In Newfoundland and Labrador, the week of Easter holidays is usually the final week of the minor hockey season. Provincials take place in virtually every nook and cranny in NL during Easter week. AAA Atlantic’s concluded the first weekend of April (see blog post on AAA Atlantic’s here). Hockey NL puts off its annual High Performance Program Spring Camp the first two weekends of May (more info here), but for the most part, it is the proverbial last call on the 2022-23 hockey season.
…. Now what?
Here are 3 tips to navigate the early stages of the off-season
Tip #1 – Ask your coaches for feedback. Feedback is a critical component of self-improvement and confidence-building. That said, be ready to hear things you might not agree with regarding your game when you approach a coach seeking feedback. A good way to approach this would be an e-mail to your coach asking for him/her to provide one thing that you did consistently well all season, and one thing that you need to work on this summer to reach your goals in the fall.
Tip #2 – Build your body. Even if you’re U7 or U9, you can build your body by doing bodyweight exercises with correct technique, shooting pucks, rollerblading, sprinting, skipping… the activity list of safe exercising is endless with the right imagination. For competitive players who are older, reaching out to trainer(s) at this time to see what their availability is for the Summer is wise. How to select the right trainer for you is probably an article that needs to be written, but that is for another day.
Tip #3 – Sign up for other sports. Yes – other sports! PLAY OTHER SPORTS! This needs to be heard – especially for younger players. I would even suggest going off the board here… want to work on agility? Play ultimate frisbee. Want to work on speed? Lacrosse is a sprinting sport. How about toughness – rugby anyone? While I’m unsure if the above sports have youth levels, but I am confident that playing other sports can help you improve at hockey. Tim Turk also agrees. Not to mention it helps one expand their social circle, minimize the risk of muscle fatigue… I could go on and on.
I’m sure there’s a demographic of person out there who is saying “you’re one to talk, your private hockey business operates year-round”.
But it doesn’t.
From mid-May until the end of June, VHG has 2 Spring teams going to Boston and each team has one weekend of ice time apiece leading up to the June 8-11 weekend. Our Summer ’23 classes are geared towards players prepping for the Hockey NL High Performance Program Provincial Camp in Corner Brook at the beginning of August. No group younger than HPP age will be on the ice more than 1X a week until the end of August.
Want a list of activities to improve your game without going on the ice? Click here
How about a couple of foods that should be in your fridge this summer? Click here
Until Next Time
AP