New training program on the horizon at KHS

Wildcats Hockey Club
New training program on the horizon at KHS
By Larry O’Connor
I
n the ongoing quest to be the preeminent youth
hockey organization in Southern California, Wildcats Hockey Club has added a new dimension to its
training regimen.
Starting this month, the Anaheim-based outfit
will begin offering a plyometric and dryland exercise program for its players. The off-ice initiative is
the newest venture being offered through the team’s
home KHS Ice Arena’s training center.
The KHS training facility, which is adjacent to
the rink, is in the final phase of construction. The
6,000-square-foot facility with rubber flooring will be
hockey-centric with shooting lanes, a skating treadmill, medicine balls and weightlifting equipment for
older players.
“This is a huge advantage our players now have
at their disposal,” said Ben Frank, Wildcats Hockey
Club president, “and one that can help bring our organization to the next level, along with the continued
improvements in coaching and infrastructure we’ve
been building.”
Plyometric training is one of the most effective
methods of dryland training. It’s considered essential in developing speed, quickness and power. Soviet
track and field competitors pioneered the routine,
which uses explosive movements - mainly through
jumping and hopping - to develop muscle and increase
speed.
Many NHL players have been strong proponents
of plyometric exercises.
“The simplest way to look at it is that weighttraining builds the muscular system while plyometric
trains the nervous system,” said Mike Boyle, a Massachusetts-based strength conditioning coach who’s
worked with countless NHL players over the years, in
a 2009 interview with NHL.com.
“What we’re trying to do is get their brain to get
the impulse to the muscle faster. That’s what we’re
talking about in trying to make somebody more explosive.
“It’s one thing to get a muscle to be larger, one
thing to get a muscle to be stronger, but to get to that
muscle to respond in the appropriate timeframe is really the essence of athleticism.
“That’s where plyometric drills come in, because
we’re trying to work on developing the ability to jump,
to do things explosively and reactively.”
Plyos combine resistance exercises that target the
quadriceps by first stretching the muscle - the eccentric phase - and then quickly shorten it - the concentric phase, according to WebMD.
Though plyometric training has primarily been
the domain of professional and amateur adult athletes, children and adolescents also can reap the benefits in a properly supervised, structured environment,
according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
Laguna Niguel-based PlyoCity is conducting the
Wildcats sessions. The firm has trained more than
90,000 athletes, but is best known for its work with
pro beach volleyball players and U.S. gold medalists
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, as well as
U.S. men’s gold medal-winning volleyball squad member Karch Kiraly.
PlyoCity works with groups and entire teams as
well as individuals. Workouts include stretching, leg
exercises, cone hops and rope drills. There are 50 or so
movements the firm has devised in building the largest plyometric company in the country.
Wildcat players will have a chance to partake in
three plyometric sessions a week. To build team unity, the club’s Mite A and B, Squirt, Pee Wee, Bantam
and Midget teams will conduct sessions together.
Off-ice training fits in with the Wildcats’ overall
mission of being a well-rounded, inclusive youth hockey organization, Frank said.
“Off-ice training in today’s game is essential to
truly develop elite athletes and hockey players,” he
said. “It’s an important part of the process.”
This season, Wildcats formed AAA teams at the
Pee Wee, Bantam and Midget 16U levels while more
than 200 youngsters have taken part in its California
Development Hockey League (CDHL) program, which
is designed for beginning players.
As part of its CDHL initiative, the Wildcats also
offer a free hockey program for children ages 4-10 on
Saturday mornings at KHS Ice Arena.
“We’re excited about where our program is headed,” said Frank. “Our coaches and staff are committed to giving every one of our players the best opportunity to grow and develop and, most importantly,
have fun.”
WildcatsHockey.com
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