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How to Optimize Athleticism

By Mike Doyle, Special to Minnesota Hockey, 04/24/17, 10:15AM CDT

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Much like children have to learn their ABCs before learning how to read and write, they must develop the ABCs of athleticism – agility, balance and coordination – before they can become capable hockey players.

The core of USA Hockey’s American Development Model is to build athletes – not just hockey players – by cultivating a healthy, active lifestyle that will last long beyond when a person hangs up the skates for the final time.

Ken Martel has been the technical director of USA Hockey’s ADM since 2009. He provides development blueprints to optimize athleticism for associations throughout the U.S. He believes that it is crucial for all aspiring hockey players to build athleticism through a variety of activities, beginning at a young age.

“The better your overall athleticism, the more competently you can move in a variety of situations,” Martel said. “For us, it’s one of the reasons we want our kids to try and play multiple sports at a young age.”

Foster Athletics Through Activity

Sure, it’s nice to get your child involved into many organized sports. However, with the time and money it takes to raise a healthy child, sometimes signing them up for Little League or soccer isn’t an option. Martel said that kids can learn plenty from just getting outside and being active. 

“Be involved in multiple physical activities – it doesn’t necessarily have to be another sport,” Martel said. “We want our kids to be physically active to develop as broad a range of different movement skills as they possibly can.

“We say play other sports because that’s going to be a controlled activity, but don’t count out all of the free play that can happen with kids and their friends.”

Don’t allow them to sit in front of the TV or play video games all summer. Climbing trees, riding bikes and playing schoolyard games help children naturally foster the ABCs of athleticism.

“If you’re not physically active, it’s hard for the body to wire itself to be more athletic,” Martel said. “You’re not going to end up being a great hockey player if you don’t have quality movement skills beforehand. You’ve got to go and do other things along with playing ice hockey.”

Everything Off the Ice Is ‘Dryland’

Not every youngster is going to be into formal dryland training – things like jumping, squatting and sprinting they’ll get into at an older age if they stick with the sport. In fact, players should not begin to “train to train” until their teenage years. For children under 10, Martel thinks they will develop athleticism by having fun while being active.

“We can formalize things – you can go to USA Hockey for agility exercises, all good,” Martel said. “Kids don’t always find that pre-scripted ‘exercises’ fun. Kids just want to have fun. Go outside and play soccer, a little 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 in your backyard. Think of the agility, manipulation of the ball and lateral explosiveness. Go play tennis. You’ll see those courts and there’s nobody there. Think of the acceleration and deceleration needed and explosive lateral movement along with hand-eye coordination. They’ll put more time and energy into it when it’s the fun, play environment than when it’s the over-scripted, coach-led initiative.”

Raise the Ceiling

Playing a single sport can actually limit a child’s athletic ceiling. Most high-level hockey players don’t specialize in the sport until their teenage years.

Martel said that before the last Olympics, at a USA Hockey prep camp, they surveyed the players in attendance and asked them when they started to specialize in hockey. Only one player answered 11 and he was the outlier. Most answered 14, 15 and 16, with a few even older.

“And these are the best guys,” Martel said. “You don’t see the early specialists make it to the elite levels.”

The NHL is full of great athletes and they have developed skills away from the rink, which they then brought ice. The best can make dazzling plays, seemingly out of thin air, that they may have never even practiced before. Many times, it is because they’ve done similar movements in other sports and games.

“What brings you out of your seat when you’re watching elite players?” Martel asked. “It’s not what they do within the normal range of their skill set. It’s what they do outside of the normal that brings us, as fans, out of our seats.” 

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