“My Off-Season Is There Is No Off-Season”
The off-season as it is often referred to as, is far from being anything close to having “time off”. Much like your job or career you may only get a week or two of down time at most yearly to rest your body and recover from the wear and tear of a hostile campaign that is a competitive hockey season.
Obviously training is the most important aspect of a hockey player’s off-season. For some more than others and for those who do not take training seriously it shows when training camp comes around, and your days become numbered. Personally this is something I love to do. I enjoy training for the game as much as I love playing the game itself.
My day will consist of a morning training session (usually approximately two hours in duration) then followed by an evening/late afternoon track session or skate depending on the time of year and phase of training. During the months of July and August it is critical to accumulate ice-time prior to training camp. Throughout the off-season you will lose your timing and comfort level on the ice, this is inevitable; however on-ice preparation is imperative in the weeks prior to the real thing.
I usually start the day with a big breakfast. It is drastically important to eat right and often in the days leading up to training camp and throughout the entire off-season for that matter. Just like any athletic contest your body is continually burning calories and you’re responsible to fuel it with power. When training for speed and agility I will usually be at the gym by 8:00am for a powerful explosive lift or circuit followed by some type of cardio, usually performed at the track by doing sprints and plyometric work. As I mentioned later in the day after refueling if I was not skating that day I would implement some kind of recreational activity in my training to mix things up. I enjoy running with a partner, whether it be moderately long distance or short distance preformed several times. I also enjoy playing squash, biking and swimming.
Due to the physical demand I find it is absolutely necessary to have a good training partner. Someone who can push you and motivate you throughout the day I have found is of most importance. Just like the comradery and sportsmanship many athletes have towards teammates this same principle can be useful with a training partner. I have been blessed throughout my hockey career to have had access to extraordinarily useful and beneficial training partners who have contributed so much to my conditioning.
Of course at some point you need to relax and enjoy yourself. Whether it be hitting the links for a game of golf or an afternoon at the beach this is the time to enjoy the good weather the summer presents us, as well as allowing your body and mind to rest and as we all know rest is equally as important. As appealing or atrocious as it may seem this is what I do to prepare for the game I love and I wouldn’t have it any other way, “my off-season is there is no off-season”
[Mike Barbour is a Certified Personal Trainer and RIVALUS Athlete. He is also a contributing partner in Nova Scotia off-ice training development of minor hockey, Junior and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) level players along with being a CIS University Hockey player at the University of Windsor, Ontario]
