Overspeed Training

As the parent of a young hockey player, you undoubtedly want your child to perform at his very best and to learn and acquire skills important to the game. And, while it certainly is important for your child to develop as many skills as possible and to be able to perform those skills at a variety of different paces and in various scenarios, nothing is more important than ensuring that your child can perform these skills at top speed, also known as game speed. Fortunately, though,there’s a new type of training in town- overspeed training- and it’s becoming popular among kids to ensure they can handle all the most important skills of hockey, such as stickhandling and shooting, at the highest possible speeds.   

Most coaches who are willing to try out this exercise with kids create drills where the young players build up their speed in the neutral zone or near the net and then practice their skills once they’re reached top speeds. Of course, they have to learn the basic skills in a slower, more controlled environment first, but once they’ve got that down, they’re ready for faster speeds.

Of course, when overspeed training first happens, mistakes are common. This will lead some kids to get frustrated, but that’s okay. In fact, it’s actually a good thing. Getting kids comfortable with making mistakes, at least initially, and stepping outside of their comfort zones is only going to make them stronger, better, more capable players.

Coaches, of course, need to keep in mind that youth hockey players still need to know how to do important moves at normal speeds as well, but overspeed training can definitely be useful for getting kids game-ready and just plain ready for success in hockey in general, so it’s definitely worth trying out!