Why Consistency is Key for Young Hockey Players

Being a good hockey player is about a lot more than just building on-the-ice skills. A truly good hockey players makes athleticism a lifestyle. Real hockey players don’t just go to games and practices. Sure, they do those things, but they also are committed to other things, like healthy diet and regular exercise, that make them better athletes all around.   

Of course, all of this might seem like a lot to ask of youth players. They are, after all, just kids. As a parent or a coach, however, you can teach kids the power of consistency. In the process, you’ll instill the skills needed to make them true athletes.

While consistency is key in really every aspect of a child’s life, here are some good areas in which to exercise consistency:

l  Eat healthily each day. A “treat” here and there is fine, but diet should be healthy and nutritious every day.

l  Exercise daily. For kids, this doesn’t have to mean hitting the gym every day, but committing to some kind of daily physical activity is a good way to establish a consistent fitness routine

l  Attend every game and practice unless there is an emergency, illness, or something else that truly can’t be helped. Never miss an event just because your child “didn’t feel like it” or “was having a bad day.”

It may be hard to be consistent at first, but, with time, it will become second nature. In fact, after awhile, good habits will be so ingrained your child won’t even have to think about them. Instead, he’ll just do them. In that way, consistency teaches good habits, and it turns good habits into a good lifestyle, one that is conducive to being a lifelong athlete.

Improve Hockey Skills with Outdoor Activities

Every young hockey player wants to be a good hockey player, one who has truly mastered the most important skills of the game. This, of course, is not something that can happen overnight. Basic skills like stick handling, skating, passing, pass reception, and more all take time and consistent effort to develop fully. And, while a lot of hockey’s most important skills can be honed and developed on the ice, in games and in practices, some skills, surprisingly, can be developed outside of the realm of hockey, in common (and fun!) outdoor activities.   

Biking

One of the best ways to create a conditioned, strong body, ideal for young hockey players, is through biking.   

Biking is beneficial to hockey players in many ways. It can:

·         Help to build stamina, especially when resistance is altered and increased as needed

·         Increase cardiovascular strength

·         Build leg strength, which can, in turn, aid in proper skating

The best way to bike and build these skills is through high intensity “bursts” of biking followed by periods of less-intensive biking.

Rollerblading

Another great outdoor activity that can be beneficial to hockey players is rollerblading. Rollerblading can be useful to hockey athletes in various ways.

To start off with, it greatly helps with skating ability by improving balance. And, as balance and stability are gained, this helps to get rid of some of the fear that people often have when they’re first starting out with hockey and with skating in general. This, in turn, will lead to greater confidence on the ice.

Rollerblading also helps with building leg control and overall agility, as well as the ability to transition without losing speed, all skills that are important in the game of hockey.

As you can see, there are many outdoor activities- these are just a couple of many- that can be used to build hockey skills. Not only are they effective, but they’re also a nice change from the usual on-the-ice practice, so encourage the youth hockey player in your life to give these and other similar activities a try.