I’m going to get to the 5 tests you need to pass in order to get to, and excel at, the next level in a second, but I want to clear the air first.

We all hate tests, don’t we?   Too much stress, right?  Whether we’re talking about school, work or hockey, testing isn’t fun.  Not only is it hard work, but there is always that chance that you might FAIL. And we don’t like to FAIL.

I can sit here and tell you that failure is an opportunity to learn and to get better, but I know as well as you do, that sounds really good and reassuring, until you actually fail, and all you want to do is kick things and play the blame game.

But here’s the truth – Testing is a necessary evil.

Because you NEED to know how you stack up and where you stand.  You might NOT always like the result you get – after all, no one likes to be told that they are in the bottom 10% and no one wants to know that they missed making the cut by just a few percentage points.

BUT…and this is a big BUT – as much as it might sting to find out that you aren’t at the top of the pile quite yet, you have to know where you sit right now in order to figure out how you are going to get to the top.

That’s what you want, right? You don’t just want to be “good enough”.  You don’t just want to “get by”.  You want to blow your competition out of the water (be honest – you do).

And in order to get to the top, and move onto (and excel at) the next level, you need 3 things:

1.  Exactly where you are starting from (your point A)
2.  Exactly where you need to get to (your point B)
3.  A personal plan to help you get there

I’ve tested over 5000 female hockey players over the last 5 years, and very few of them were excited about it.

But they were always rewarded for their efforts. Because after the testing was done, I was able to tell them exactly where they stood right now, how they stacked up against the competition at their same age group as well as against the best players in their province, region and country, and then we could start to figure out the plan for getting them from point A to point B with a personalized road map to get them there.

But if you don’t know your Point A, and you don’t know your Point B, it’s going to be virtually impossible to put a road map together.  It’s like getting in your car and trying to use the GPS – without having it connected and not knowing what your final address is.  It won’t work.

Here are the 5 critical areas I test with every single player no matter their age or ability level to determine their point A:

1. Lower Body Power
2. Lower Body Strength
3. Upper Body Strength
4. Lateral Agility
5. Conditioning

::  Lower Body Power:  How explosive are you?   The more explosive you are, the faster your starts will be and the faster you’ll be able to change direction. You’ll win more races for the puck and be much more effective in 1-on-1s.

::  Lower & Upper Body Strength:  How strong are you with and without the puck?   Can you win battles in the corners and in front of the net?  Are you easily pushed off the puck?  This is so critical for women’s hockey – it’s a puck possession game so if you can win the battle and keep the puck with strength, you’ll dominate

::  Lateral Agility:  Excellent lateral movement is critical.  This is how defensemen contain forwards, how goalies get from post to post and how forwards beat Ds in 1-on-1 situations.  Being fast in a straight line is important, but it’s not nearly as critical as your ability to move laterally.

::  Conditioning:  I’m not talking about the beep test or a 5 mile run here.  The most important ability for hockey players looking to get to the next level when it comes to conditioning is to be able to put out a high level effort on each and every shift throughout an entire game, tournament and season.  You need to get as fit as possible, and stay as fast as possible, to dominate.

 

You need to find out where your Point A is in these 5 areas so that you can make your plan for getting to your Point B.  Especially now since you just finished a long season and have got a whole summer to  take your game to the next level on and off the ice.

 

If you want a complete TESTING program, plus a 16 week training program to help you get faster, stronger and fitter this summer, check out the Total Female Hockey Elite Training System by clicking on the link below:

=> Click Here For The Total Female Hockey ELITE TRAINING SYSTEM <=

 

Keep Working Hard and Dreaming BIG.

~ Coach Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director, Total Female Hockey
Girls’ Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes