| Over the past few years, the number of | | | | using only a few muscles at a time? In order to excel |
| youth-specific fitness facilities has exploded across | | | | on the ice, players must master fundamental |
| North America. While many are focused developing on | | | | movement patterns off the ice that integrate |
| general fitness, many are attempting to branch out into | | | | coordination, balance and strength - and that can't |
| the sports-specific markets - and the youth hockey | | | | happen on a machine. |
| market is certainly no exception. | | | | Group-Based Training for Team Sports |
| These fitness chains boast that they are "interactive | | | | Interactive video game-based gyms may succeed in |
| fitness facilities designed especially for youth". They | | | | luring previously inactive kids away from the T.V. and |
| are jam-packed with video game-based exercise | | | | computer. But there is a fundamental problem with |
| bikes and kid-sized strength training equipment. | | | | most of these facilities that make them completely |
| Youth-specific training facilities are a good idea, whose | | | | inappropriate for young hockey players. |
| time has finally come due to increased concerns about | | | | All of the kids seem to be working out alone! |
| childhood inactivity and obesity. However, | | | | Sure, there are adults supervising and other kids on |
| machine-based facilities that focus on training muscles, | | | | other machines, but the majority of the children seem |
| instead of movement patterns, will do more harm than | | | | to be 'interacting' with a computer screen and no one |
| good to young hockey players looking to take their | | | | else. (And I was under the impression that we wanted |
| on-ice performance to the next level. | | | | to get kids away from 'screen time' and actually |
| Train Movement Patterns, Not Muscle Groups | | | | encourage them to interact with other human beings.) |
| Participating in machine-based hockey training will | | | | With hockey being a team-based sport, athletes will |
| prevent young players from learning how to move and | | | | get far more benefit from participating in training |
| control their bodies in space. There is a reason that | | | | sessions that involve playing partner-based and |
| machine-based resistance training for adults has been | | | | group-based games, than from those that involve |
| receiving bad press in recent past - training on | | | | playing video games all by themselves. |
| machines restricts freedom of movement, serves to | | | | In order to take their on-ice performance to the next |
| reinforce poor movement patterns and tends to work | | | | level, young hockey players must be taught |
| the muscles in isolation. Instead of having an athlete | | | | fundamental off-ice movement skills by trained |
| perform abdominal crunches and chest presses on a | | | | professionals who would never dream of restricting an |
| machine, we should be teaching them how to move | | | | athlete's movement and imagination to a computer |
| and control their entire body in free space. | | | | screen. Training hockey-specific movements in a group |
| Think about it - when was the last time you saw a | | | | setting, instead of training isolated muscles on |
| hockey player execute a skill or movement on the ice | | | | machines, will better serve players in terms of their |
| while fully supported by some bulky machine or by | | | | athletic development both on and off the ice. |