It's getting to that exciting time of the year now - but very tough decisions for many ahead... We are about to enter that time of the year that many refer to "crunch time". It is a time of year that our young athletes are trying to get in shape for the upcoming season... many hockey schools are being run by the excellent technical experts in the game today..., and the gyms are getting busier every day as players are trying to get in shape to reach the next level of play. These "physical decisions" are easy to make and taking action is very wise to ensure that athletes are in shape and display their level of committment to achieving the goals that they have set. Other tough decisions at this time of year are yet to come.... especially if one has a choice to make regarding the team that they may try out for..., or the route that they may take to achieve their hockey and other life dreams. Many people are now being placed in various tough decision-making situations regarding the upcoming season...., and likely the seasons of 2009-10 and 2010-11. For players that are attending Major Junior Camps at the end of the month, I wish to remind parents that it is very easy to get caught up in the hype of being invited (whether drafted or invited as a free agent). Being invited to attend a Camp is a wonderful accomplishment, and is something to be very proud of. Remember, that most athletes who will be invited to a Junior Camp have several options to proceed in their hockey careers. By making ill-informed decisions at a major junior camp will likely eliminate one of the other options, which for many would be a very preferential route to enable an education at the same time. Remember that you must make the proper and informed decisions, based on information gathered through discussions with other players, parents, and experts based on actual facts and documentation that is provided by people who are knowledgeable and without a possible motive for you to make a decision that may not be in your child's best interest. I have heard many parents say to me that their son has made a decision to take a particular route..., and that is the way they wish to proceed. They have left this major life decision up to someone who is likely ill-informed and has made all decisions based on data supplied by other ill-informed people and marjeting activities, and most likely may not realize all the consequences. Since beginning this service, I have heard from many people who have made a decision that they later regretted. In all cases, these parents have told me that it was a lack of information and being put in a position of having to make a decision that caused them to do what they thought was proper at the time..., but later proved to be unwise. Just be aware of the fact that you should be prepared. For many people receiving this newsletter today, you will have very tough decisions to make over the coming weeks. I suggest that you prepare yourself now by reading alot of information and documents and know at which point you have entered the "point of no return". at these Camps... so that you can make a proper and informed decision, based on overall eligibility rules... as well as the restrictive recruitment rules of the other option(s). If you think I can help, just click here to send me an e-mail.     This newsletter is comprised of personal opinion and the distribution of various articles that I have read and have found interesting and informative The Pure Power Edge Mouthguard - Technology To Help With High Performance A product review by David Recently, after conducting research for almost a year and watching a player with the subject mouthpiece, I visited the dental office of Dr. Paul Bonazza with one of my sons to be fitted with a very unique mouthguard, known as the Pure Power Edge. The process of the initial impressions and fitting took just about 1.5 hours, and then a further appointment is required when the appliance arrives following production at a laboratory in Calgary. What would you think if someone told you that a mouth guard can make you stronger, improve your flexibility and increase your balance? You might think they are crazy, but I have been convinced that those are the benefits a Pure Power Edge or Pure Power Mouthguard can provide. Professional and amateur athletes from many sports are praising it, including Manny Ramirez , formerly of the Boston Red Sox. This appliance, derived from neuromuscular dentistry, shows how connected one's bite is to the rest of one's body. The idea of the dental work is to find the ideal bite position (where the muscles and joints are most relaxed) and build that position into the mouthguard. The proper bite is found using TENS (Transcutaneous Electro-Neural Stimulation) to relax the muscles and then to conduct jaw tracking with EMGs (measures muscle activity) to see, in real time, where the bite is most relaxed. It has been determined that when a person is in this position, they are better able to use their strength, increase their range of motion, and improve their balance. In this position, the background muscle tension is relaxed allowing an athlete to use their body more efficiently. There are athletes in all of the major professional sports using the Pure Power Edge and Pure Power Mouthguard. The Mouthguard is for sports where tooth protection and concussion resistance is important ( i.e. football, hockey, wrestling, martial arts, etc ). In talking to various athletes and through my research, I have found that players talk of the fact that it is very comfortable and they do not mind wearing it. They speak of being able to breath easier and have longer endurance because they believe that they are more efficient in their breathing. In watching players wear it, I have noticed a huge difference in balance and agility, and I can tell when they do not have it in their mouth by their style of play. I would not believe it if I had not seen it for myself. It is possible that you believe this article to be a paid advertisement. I am so convinced of it's benefits that this article has been published without any compensation whatsoever. It is not. Dr. Bonazza is not aware that his chairside techniques were going to appear in this newsletter. How is a Pure Power appliance different from a regular 'boil and bite' mouth guard? A regular mouth guard is made of material that is heated up and then the teeth are squeezed into it. This material is not very durable or comfortable. This is why you see many athletes chewing on the guard and taking it out all the time. Another type of mouth guard is the pressure-heat laminated type. This type fits on the teeth better, but the material shifts the bite so that the muscles have to work harder. It has been found that athletes with these ill fitting guards may even perform worse with this type of guard. The Pure Power Mouthguard is a comfortable custom-fitted appliance, using specialized computer technology to pinpoint and capture one's ideal bite position. The power of this device is amazing.   If you are serious about hockey, and want to get a possible "edge" , I suggest that you should call Dr. Bonazza at (902) 465-4210 to see if you are a candidate for the Pure Power Mouthguard. For specific information from the Pure Power Edge Website, please visit www.thepurepoweredge.com. For various documentaries on YouTube, you can visit these five videos for additional information; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J8GIGczyJA and/or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDcfev7IjQk and/or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NxzB5r1YiM and/or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPtO1jb55eU and/or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuQeJtNX64c   Training your upper body for hockey By Jim Reeves, CAT(c), CSCS  One very important component of a player's off-icetraining is developing the power, strength and stability of their upper body.Hockey players need to develop the upper body to not only prevent injury,but to ensure their performance on the ice is not compromised by a weak or ineffective upper body structure.  However, training the upper body is also a common problem for many players, as there can be a significant amount of incorrect or misleading information on training techniques for this part of the body. In this article, we will discuss the role of upper body training for hockey players, some of the common misconceptions and errors players make in their training programs, and outline two exercises to help in an off-ice training program.  On the ice,the upper body is used to establish body positioning,create space,contain opponents,absorb high speed impacts,manipulate the stick and indirectly,manipulate the puck. To operate in these conditions, a hockey player's upper body must work with the core and lower body to produce and direct force as a kinetic chain.  In order to perform these skills on the ice,the upper body must be able to move independent of the rest of the body, and the hockey player must develop balanced levels of strength and stability in the use of both left and right arms.  The role of the core and lower body is to provide a stable base from which the upper body can work from.  Traditionally, players have received upper body training that is founded in body building principles."Biceps, triceps, shoulders and crunches","doing a little bench"and "working the chest and arms"are all common phrases and misconceptions that have penetrated the sport training environment.Training for hockey though,requires the athlete to look past these antiquated techniques and towards a training model that will help them on the ice.    Don't isolate - integrate.  Off-ice training should contain exercises that integrate the muscles,ensuring not only the muscles within the upper body, but also the core and lower body musculature, are working together to produce efficient movements.  In order to coordinate the upper and lower body,hockey players must replicate positions they will find themselves in while on the ice as they train their upper body.For example, keeping the core and lower body stable while the upper body battles for positioning with opponents is a situation many players find themselves in on the ice.  Split Stance Single Arm Row  A great exercise to promote this stability and coordination is the Split Stance Single Arm Row.In this exercise,the athlete wraps tubing around a pole and holds both ends of the tubing in either hand.The athlete steps back with one leg,dropping down into a split stance position.The tubing should be pulling the arms forwards,straight out from the body.Pull the shoulder blades together in the upper back and keep the back straight by pushing the chest up and forwards.  To start the exercise, pull one arm in towards the body, aiming to have the hand finish against the mid to lower portion of the rib cage.Allow the arm to return to the start position,and then repeat with the other side. Perform eight to ten repetitions per arm,switching the position of the legs halfway through the set. Do not allow the back knee to touch the floor,and hold this split stance position throughout the exercise. Stability Ball Kneeling Incline Push-up  Another upper body strength exercise designed to force the core to stabilize the body positioning is the Stability Ball Kneeling Incline Push-up.Set-up your body position for the exercise by rolling out on the stability ball to your upper thighs, supporting the weight of the upper body with your arms.Then,pull the knees up towards the chest so that the stability ball rolls underneath to the lower legs.  To perform the exercise,slowly roll forward on the stability ball,lowering the body down towards the floor.Try to get the nose as close to the floor as possible, pausing at the bottom position,before pushing the body back to the start position. Keep the back straight throughout the exercise, and keep the core muscles engaged to control the body's position over top of the hands.Again,perform eight to ten repetitions of this exercise as long as proper technique is maintained.      Perform both of the exercises outlined here for three sets apiece, two to three times a week. Be creative with both exercises to challenge the body. For example, in the row exercise, changing the angle of the tubing will force the body to adapt to different strength and balance demands.Having the tubing inclined, declined, or coming across the body more from the side will challenge a player's ability to perform the exercise.  With the incline push-up exercise, changing the width between the hands,the distance of the hands away from the ball or rolling the legs out and back in between push-up reps will change the demands of the exercise as well.   Working small in off-season = big gains  By Jim Reeves, CAT(c), CSCS  Too often,players pose the question "Do you perform strength training in the off-season program?" Many will follow this question up with the comment "That's what I've done in the past and it has worked well for me".  In many ways, comments such as these illustrate how misinformed the hockey community as a whole can be when it comes to training that will improve performance on the ice. Many players associate training for hockey with the performance of basic strength training exercises.  So much more is involved in the development of hockey players in a training environment, but for many players strength training is the only component they actively work on.  Hockey is a game of power endurance, with successful players able to perform the sport specific skills such as skating, shooting, deking, body checking and stick handling in short, intense shifts throughout the game.  Off-season training for these athletes must address the core stability, balance, power and energy system requirements of playing hockey, to say nothing of the need for increasing strength levels in a player.  Too often,stereotypes and training methods used for other sports dominate the workouts hockey players are given. Hockey players need programs that are constructed to complement the game they play on the ice, not isolate components of another sport a player would like to change in their own game.  Unfortunately, many hockey players will train for just basic strength improvements in their off-season program.From the beginning of the off-season, these athletes are focused on increasing the weights they can lift, using the bench press, chin-up and squat exercises. These basic lifts emphasize development of muscles referred to as prime movers, responsible primarily for generating movement of the body and its limbs.  Other muscles in the body, typically smaller and located closer to the joint surfaces,are called stabilizers. Stabilizing muscles are responsible for maintaining the position and stability of a joint,adjusting constantly to the pull of the larger prime movers. Stabilizer muscles fine tune movement at the joint level,while the prime movers work on gross motor movements.  An athlete's movement speed, is in part determined by how stabile they are at the joint level. The body will limit how quickly a prime mover can contract if it recognizes instability in a joint the prime mover produces motion at. Instead, the prime mover will assume partial responsibility of providing stability for that joint,limiting the muscle's effectiveness and force production capacity.  In addition, the stronger a prime mover becomes, the more stability is required at the joint level, due to an increase in the potential force and movement speed generated by this muscle.Stronger prime movers create a need for more control from the stabilizing muscles.  Athletes who emphasize basic strength exercises will develop an imbalance between the relative strength levels of their prime movers and stabilizer muscles. As an athlete's overall strength level increases,there must be a concurrent increase in the ability of the stabilizing muscles to control and guide motion at the joint level.With this imbalance, the athlete's body will limit the contractile speed and force capacity of the prime movers, causing the athlete to plateau in their total strength gains.  Athletes in this situation will spend an enormous amount of time and energy making very small gains in their overall strength levels,a situation that is overcome with a training program that emphasizes developing the stabilizing muscles properly.  Unfortunately, further consequences to performing basic strength exercises are a change in an athlete's flexibility and centre of gravity. Since many strength exercises do not emphasize full range of motion in all planes of movement at the joints of the hips and shoulders, an athlete can develop restrictions in their flexibility. The loss of flexibility will hinder a player's movement efficiency,alter their posture,and change how the athlete moves and performs on the ice. As well, the tendency for many athletes is to perform workouts with the intention of improving their appearance. Known by many as "the beach workout",the emphasis is on upper body exercises such as bench press and arm curls.The athlete will experience a change in their centre of gravity if too much tissue growth occurs in the upper body, allowing the athlete to be knocked off balance easier.  Athletes need to ensure their off-season program incorporates training to emphasize the development of muscles which operate to stabilize their joints.Athletes can achieve these goals through exercises which isolate the contraction of these stabilizing muscles or through exercises whose body positioning requires stabilization. Following are two exercises to isolate the functioning of the stabilizing muscles at either the hip or the shoulder.    TUBING RESISTED SINGLE LEG STRIDE  The exercise is performed with tubing wrapped around the ankles and one foot on a slippery surface, such as a slide board or tile floor.Slowly push the foot on the slide board out to the side.Maintain the squat stance over top of the foot still on the floor as the leg on the slide board is straightened out and then returns back to the starting position. Do not lean to either side as you move in and out from the slide board edge or rise up out of the squat position.    TUBING SINGLE ARM ROW AND ROTATION  To perform this exercise,a piece of resistance tubing is wrapped around a pole, holding the ends in either hand.The arms are positioned straight out in front of the body in a standing position.  To perform the exercise, pull the upper portion of one arm back level with the body,so that the elbow is out to the side level with the shoulder.Then rotate the hand up and backwards until the hand will not rotate back any further.  The hand movement should be done without dropping the elbow down at all. To complete the exercise, slowly rotate the hand forward and allow the arms to return to the start position in a slow and controlled motion, and then repeat with the other arm.  Information Regarding The Minimum High School Course Pattern To Meet the NCAA 16 Core Classes In order to qualify to be able to play at a Division I or Division II Hockey program, a player must have 16 core courses upon graduation from high school. Listed below is a sample pattern of high school classes a student-athlete could follow to complete the NCAA 16 Core Courses required for NCAA eligibility, effective with the gradating class of 2008. To be eligible, a visual and performing arts class (art, music, drama, dance, etc) is needed in addition to the 16 NCAA classes. This class does not count as one of the 16 needed for NCAA eligibility.   9th Grade Suggested Classes: 10th Grade Suggested Classes: 1. English I 6. English II 2. Algebra I 7. Geometry 3. Biology (Lab Science) 8. Chemistry/Physics (Lab Science) 4. Foreign Language 9. Foreign Language 5. World History or Geography Option to add social science in history area or visual/performing art 11th Grade Suggested Classes: 12th Grade Suggested Classes: 10. English III 14. English IV 11. Algebra II 15. Government/Economics 12. US History 16. Extra Year required of Math, Science, or English 13. Additional Social Science or Foreign Language/finish extra science year A. UC Visual and Performing Arts By The End Of Grade 12 The NCAA 16 Core Courses must include; 1. 4 years English 2. 3 years Math 3. 2 years Science 4. 2 years Social Science 5. 1 Additional Year of Math, science, or English 6. 4 years of Electives chosen from 1-2-3-4 or Foreign Language (All 16 classes have to be completed at time senior class graduates) SKATE FASTER NOW!!!! - TRAIN OFF ICE FOR HOCKEY SPEED 3 DVD Set Will Show you how…   Can you actually skate faster by training off ice? The answer is absolutely if you ask Dr. Clint Steele. Dr. Steele has trained hundreds of hockey players world wide from youth levels to the NHL ranks for over 10 years now. He is constantly asked by parents and coaches if training off ice can actually help a hockey player skate faster. To prove it Dr. Steele actually held time trials on the ice with his athletes before and after a 3 month training program. He found that following an intense 3 day a week training program for 3 months that his players actually increased their speed and quickness off the ice but ALSO on the ice. The program was so effective that many asked Dr. Steele to produce a DVD set to demonstrate exercises that would improve speed, agility and quickness as well as improve hockey stride. Dr. Steele heard the requests and has produced a program unlike any on the market today. The Off-Ice training for On-Ice Speed program will demonstrate, teach and instruct you to perform exercises to improve the 3 areas of speed development - Stride Frequency, Stride Length and Decreased Reaction time. Click here Top Find Out More Better protection used to mean limited mobility; players had to decide whether to play safe or hard. Not any more. Compression Block Technology delivers the impact protection of top quality football lineman's pads, yet the pads are flexible, lightweight and have full freedom of movement, unobstructed ventilation, and complete customization for fit and protection. It took a player, coach and inventor to understand what players needed and to be able to create a revolutionary approach to the problem. Dan Farrell dedicated years of his life to the pursuit of his dream, to let players play to their potential with minimal risk of injury. He worked with major-junior and college players and later with the pros to test and refine his designs. Farrell Shouldies with Compression Block TechnologyTM have been used at all levels of play for over 5 years. Farrell Sports Concepts Inc. is a Delaware corporation founded in 2001. The company developed and patented a revolutionary protective technology that can be adapted for all contact sports applications that have risk of injury due to projectile or sudden human traumas, referred to as Kinetic Energy Compression Chamber technology. This technology has been featured in 4 MIT publications, 20 newspapers, 3 popular magazines, 5 television programs and numerous industry publications.   Austin Smith - Player Profile of A Player Who Chose The School Route Smith hopes to someday make history with Stars John Kreiser | NHL.com Columnist, Jul 12, 2008, 9:00 AM EDT   Austin Smith made history in 2007 when he became the first Dallas native to be drafted by the Stars. Like many aspiring hockey players, Austin Smith would like nothing more than to take the ice for the NHL team he grew up watching as a youngster. While it's not unusual for kids in cities such as Toronto, Montreal or even Boston to put on the sweater of their hometown team, Smith would be the first Dallas-born player to play for the Stars. Smith made history in 2007 when he became the first Dallas native to be drafted by the Stars, who took the right wing in the fifth round (No. 128) after a superb season at the Gunnery School, a Connecticut prep school, in which he scored 25 goals and 63 points in 30 games. Before that, he had played locally for youth and travel teams in Dallas, and then for two years at Jesuit High. Smith, a 5-foot-11, 160-pound speedster, has shown he can score. "I would have been happy to go anywhere, but to go to a home place, where you grew up and played your youth hockey, is pretty exciting," he said. "I watched them win the Stanley Cup when I was growing up, and they were always my favorite team. It's something to work for in the future." Smith was 10 when the Stars won their lone Stanley Cup by beating Buffalo. It's a night he'll never forget. "I was pretty young, but I definitely remember all the celebrations going on," he said. "I remember Game 6 and how it played out in overtime -- I remember it all. Jamie Langenbrunner was my favorite player. He played gritty, tough, and he could score. As a player, I model myself after him and (Brenden) Morrow." After his big year in prep school, he signed with Penticton in the British Columbia Hockey League, a Tier II Junior A league, a move that allowed him to keep his college eligibility. Smith put up 32 goals and 67 points in 62 regular-season games, then had 11 goals and 22 points while being named MVP of the playoffs and helping the Vees win their first league championship in 22 years. "Playing in different places makes you realize there are different ways to do things -- you get exposed to different things and different coaches," he said. "I had already gone out there and met some of the guys, so I felt right at home. From there, we had an unbelievable year and a great playoff run." Smith will be on the move again in the fall. After taking part in the Stars' development camp for the second year in a row, he's heading to Colgate University in upstate New York in the fall. Austin Smith while at Gunnery Prep School "I looked at a lot of schools, and Colgate had the right environment," Smith said. "I really liked the campus. When I was choosing, school was a big part of it. Now the hockey is bigger, but academics are still important. It's a good school. It combines both, and the hockey team is usually pretty good. It will be a good experience. The school is only about 3,000 people. It will be a fun place to play." Changing teams for the fourth consecutive year won't be easy, but Smith says the toughest move came when he left home to go to prep school. "The first year I went away was pretty tough," he said. "When I went away to Connecticut, the first month was a very new experience. I didn't know anyone. Obviously, when you go into a new environment, it's kind of a rough start until you get to know people. "I would have been happy to go anywhere, but to go to a home place, where you grew up and played your youth hockey, is pretty exciting." - Austin Smith "In prep school, you don't start playing hockey until November, so that was two months of mostly working out and getting to know people. It would have made it a little easier transition if hockey had started right away. It was a little different in that respect." To Smith, the time at development camp has been invaluable in learning what he needs to do to realize his dream of becoming the first Dallas native to dress for an NHL game with the Stars. "Every day, especially here at camp, you see the level that everyone's at, what you've got to work toward," he said. "It will be a long road, going the college route, but (getting to the NHL) is definitely more tangible each year. College is the best thing for me. I'll get more of a chance to develop." If he makes it, Smith will be the first fruit of the Stars' efforts to build a young hockey base in the Dallas area. "When I first started, there were only a couple of rinks," he said. "Now there are probably 12-15 in the area, and it's growing every year. There are better players coming out, and there will be more, for sure. It's definitely growing in that regard." Hockey and Education!! We've all said.... "Well if nothing else..., maybe it'll help pay for an education...." This is the time of year when hockey coaches of prep schools and colleges begin to consider the various options for next year's (2009-10) team and the year after's team (2010-11)....This is a very different process than what we are normally used to in our area. Coaches are carefully considering the propsects that are possibly available for those years, and how they might be able to fit into their school and hockey programs. To qualify to play college hockey in the United States, one needs to meet a whole host of criteria, including the above-mentioned courses (with acceptable grades), the completion of entrance examinations and references, amateur status, registration with the NCAA Clearing House, etc. Coaches at the college level tell me that the most challenging task is to identify players that they may possibly wish to have on their team for four years (beginning 1-2 years down the road). Unlike upper league teams that we are used to following, at the college level, players are students first and foremost and they cannot be traded to another team part way through a season, or even at the end of the year. Coaches are stuck with decisions that they make (sometimes) 2 years in advance. We have been told that many scholarship offers have been made to players entering grade 12 now (through a National Letter of Intent) and that most 2009-10 teams will be close to being finalized over the next 3-4 months, for announcements in the Spring. Are you on the radar?      www.HockeyResumes.com     info@hockeyresumes.com Atlantic-inter.net