Reps & Sets

Original Strength
Every day!!! (morning & night)
On training/match days (also before and after)

Corrective Exercises
If possible at least 5/7 days
I planned it so you only have 1 set per exercise, shouldn't take you more than 30'/day
If it's easy you'll run through it very quickly.
If it's hard, it means this is YOUR exercise, your weak point
The explanation & video's are presented in the previous blog

- Toe Touch Squat 10#
- Dorsiflexion from half kneeling with dowel 10#/leg
- Couch Stretch 2'/leg
- Lunge 10# alternating
- High Step + twist 10#/leg
- Foamrolling the upper back 2'/leg
- Side Lying Windmill 10#/arm
- ASLR progression 10#/leg
- Push Up Progression 10#
- Crawl 50m (if not possible try to break it down in a few sets with some rest between, but finish it)

Remember these exercise aren't there to torture you guys, they're here to make you BETTER
If you wanna get better, you'll need to sacrifice some little time in training the body to be more efficient.

program

  

The graphic above shows the results of the performed screening.
Every test was scored from 1 to 3:
1: No Go's --> need corrective exercises/adequate training the pattern
2: moderate
3: needed for athletes performing at top levels (meaning you guys)

7 patterns
OS: overhead squat
IL: inline lunge
HS: hurdle step
SM: shoulder mobility
ASLR: active straight leg raise
PU: trunk stability push up
RS: rotatory stability

Results
- The weakest link of the team is the push up pattern: trunk stability and core strength
- in general athletes playing at high levels of any sport should aiming to score "3's" on the 7 test

All these test represent movement patterns that lie within almost every human movement we do & should be mastered to their fullest, especially top athlete players like you guys. 
Remember the purpose of mastering these movement patterns:
1. injury prevention
2. maximizing your performance

moving better, allows your body to be more resilient & to move more efficiently meaning you'll need less energy to perform the same task

Below this section you'll find the corrective exercises in intensity/frequency + the explanation & videos

Training schedule
Every day
A. Performing the "Original Strength" sequence
- Morning after waking up
- Before training (or before you go to the training)
- After training (or when you're home after training)
- Before bed time

B

A. ORIGINAL STRENGTH
 
Every Human body grows up with reflexive strength. As baby you cross a lot of motor skills that are intended to make us body strong & resilient against life. Rolling/nodding/rocking & crawling builds up a lot of motor control because it's a process meant to be gone through by every human being. We really destroyed our bodies since the age of 7 when we were put on a chair and never left it since.
Make your core stability stronger, tightly tying your body, increasing the reflexive strength & stability.
Make everything your body does, more efficient, from digestion to hormonal profiles, allowing to slow down the aging process
Just by following this sequence a few times a day. This sequence is also called a "reset" for the body.

A1. Neck Rolls

1 on each side
- Start supine on the floor, hands crossed on the body, feet together
- Initiate the roll from the eyes & lift the head up
- Feel the vertebrae rolling one by one from head to sacrum
- Don't use the foot, hip or pelvis to initiate the roll
- If you done it right, you'll feel when you crossed the center the legs will naturally fall towards its place
- Roll back the same way
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3aEbL8oCZY

A2. Arm Rolls

1 on each side
- Start supine on the floor, hands crossed on the body, feet together, hands overhead
- Initiate the roll from the eyes & lift the head and one arm up
- Start rolling by elongating the arm, you should feel the shoulder blade being pulled away
- Feel the vertebrae rolling one by one from head to sacrum
- Don't use the foot, hip or pelvis to initiate the roll
- If you done it right, you'll feel when you crossed the center the legs will naturally fall towards its place
- Roll back the same way
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6I0G3EHV7s


A3. Leg Rolls

1 on each side
- Start supine on the floor, hands crossed on the body, feet together, hands overhead
- Initiate the roll from one leg, bending the hip and the knee 90°
- Start rolling by crossing the leg over
- Feel the vertebrae rolling one by one from sacrum to head
- Don't use the head or arms to initiate the roll
- If you done it right, you'll feel when you crossed the center the arms & head will naturally fall towards its place
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LzSfAiC400

A4. Prone neck nods

10 reps
- Start Prone on the ground, feet together, supporting on the forearms
- Chest up & strong
- Bring the chin towards the chest & try to feel the stretch in the back of the neck all the way down to the lower back
- Put the head up & elongate the neck to feel the stretch in the lower part of the chin, the chest and the abs 
video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPwsPiEBEYg


A5. Rocking

10 reps
- Start in a quadrupled position, knees a little broader, but in the same line of the hips
- Feet plantar flexed in the same line as the shin
- Elbows or hands right beneath the shoulders
- Create tension by pulling the shoulders back and pushing the chest up & strong, maintain a curved lower back
- Now remain the tension in the spine & arms while pulling the butt towards the heels
- Go as far as you can maintain the tension without losing the arch in the back
video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-mY8v_AaTY


A6x. 6-point-neck nods

 10 reps
- Stay in the lowest position of the rocking
- repeat the neck movement from the prone neck nods
A6y. 6-point-shoe look

 10 reps
- Stay in the lowest position of the rocking
- Look sideways to your heels one by one
- feel the upper back moving alone
video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d3Inn_zeLc


A7. Baby crawls

 20 steps front and back
- Start in quadrupled position
- look and keep looking at the horizon
- Create tension by pulling the shoulders back and pushing the chest up & strong, maintain a curved lower back
- Crawl in a crossed pattern: the hand goes first, the opposite leg follows
- The dorsum of the feet stay on the ground (not shown in movie)
- Crawling backwards foot first, the opposite arm follows
video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePzzoUryf8k 


B. OVERHEAD SQUAT

B1. Toe Touch Squat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrA0xAsBZFw&list=UU0Ib3q-PEbWHTeKPwyHUfwg

instruction
1. Place something under the heels
2. Grab the toes with the hands & try to keep the knees as extended as possible
3. Pull your hips down while the elbows remain extended on the inside of the knees 
4. Stay active, don't hang into the squat: pull the shoulders back & press the chest forward & up
5. Remove 1 hand, take the ribs of the opposite side and rotate the upper back
6. Point the fingers to the ceiling and watch to your hand
7. Repeat the other side
8. Reset the position (point 4)
9. Raise both hands in front of you with the elbows extended and fingers spread out (thumbs up)
10. Raise both hands in an overhead position & Stand up 

B2. Squat challenge 30/30

accostume yourself to your original resting position: the squat
Squat 30' a day (fractioned over the day), below some information on the squat
Change squat variations: with support, without, with something under the heels,...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/30squat/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y76UbfBr5vo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqfGzbj3iU8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzFgLf8CC1Y


B3. Dorsiflexion from half kneeling with dowel
1. Begin in half kneeling position with stick on outside of foot
2. Push the stick down & keep it vertical during the movement
2. While staying tall, lean forward & take the knee on the outside of the stick
3. The heel of the front food should maintain contact with the floor
4. Stretch should be felt in the calf of the front foot
http://www.functionalmovement.com/exercises/dorsiflexion_from_half_kneeling_with_dowel



C. INLINE LUNGE 

C1. Couch strech

1. Place something on the ground to protect your knee against a wall or a couch
2. Start kneeling and put one shin against the wall/couch as close as possible
3. Try to bring the sole of the other foot flat on the ground by pulling it forward until the knee is 90° bent
4. Bring up the torso until it's vertical against the wall
5. Squeeze the but & brace the abs (belly button in, keep the ribs low)
6. Really try to feel that the back leg is extended 
7. Stay 2' into the stretch (it's after this amout of time that the viscoelastic properties of the tissue will change, become more flexible)   

Stretch technique: Contract-Relax
1. Position yourself so you feel a little stretch into the groin/quadriceps region
2. Breath in & push the back leg into the wall during 6-8"
3. Breath out & immediately go further into the stretch (be quickly to prevent a stretch reflex)
4. Think on your position: butts on & ribs low
5. Caution: stay in the zone where you can still breath comfortably
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaeAvGh6gkg

C2. Lunge
1. Start in lunge position, both knees 90/90°, toes back leg on the ground, body straight
2. Squeeze butt, abs so you'll feel a good stretch at the groin of the front leg
3. Ear, shoulder, hip and knee remain on the same vertical line
4. Create box resistance: maintain position but push the knee inward (without moving); pull the front knee backward & push the back hip forward (also without moving). You'll feel stability immediately
5. Maintain the box resistance whilst pushing yourself up in a vertical line until both knees are extended
6. Push yourself back without losing the tension
7. Go back in the same way
Caution: the knees don't cross 90° flexion & the body stays vertical


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-layRe8o5io&feature=youtu.be

D. HURDLE STEP 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ipDFKVwQsg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aadzrWczjco


E. SHOULDER MOBILITY

E1. foamrolling the upper back

E2. elbow in the pocket 
- wrist & forearm stay to the wall

E3. side lying windmill
- forearm stays on the ground
- pinch the knee in the roll
- height depend of the arm to stay on the ground

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL1Kozm2IBU


F. ACTIVE STRAIGHT LEG RAISE
1. 90°knee + active knee extension (supine)
2. hold
3. active lift + beetje meetrekken
4. strapped ankle slowly lowering the other side
5. without straps
6. one legged good morning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIN0Gem5l3o


G. PUSH UP
1. elevated push up
2. walk out to a plank, hold the position & walk back 
3. Plank Hold + eccentric
4. walk out, plank hold + eccentric push up
5. push up lowering the height
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrqnHXiDIPY

H. CRAWLING

The crawl isn't so much different from the baby crawl presented in the original strength sequence, but it's way tougher. Here is how you perform it:

- toes straight
- knees low
- butt down
- chest up
- try to look forward
- Hand first, opposite leg follows (cross-pattern)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKK6NDktcfU&feature=youtu.be

only if the forward crawl is going easy & steady you can progress to the backward crawl
Crawling is a very easy, yet tough way to get your body aligned & stable.
Because it are only concentric movements, it doesn't need recovery or cooling down & is very suitable for warming ups & cooling downs

Core Stability

CORE

As hockey players we are constantly in semi upright or low body positions while engaged in dynamic or static movement requirements of the game. Added to this is the execution of the required performance skills of the game whether dribbling, hitting, flicking, tackling that require you not only to maintain your body in these semi upright or low positions but also at the same time execute the power required skill. To do all this requires a strong core. Therefore developing core strength and stability should be a physical training focus.

What is our core?
The core muscles lie deep in the upper body. They are usually attached to the spine, pelvis and the muscles that support the shoulder blade. When the core muscles contract, they create a solid base of support for the body. A strong core provides support for your spine so you walk, jog, run, hit a ball with power, be strong in a tackle and much more. A weak core will lead to bad posture, lower back pain and ultimately injury.
Training the core muscles will also correct posture imbalances that can potentially injure a hockey player.

What is the difference between core strength and core stability?
Core stability can be understood as the ability of the core to resist an unwanted movement (e.g., tackling). Core strength can be identified as the amount of force the core can produce to perform a desired movement (e.g., hitting). These can clearly be seen as two totally different functions, yet they are both totally interdependent on the other

What Are The Benefits Of Strengthening Core Stability?
1. Increased Strength: Increased strength as a result of core stability workouts is one of the main benefits. With this comes the decrease in the risk of injury since stronger muscles are less prone to jarring and failure to external forces.

2. Increased Coordination: Increased coordination is another great benefit you achieve. This coordination allows you to perform movements with greater ease and fluidity. As your muscles learn to work in synch with each other, your actions become more efficient.

3. Increased Stability/Balance: Increased stability and balance are an important attribute you gain from doing these types of workouts. This helps a great deal with performance since you will be better able to keep your body in a homeostatic position. For example a hockey player with good stability/balance is better able to keep on her feet when in a possible body contact position during a tackle.



4. Decreased Chance Of Injury: A stable core is one that supports injury prevention. Imagine a full back being smoked by a running forward who changes direction and collision is inevitable. What supports his bones, joints, and ligaments in his core? It’s a stable, steady, balanced core that is resistant to the forces put upon it.

5. Increased Performance: A stable core increases your performance because you are able to keep your balance through certain movements. It also contributes to power in the execution of skills. Successful drag flickers exhibit strong characteristics of good core strength and stability to go hand in hand with great technique. 



Also do corner hitters. When you hit the ball, the power behind his swing starts from the legs. The power than transfer up through his abdominals/back (The core muscles) and to his arms for the swing. Now think of how his swing would be affected if he had a weak core. The power from his legs would not have transferred to his arms and his swing would have been weaker.






As an athlete you'll be needing a lot of foundation to be strong player

- strength
- flexibility
- agility
- power 
- endurance
- stamina
- speed
- coordination
- balance
- reflexive stability/strength (core stability)

You'll have strong and weak points, but try to focus on the weak ones!!!
Balancing out every part is the sign of an allround athlete.
This blog & my guidance will solely be based upon the highlighted items.
The other ones are built upon these fundaments and are being adressed with your coaches