The Inside Post

Tryouts can be a stressful time of year, as both parents and players experience a mix of nervousness and excitement. In this week's article we discuss the top-10 steps your athlete can do today to prepare for their upcoming tryouts. We believe that with the right attitude, pre-tryout preparation, equipment checks, and game-day strategy, your player will be ready to perform to best of their ability, and make a team that is right for them.

Even with busy back-to-school schedules and fall sports, hockey players of all ages and levels can find a few minutes every day to sharpen our skills and get ready for upcoming winter team tryouts. Coach Connor shares a few of his tips in this week's article.

Most players want to impress their teammates during team practice by executing a shot they know they can do, and fear embarrassment if they mishandle the puck or whiff. But if that is the case, then how do hockey players ever work on new shot techniques and location? Coach Andy Blaylock with Competitive Edge Hockey digs further into that topic in this week's article. 

Investing time to learn new skills is an essential part of personal growth. And with the learning of any new technique, such as a stickhandling move, there will undoubtedly make mistakes. This is a good thing. Mistakes are signals that let you know forward progress is taking place. Instead of getting frustrated and abandoning the drill, challenge yourself to think like an elite player and become determined to conquer the issue. Learn from the mistake, make the adjustment, and go again. Soon the mistakes get fewer and fewer, and before long they’ve developed mastery of the new skill.

Every hockey player has different motivating factors for playing the game. For many, the answer could be for love of the game, to have fun with friends, and/or to be active, which are all perfectly good reasons! Those committed to becoming elite athletes, however, have other personality traits in common that motivate them on their hockey journey, which we explore further in this week's article.

It’s now early August, school will be starting soon, and football is underway. For we hockey players and families, this time of year also reminds that winter team tryouts are...

One of the best things a hockey player can do for his/her development is to practice at home. Even just 10-15 minutes a day creates a cumulative effect over the course of weeks, months and years that will really help a player elevate his/her game. In this week's article, we highlight five products to help players get the most out of outdoor hockey training this summer.    

Coaches want players who have effective "split vision". It means bringing your eyes up far enough so you can see what’s around you, but more importantly, still being able to see the puck out of the corner of your eyes. Just like other hockey skills, split vision can be developed by athletes of all ages by performing certain exercises at home to train the eyes, hands and brain to work together. 

The hockey one-timer is one of the most exciting and effective shots for goal-scorers, as the quick release and change of direction make this shot very difficult for a goalie to pick up. For this week’s article we break down those top factors to help your player effectively develop this shooting skill, whether on-ice or at-home, and regardless of his/her age and level.

For those committed to becoming elite hockey players, game day preparation isn't just the 4-5 minutes of on-ice warm-up time right before a game. These players are shooting pucks and refining stickhandling skills at home to build confidence and muscle memory, so they can simply read and react in a game situation.   

Years ago we stumbled across the following graph, published by Ontario Minor Hockey Association, with original stats compiled by Stats LLC over then-recent NHL seasons, entitled “The Science of Scoring”. ...

In this week's article, we discuss how playing with passion and persistence (i.e. grit) is the secret to outstanding achievement.