Off-Season Programming Guidelines (Hockey)

The following contains background information on how I organize my off-season programs for hockey. They’re various forms of program design (periodization), but I have always chosen to follow a concurrent with an emphasis style for my team sport athletes. This is where all the qualities (speed, power, strength, etc…) are trained at the same time. Depending on the time of year (pre, in, post, or off-season) and athlete (sport and position) will determine which quality will have the focus of the specific training session. To keep it simple, the major parameter that changes is the volume of the targeted quality.   

When organizing a program, I consider the length (in season, off-season, preseason, and post-season) and the frequency, that is, how many days per week the athlete will train. For the purpose of this article, I will show an off-season, 9-week program with training sessions performed 4 days per week. Once length and frequency are settled, I organize training by CNS intensive or extensive stimulus. I believe in a high and low scheme where the high stressors are on the same day and the low stressors are on the same day, as this allows for more efficient rate of recovery. 

This off-season program includes:

2 CNS Intensive sessions (Day 1 and Day 3)

2 CNS extensive sessions (Day 2 and Day 4)

Exercise selection and training methods for the different qualities are then finalized. The different qualities addressed are:

Speed

Explosiveness

Strength (Primary, Assistive, and Auxiliary)

Energy System Development (A-Lactic Power or Capacity, Aerobic Capacity, Etc…)

It’s important to note that the programming process is largely dependent on a variety of factors individual to the athlete. Primary among them are age, gender, training history, and injury history (orthopedic). Sport and position round up the primary determinants for the programming process, as different athletes, in different sports, in varying positions may require unique training adjustments. 

I reserve the off-season for a major emphasis on speed. I have found with hockey athletes that it is very important to incorporate linear and multi-directional speed drills into the program. On the multi-directional speed days the athlete will progress from a closed to open style of drills. The closed drills will have definite start and finish. Where as the open drills will have a visual or auditory command. These drills will have a specific start but undetermined finish. The program has 2 days of high quality speed drills with complete recovery. This improves a-lactic power outputs. I stress to my athletes the need for technical perfection with every repetition, a 100% percent effort, and a full recovery between each set. Speed drills are always performed at the beginning of the training, preceded by a proper warm up. The warm up ensures full physical preparedness.            

Explosive movements are programmed on all 4 days. Day 1 and 3 will follow the speed drills. Days 2 and 4 will be at the beginning of the training sessions prior to the primary strength movement. The higher stress explosive movements will be performed on the same day as the speed drills. These movements are also organized into two different categories, linear and lateral. The linear explosive movements will be performed on the same day as the linear speed drills with an emphasis on acceleration. The lateral explosive movements will be performed on the same day as the multi-directional speed drills with an emphasis on change of direction.

The two other training sessions, the CNS extensive sessions, will contain less stressful explosive movements. These sessions may include different jumps, bounds, hops, and medicine ball throws. These less stressful sessions will include movements of slower velocity, lower skill, and of single response outputs. 

This portion of the program (speed and explosive movements) is where I place an importance on a principle known as Dynamic Correspondence. This principle will help in choosing different movements that will have the highest transferability to the athlete’s sport (Hockey). There are 5 different criteria that must be followed for the exercise selection.

The 5 Criteria of Dynamic Correspondence:

1. The amplitude and direction of movement
2. Accentuated region of force production (joint angles)
3. The effort (intensity and speed) of the movement
4. The rate of maximal force production
5. The musculature and energy systems involved

Strength movements follow the explosive portion of the program. Strength programming is split into primary strength, assistive strength, auxiliary strength, and mobility/stability drills. During the 2 CNS intensive training sessions the athlete will perform a squat or dead-lift variation as their primary strength exercise. Squatting and dead-lifting place a tremendous amount of stress on the athlete’s system. Subsequently, there are more intensive external loads compared to bench-pressing variations. Because bench-pressing variations put less stress on the athlete than squatting or dead-lifting, they are programmed into the 2 CNS extensive training sessions. 

Each training block will have an eccentric, isometric, and dynamic emphasis (complex and contrast method). Block 1 includes an eccentric emphasis with assistive and auxiliary movements. Block 2 will use an isometric emphasis with the assistive and auxiliary movements. Block 3, the final block, will have a dynamic emphasis (complex and contrast method) with primary and assistive movements. 

The final part of the program is what I refer to as “Energy System Development.” This will be different depending on the time of year, as pre-season, in-season, post-season, and off-season all have different requirements. Also taken into consideration are the current training block and athlete’s sport and respective position. This off-season program during Block 1 will have 2 days of energy system development on the CNS extensive sessions. This will consist on improving aerobic fitness through the “tempo” method. This will change from training Block 1, 2, and 3. 

Here is an outline of my off-season Block 1 training program. 

Day 1 (CNS Intensive)

Speed: 

Linear Speed Development (Acceleration)

Explosive: 

Linear Jumps, Bounds, Hops and Medicine Ball Horizontal Push Throws

Primary Strength: 

Squat Variation (Squat, Front Squat, Goblet Squat, Etc…)

Mobility/ Stability Drill: 

Athlete Specific 

Assistive Strength: 

Single Leg Variation (90-90 Split Squat, RFESS, Forward Lunge, Reverse Lunge, Etc…)

Auxiliary Strength:  

Upper Back Variation (Face-pull, Pull-down, Y-Drill, Etc…) 

Core Variation (Plank, Roll-Out, Body Saw, Fall-Out, Etc…)

Day 2 (CNS Extensive)

Explosive: 

Vertical Jump (Squat Jumps), Plyo Push-up, and Horizontal Jump (Broad or Stair Jumps w/ Single Response)

Primary Strength: 

Bench Press Variation (Bench, Floor, Board, Close Grip, Etc…)

Mobility/ Stability Drill: 

Athlete Specific

Assistive Strength: 

Row Variation (Barbell, 1-Arm DB, Chest Supported, Etc…) 

Push-up Variation (Incline, Flat, Decline, Etc…)

Auxiliary Strength: 

Upper Back Variation (Scarecrow, Band Pull-a-part, Prone DB Raise, Etc…) 

Elbow Flexor / Extensor Variation (Hammer Curl, Zotman Curl, Supinated Curl, Band Push-down, Elbow-out Extensions, Dips, Etc…) 

Core Variation (Reverse Crunch Variation)

Energy System Development:

Aerobic Capacity- “Tempo” Runs (Flat, Hill, Sled, Etc…)

Day 3 (CNS Intensive)

Speed: 

Multi-Directional Speed Development (Change of Direction)

Explosive:

Lateral Bounds, Hops, Jumps and Rotational Medicine Ball Throws

Primary Strength:

DL Variation (Trap Bar, Conventional, Sumo)

Assistive Strength:

Posterior Chain Dominant Variation (GHR, BB Hip Thrust, RDL, Etc…)

Auxiliary Strength:

Upper Back Variation (Face-pull, Pull-down, Y-Drill, Etc…)

Core Variation (Belly Press and Hold, Side Plank, SB “Stir the Pot”, Etc…)

Day 4 (CNS Extensive)

Explosive:

Vertical Jump (Single Leg Squat Jumps or Kneeling Jumps), OH Medicine Ball Slam, Horizontal Jump (Hurdle Jump w/ Single Response)

Primary Strength:

Bench Press Variation (Bench, Floor, Board, Close Grip, Etc…)

Mobility/ Stability Drill: 

Athlete Specific

Assistive Strength:

Chin/Pull-up or Inverted Row Variation (Barbell or Blast Strap)

Vertical Push Variation (Angled Press, DB OH Press, DB Incline Press, Etc…)

Auxiliary Strength:

Upper Back Variation (Scarecrow, Band Pull-a-part, Shoulder ER with Y-Press, Etc…) 

Elbow Flexor / Extensor Variation (Hammer Curl, Zotman Curl, Supinated Curl, Band Push-Down, Elbow-Out Extensions, Dips, Etc…) 

Core Variation (Reverse Crunch Variation)

Energy System Development:

Aerobic Capacity- “Tempo” Runs (Flat, Hill, Sled, Etc…)