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I've always been appalled at how too many young hockey players spend way too much time developping their skill and too little developping their bodies.
What good is being able to pass the puck between your legs and score a Mike Legg goal if you're not able to bench 100 pounds and can't spend 30 straight minutes on a stationary bike? You can be the most skilled player in the world but you're useless in a game if you can't keep up the pace. Even in the CHL many players seem to neglect this facet of the game and never train regularly off the ice.
In my opinion, young hockey players should spend a lot more time working out physically while they're in the minors. Too many talented young players have weak cardio and laughable upper body strength.
In a way, you can draw a parallel with martial arts. Two acquaintances of mine have practiced karate all their lives and recently got their asses handed to them by thugs in a street brawl without even being able to punch back. I mean, both of them were black belt experts who trained for hours almost every day... only problem is, they only practiced skill and never really worked out seriously. If they would have spent more time lifting weights and riding their bike rather than practicing fancy martial arts positions, they would never have been beaten by nameless thugs. I think the same goes for hockey.
Thoughts?
What good is being able to pass the puck between your legs and score a Mike Legg goal if you're not able to bench 100 pounds and can't spend 30 straight minutes on a stationary bike? You can be the most skilled player in the world but you're useless in a game if you can't keep up the pace. Even in the CHL many players seem to neglect this facet of the game and never train regularly off the ice.
In my opinion, young hockey players should spend a lot more time working out physically while they're in the minors. Too many talented young players have weak cardio and laughable upper body strength.
In a way, you can draw a parallel with martial arts. Two acquaintances of mine have practiced karate all their lives and recently got their asses handed to them by thugs in a street brawl without even being able to punch back. I mean, both of them were black belt experts who trained for hours almost every day... only problem is, they only practiced skill and never really worked out seriously. If they would have spent more time lifting weights and riding their bike rather than practicing fancy martial arts positions, they would never have been beaten by nameless thugs. I think the same goes for hockey.
Thoughts?