For the past 7 years I’ve been working with athletes on ice with both conditioning and power/biomechanical skating needs. I firmly believe that I must first analyze an athlete on ice for both their conditioning and movement capabilities. Once I have a measurement of where their on ice strengths and weaknesses are, I can use this information for building both on and off ice training plans.
Ideally I would like to collaborate with the teams skating coaches and use our unique expertise to determine the athletes specific areas of needs. This list of on ice needs would then be developed into both an on and off ice set of exercises and drills that systematically work to improve their development, strength and conditioning.
During the off-season I run many on ice conditioning sessions that will coincide with the prescribed off ice training I’ve planned out for my clients. During the off-season, conditioning on ice is very important and must be included during the right time (later training phase) so I can transfer all of the off ice work we’ve accomplished. Specifically, anaerobic cardiovascular conditioning must be prescribed in a strict manner. This means I’m demanding absolute quality while pushing the athletes to increase their speed, endurance and ability to recover.
In season on ice conditioning must be very closely monitored to ensure that the athletes don’t over train. This is a common problem with the increased volume of work they do on the ice for the entire season. Without proper monitoring, the athletes potential for injury is staggeringly high. There are many easy ways I can use technology to detect whether an athlete is over trained, or on the brink of over training, before they even step on the ice. With heart rate apps and monitors I can evaluate each athletes Heart Rate Variability each morning and determine if they need more rest. I can also implement systems so we constantly track athletes heart rates on the ice during practices and conditioning sessions so I have great insight into their levels of fatigue.
On ice conditioning and development is one of my favorite roles as a strength coach. I believe it’s imperative for my training plans and demands to be critiqued and cohesively used with all of the coaching staff, skill coaches, and skating coaches. This will minimize any training gaps and encompass everyone’s area of expertise into progressing the athletes and team as a whole.
