, especially when it comes to ways hockey players can receive input…

Eyes – quite obviously this means seeing the circumstances

Inner ear – relates to our balance, and knowing where our body is in space

Muscles, ligaments, tendons – again, sensing our posture in space

Skin, vibration, pressure – as in feeling our surroundings

Once again, Dr Cobb boils everything a healthy athlete is able to do into to a simple chain of events…

Input =====> Interpretation/Decision =====> Output

Personally, I can understand what Cobb is saying about aches and pains, too, in that anything going wrong with the above formula is bound to result in one or more problems.

I’d also go along with his recommendation in seeking medical clearance before undergoing remedial steps. Of course, most of our hockey players have access to medical attention, and most can’t even participate in workouts or games without clearance.

In the end, Cobb advised viewers to seek help from someone a lot like yours truly, and the role I filled back in Massachusetts before retirement. Far different from your typical team or skills coach, I studied (and studied and studied) my students, looking for the same sort of cues he’s outlined.

As long time members had to notice in old posts, my students and players engaged in numerous physical challenges that helped them enhance their senses for input, their abilities to interpret and arrive at decisions, and to ultimately arrive at the correct output.

Members might find it interesting that I spotted a lot of physical or neurological problems in my students before they were steered towards a medical specialists.

In reference to my opening statement — about this being a great prerequisite for just about all we’d ever study about the game… Consider that everything Dr Cobb described influences a player’s skating, puckhandling, passing, receiving, shooting, body-checking, dodging body-checks, reading rushes — offensively or defensively, moving the puck to safe places on breakouts, and so much more.

In closing, I make this offer to my members only… If you think a player has a difficulty that’s holding him or her back, feel free to send me a video showing me what you’re seeing. I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction.

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Anyone notice the “whiteboard drawing” approach used by the good doctor? Well, that was the first I’d ever seen of that, and it inspired me to ultimately gain the same presentation skills.