Feature Story
Will you get noticed or get better this summer?
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Playoff hockey is at its peak in rinks
across the country, but the real buzz around the rinks is about tryouts and
next season. Girls’ hockey has become a
year-round sport, which means that more and more spring teams, summer
tournaments and camps are popping up all over the place. It seems like getting to the elite levels of
female hockey means more time, more money and more commitment than ever.
Back when I was an aspiring girls’ hockey
player in high school, I would have gone anywhere and done anything if I
thought that it would improve my chances of “getting noticed”. But “getting noticed” and “getting better”
are two very different things. The truth
is that going to five spring hockey tournaments or attending a five day summer
camp isn’t going to make you better.
I am not saying to avoid those camps and
tournaments altogether. But instead of
spending the entire summer in a hockey rink, go to the one or two camps or
tournaments that have the most value and spend the rest of the summer focusing
on training. Instead of trying to
convince coaches how good you are, spend that time
getting better so that they will notice you next season when it really counts.
In my final two years of high school, I
spent most of my summer in a gym training off the ice
to become the best player possible on the ice. I wanted to play Division 1
hockey more than anything and I was also looking for a way to make sure that I
would not only get noticed in September, but also stand out all season
long. Sure, I went to the odd camp or
tournament during the summer to keep my skills up, but my primary focus was on
getting faster and stronger so that I would be ready for my last year of high
school and first year in college. And I
truly believe that my dedication to summer training is what gave me an
advantage over everyone else on the ice when the season started.
And that’s when I was really able to “get
noticed”.
One of the big reasons I started working
with young female hockey players in the first place was to help them do exactly
what they need to do in the off-season to become the best players
possible. And that’s training off the
ice. The best female hockey players don’t play hockey all summer long. They
train. It may not be as much “fun” and it may not seem as “specific”, but it
works.
This summer, you have a decision to
make. You can go to all the camps and
tournaments and try to get noticed. Or
you spend your time training off the ice to get stronger, faster and better and
stand out when it really counts in September.
To learn more about
how to take your game to the next level with off-ice training this off-season,
visit www.totalfemalehockey.com/off-season.shtml.
Kim McCullough, MSc,
YCS, is an expert in the development of aspiring young hockey players. Kim’s player development
websites give coaches and parents of young players access to programs, articles
and advice on how to help their players take their game to the next level
safely and effectively.
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