Thursday, November 26, 2009

WHKY Game Notes: Sioux to host Black Bears in non-conference action - FightingSioux.com: Official Web Site of University of North Dakota Athletics


WHKY Game Notes: Sioux to host Black Bears in non-conference action - FightingSioux.com: Official Web Site of University of North Dakota Athletics



WHAT'S ON TAP: The University of North Dakota women's hockey returns to regular-season action hosting Hockey East's Maine Black Bears in a Friday/Saturday series with both games starting at 1:07 p.m. The games are a being held on the Olympic sheet of the Ralph Englestad Arena.

MEDIA INFORMATION: Most

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Lamoureux twins lead USA Hockey youth movement


http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/vancouver/hockey/2009-11-24-lamoureux-usa-hockey_N.htm

As a hockey mom, Sarah Palin has nothing on Linda Lamoureux, mother to U.S. national team players Monique and Jocelyne.

The identical twins, 20, from Grand Forks, N.D., are in the mix to make the 2010 U.S. Olympic hockey team, which will be named Dec. 17 after two cuts finalize the 21-member squad.

Their most valuable....

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Sioux split weekend with St. Cloud; Success on Power Play and Overtime



Lewis scores game winner in ot; Wiebe sets new program record with five points

After scoring only seven goals through six games to open the year, the University of North Dakota women's hockey team explodes for five goals, which was just enough to squeak by St. Cloud State University 5-4 in an overtime thriller at the National Hockey Center tonight.

Junior captain Kelly Lewis (Forest Lake, Minn.) connected on a one-timer at 2:26 of overtime on the power play for her first goal of the season, while sophomore Alyssa Wiebe (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) set a new program high .....

http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=58668&SPID=6403&DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=204824543

Sioux fall to Huskies 3-2 to split series

ST. CLOUD, MINN. --- The University of North Dakota women's hockey team came into the day looking for a sweep over St. Cloud State University at the National Hockey Center but will have to settle with a series split as the Huskies edge the Sioux, 3-2.

"There was a lot of good things this weekend," head coach Brian Idalski said. "We are starting to execute a little better and got some good looks. Any points on the road in the WCHA are tough to come by and we put ourselves in position for a sweep...

http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=58668&SPID=6403&DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=204824845

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Sioux fight hard but fall to Mankato State University 4-2 and 2-1 in overtime shootout

http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=58668&SPID=6403&DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=204815790

http://www.fightingsioux.com/newMediaPlayer/console.htm?type=vod&id=654345&oemid=13500



http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=58668&SPID=6403&DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=204816478

http://www.fightingsioux.com/newMediaPlayer/console.htm?type=vod&id=654467&oemid=13500

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

UND to take on Mankato Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th

WHAT'S ON TAP: North Dakota opens WCHA action at the Ralph Englestad Arena this weekend hosting rival Minnesota State in a Saturday/Sunday series. Both games are scheduled for a 2:07 p.m. opening faceoff.

MEDIA INFORMATION: Most Fighting Sioux regular season home hockey games can be heard on 1440 AM ("The Fan") and on stations across the Fighting Sioux Radio Network (excluding Oct. 18 against Minnesota State, Nov. 21 against Manitoba Maple Leafs and Dec. 13 against Minnesota) with broadcaster Darrin Looker calling the action. A webcast and live stats will be available at FightingSioux.com

SCOUTING REPORT FOR THE MAVERICKS: .....



Monday, September 14, 2009

The Positive Success Formula

Great blog post form Jon Gordon. Our team is going to be reading his book, TRAINING CAMP this season and I am excited to see some of the personal development of our players.


"You have more control and influence than you think you do."


These were the words of an economist I heard speak as he talked about the economy, the housing market and the recession.


He reminded his audience that a lot of people make a lot of money during recessions. He stressed that these are the times when successful companies and successful people gain market share. He shouted when he told the group to look for buying opportunities over the next three years because there will be many.


In essence he was saying not to let the economy dictate your situation and success. Rather, change your belief system and focus on opportunities instead of challenges. Reminds me of the "Positive Shark Formula" (also known as The Positive Success Formula) I wrote about in The Shark and The Goldfish.


E + P = O


In the book, Sammy, a nice shark who feels that sharks get a bad rap and are in need of some positive publicity, teaches Gordy the goldfish that while we can’t control the events (E) in our life, we can control our positive energy and our positive actions (P) to these events and challenges and in turn this will determine the outcome (O).


Indeed, we have more control than we think we do. Our positive energy, our belief system, our attitude, and our actions have a huge impact on the life we live and the success we enjoy.


You can listen to the Constantly Negative News Channels and believe that success is impossible or you can change your belief and know that with God and an optimistic attitude, all things are possible. Instead of focusing on what they say you can't do, focus on what you can do. Instead of listening to the negative voices, focus on your positive choices.


I'm not saying it will be easy. We will certainly be tested on our journey. I'm an optimist but also a realist. These are challenging times. We may lose our job. We may experience financial difficulties. We may not sell our house as fast as we'd like. We may have to start a new business or venture. We may have set backs. But if we apply the Positive Success Formula to our life I guarantee we will have a big say and influence in the outcome. Instead of letting the world create us we will have a significant role in creating our world.


- Jon Gordon

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The 8 Laws of Leadership

Shared this with the team recently and thought I should pass it on further. Dr. William Cohen in his book, The Stuff of Heroes, writes that the eight universal laws of leadership are:

1. Maintain absolute integrity.

2. Know your stuff.

3. Declare your expectations.

4. Show uncommon commitment.

5. Expect positive results.

6. Take care of your people.

7. Put duty before self.

8. Get out in front.


Monday, July 6, 2009

Why Hockey Players Must Train Like They Play

Nice article written about specific female hockey player training:


Determining how to condition properly for hockey is a controversial subject that is debated by coaches from the atom ranks all the way up to the pros. When it comes to designing an off-season training program, most experts agree on how to best develop strength, speed and power in young hockey players

, but there is always disagreement on how to best develop conditioning.

Slow & Steady Does NOT Win the Race

The game of hockey is characterized by short, explosive, high-intensity efforts interspersed with periods of complete rest. The best hockey players in the world are the ones who are strong, fast, agile and powerful - not those who can run at 10 miles in the fastest time. Hockey is simply not an endurance sport

. In fact, the best players on the ice tend to be the ones who perform poorly on off-ice tests of endurance.

The challenge is that players feel as though they are becoming more fit for hockey by focusing on increasing their endurance in the off-season. Players who go for long slow distance runs over the summer will definitely develop their endurance, but this enhancement will come at the expense of their ability to perform at the highest intensity level consistently throughout the game.

Do You Want to Be "Fit" or "Fast"?

Ultimately, on the issue of proper conditioning for hockey, it comes down to choosing between being aerobically ‘fit’ or being strong, fast and powerful. Players must make a trade-off when it comes to conditioning. They can either possess a high level of endurance or game-breaking speed and quickness. It is physiologically impossible to develop both of these qualities to their highest extent in athletes.

Elite hockey players are speed and power athletes

and must train to enhance those qualities. Players must develop their ability to perform repeated high-intensity intervals and maintain their ‘jump’ and explosiveness throughout an entire game, instead of focusing on their ability to go for long distances at a moderate pace.

In the majority of cases, young players are simply unaware that the endurance training they are devoting so much time and energy to is actually detrimental to their overall performance on the ice.

Bottom line: When young players focus on doing long slow distance training instead of high-intensity interval-based training, they are quite often training themselves OUT of hockey shape and are making themselves SLOW.

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS is a Player Development Specialist and Founder of Total Female Hockey. In addition to training and coaching girls at all levels of hockey, from novice to the National team, Kim has also played at the highest level of women's hockey in the world for the last decade. Kim's female player development website (http://www.totalfemalehockey.com) features a state-of-the-art Complete Off-Season Training Program and her blog (http://www.totalfemalehockey.blogspot.com) gives the coaches and parents of aspiring young players access to the most up-to-date tips and advice on how to help their players take their game to the next level. To learn more about female-specific player development, get your Free Report: The #1 Mistake Female Players Make in the Off-Season at http://www.totalfemalehockey.com

Friday, July 3, 2009

Indicators of your next Success!

Has been a long couple of weeks on the road working camps but I have come back with a ton of great information. Here is a terrific e-mail blast from Ryan Walter, I need to get him in to speak with our team soon.

What if I told you of a secret that the best in the world utilize to stay ahead of their opponents… would you take the next 4 minutes to think through how you could apply this to your life?

In his great read Talent is Overrated, author Geoff Colvin has a section on how the best in the world have developed their abilities to look for small, significant “Indicators” that give them an edge.

“Just as top tennis players look at the server’s body, not at the tennis ball, excellent performers in other fields have learned to spot non-obvious information that’s important.

More than 30 years ago, Sam Walton found an innovative way to gauge customer satisfaction. He realized that the best indicator of how happy his customers were was to measure how happy his employees were; the way managers treat the employees was the way employees would treat the customers.

What “Indicators” do you use in your sport, business or family?

Coaches at the NHL level have become very astute at developing “indicators” of how certain opposition teams will play their game.

Because video is used so efficiently to pre-scout opponents, coaching staffs will look for team trends or “indicators” on team tendencies in the areas of breakouts, fore-checks, power play setups and much more.

Many old NHL forwards like me developed simple “indicators” that could help us understand future moves or trends. One that I remember specifically: while driving wide with the puck on a defenseman in the offensive end we (forwards) would always watch the defenseman’s feet (or skates). As soon as that defenseman started to turn from skating backwards to pivoting to skate forward we would try our inside lateral move knowing that it was harder for the “D” to respond with his or her skates turned the wrong way.

The best in the world understand the significance of “indicators” in giving them the edge. What “indicators” have you developed in your life and business and what future “indicators” could you creatively develop to help you win tomorrow?



Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Dumbbell Combo Lifts - part 2

The benefits are numerous:

1. Save time: train more than 1 body part at the same time
2. Less equipment: all you need is a set of dumbbells
3. Save space: you only need a couple of feet of space
4. Versatile: use your creativity to train almost any muscle group

Besides the above benefits, I've also found the dumbbell combos are great to work with small groups and teams. You can have you athletes stand in a circle so you can watch them all together.

Try these combination lifts in order for 6-8 reps.


LUNGE
BENT-OVER ROW
HAMMER CURL
WIDE
45 DEGREE LUNGE
SQUAT
BICEP CURL
ANGLED PRESS
SHOULDER PRESS

Monday, June 8, 2009

Dumbbell Combo Lifts

Here are some general guidelines for choosing an appropriate dumbbell weight:

Beginning male athletes: 12-20 lbs.
Beginning female athletes: 5-12 lbs.
Intermediate/Advanced male athletes: 25-40+ lbs.
Intermediate/Advanced female athletes: 15-25+ lbs.

Here's a sample circut that will work quads, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors/extensors, deltoids, and triceps.

Try these exercises in order - do one rep of each lift for 5-8 total lifts in the set. Repeat the set 2-3 times.

SQUAT
UPRIGHT ROW
BICEP CURL
SHOULDER PRESS


Thursday, June 4, 2009

Coach serves sobering alcohol facts

Came across a great article discussing the effect of alcohol on the body and how it hampers performance. Below is a couple excerpts from CANDACE CHASE's article in The Daily Inter Lake.

Youthful drinking steals more than innocence from young drinkers, according to former champion runner and Olympic coach John Underwood.

For athletes, one drunken episode wipes out 14 days of training.

“That’s a huge price tag,” he said. “These are things I share with athletes.”

Speaking Tuesday at the third annual town-hall meeting in Kalispell on underage drinking, Underwood said studies have found that binge drinking impairs the brain longer than the night of partying does.
He said alcohol damages the brain’s ability to send signals to the muscles. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to make the connection, he said.

“Your brain operates your body,” he said.

A former NCAA All-American distance runner and World Masters Champion, Underwood coached or advised more than two dozen Olympians. A crusader for drug-free sports, he holds three International Olympic Solidarity diplomas for coaching.

As founder and director of The American Athletic Institute, Underwood made a reputation examining athletics and recreational drug use. He performed the only case study of the residual effects of alcohol on elite athletic performers.

But Underwood said he finds the greatest satisfaction working to keep all youths, not just athletes, free of alcohol and drugs. Because a majority of students participate in sports, he said, the alcohol-athletics connection resonates.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

4- Week Summer Conditioning Program for
All Athletes

Ryan Lee, MS, CSCS

Training during the summer is not always easy. Athletes might not have access to strength training equipment, and when it's nice outside, who wants to be stuck in a gym? People also tend to vacation during the summer so there might be a time constraint as well. Here's an effective conditioning workout you can do anywhere with only 1 medicine ball.

The program is designed to alternate between upper/lower body exercises. You can also add more sport specific exercises such as rotations or twists for baseball, tennis or golf. You are only limited by your imagination.

It's a great workout for an individual or an entire team lined up to perform together for workout variety.

The Program:
Mark 2 cones approximately 40 yards apart

^ ________________________________________ ^
A 40 yards B

Start at "A" and perform the first exercise. Then immediately after you perform the first exercise, jog to "B" with the medicine ball and perform the next exercise. Continue until your goal time is completed.

Perform the following program 3 days per week:
(do each exercise for 30 seconds before moving to the next cone)

Week 1:
1 Set of 12 minutes

Week 2:
1 Set of 15 minutes

Week 3:
2 Sets of 15 minutes

Week 4:
2 Sets of 20 minutes

Monday, June 1, 2009

LeBrun: Red Wings can pick 'em, but they also can d

LeBrun: Red Wings can pick 'em, but they also can d

Posted using ShareThis

7 Plyometric Exercises For Skaters

These are a series of exercises that specifically help hockey players:

1. SPLIT JUMPS : Stand with feet as far apart as you can, front to back. Bend the front leg 90 degrees at the hip, and 90 degrees at the knee. The back knee should almost touch the ground. Jump up and switch leg positions. Land and jump right away to the original position. Repeat 10 times.

2. LATERAL BOUNDS: Stand with feet together and knees slightly bent. Bound sideways to your right by reaching out with the right leg as you push with the left. Land on the right foot. The left foot follows and lands in the original position. Repeat 10 times to the right and then reverse it and bound 10 times to the left, pushing with the right leg. Be careful to move sideways and use the muscles on the sides of hips for propulsion.

3. PIKE JUMPS: Start with feet shoulder width apart. Jump up and lift the legs up and out to each side. Try to touch your toes at the height of each jump. Try to keep your legs straight. Repeat 10 times.

4. SQUAT JUMPS WITH 360: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and jump. While in the air, turn a complete revolution so that you land in the original position. Immediately jump again and turn a complete revolution the opposite way and land in your original position. You can use the same arm positions as your jumps on the ice. Repeat 10 times.

5. ONE FOOT ZIG-ZAG: Draw or tape 2 parallel lines 3 feet apart and about 30 feet long. Balance on one foot on one of the lines. Jump from one line to the other with the same foot in a continuous forward motion. Do not double-hop. Try to get 10 foot touches the length of the line. Then turn around and get 10 foot touches back with the other leg.

6. CALF PLYOS: Balance on the ball of one foot. Hop in place on that one foot propelling yourself upward with the calf and not the thigh. Don’t let your heel touch the ground. Try 30 continuously before switching to the other leg.

7. PLYO PUSH UPS: In regular push up position, with hands wider than shoulders, touch your chest to the floor and powerfully extend your arms. At the height of the motion, switch your hands to a narrow "stance", thumb to thumb and forefinger to forefinger. Touch your chest to this little "window" on the ground, and powerfully extend your arms again. While in the air switch to the original wide position. Repeat 10 times.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Hockey Conditioning - Part 2

Here is the rest of Peter Twist's list:

  1. Micro unloading: There are times in the season when players will physically and mentally hit the wall. To be clear, being tired doesn’t always mean rest is needed. If we rested every time someone was tired in a sport season we would rest every day. Even my 5 year old daughter says, “Daddy my legs are tired, I’ve got to get me some energy, can we run?”. Exercise gives energy. So usually we look to activity to energize the body over the long haul. However, in reading players, occasionally I will interpret their body language, on-ice mechanics, play, mood and other variables that suggest they have hit the wall. More is not always better. At these times we will lighten the frequency of workouts, cancel post-game workouts, and implement variety in routine and exercise style. This is not scheduled precisely into the master plan. Periodization (training schedule of what and when) is more than crunching numbers into a schedule. Hitting the wall can’t be predicted with accuracy. It is a subjective assessment and we must be responsive and willing to modify schedules when it appears.
  2. Automatic unloading. A couple of months before play offs I implement an automatic unloading where players incur less taxing routines. This is to allow them to re-load for the home stretch so they can work hard going into play offs. Workouts heading into playoffs are intense and all about quality efforts.
  3. Play Offs: Players who do not dress have a responsibility to do extra conditioning on the court/field/ice and in the weight room. They may sit every game until the championship and then get the nod. For themselves and for the team, they need to be more than ready, should the opportunity arise. Also, athletes getting minimal playing time per game require conditioning, as the game action is not enough to maintain their fitness levels. Dependent on the league, playoffs can run for up to two months. Someone can lose massive amounts of fitness over 8 weeks. Going into the championship round, players want to be at their very best. Go-to players who see endless playing time each game need plenty of rest – their energy expenditure is high plus it is a war of attrition as the physical combat intensifies. However, they should do a brief strength routine. This is to maintain their strength as well as give the sense of feeling strong. Even a short, light workout provides the kinesthetic sense of having strong, tight, powerful muscles, players feel like their joints are strong and have more confidence in their durability.
  4. The cycle. Sport breaks the body down. Conditioning builds it back up. The trick is that each time the cycle is repeated, a player’s starting point needs to be higher each year, which leads to a better peak condition. This points to efforts during the season so that players are not deconditioned at the start of the off-season, putting themselves right back to the starting line again. Always take steps forward.

In a game, the most skilled players will look so in the first period. In double overtime, the most fit will be your top performers. Skill without fitness makes for a nice practice player. Play off performance is earned over the long haul through year-round sport-specific conditioning.

Peter Twist has coached in the NHL for 11 years and is currently a consultant for several NHL players and agents. An exercise physiologist with an MSc and specialization in Coaching Science, Twist has published over 300 papers, authored 4 books and 11 DVD’s on athlete development and delivered lectures to thousands of trainers and coaches internationally. Recognized as a leader in his industry, Twist was honoured with the National Strength & Conditioning Association's 1998 Presidents Award and CanFitPro 2003 Specialty Presenter of the Year Award. Twist is the President & CEO of Twist Conditioning Inc. For more information or to contact Peter, visit www.sportconditioning.ca For Fitness products from Peter visit www.athleteconditioning.com