Shopping For the Right "Dryland" Training Program
If I had a dollar for every time a parent asked me, “What can my son or daughter do for dryland training,” I'd be living in Beverly Hills.
A better question a parent should ask me is, “What's an appropriate age for my child to begin off-ice training?”
Many parents use buzz words to describe what they want their child to improve upon when it comes to performance; a stronger core, become more explosive, improve first-step quickness, etc. The media promotes this terminology and parents seek specialized training based on marketing recommendations, not professional opinions.
My philosophy on youth training is based on developing a foundation of technique so that as a young athlete matures, he or she will reap the benefits of strength development and reduced injury potential. Poor technique increases injury potential and inhibits strength gains.
A good time for a child to begin a structured training program is the summer before entering high school. During that time, you can educate the athlete and begin building the foundation of technique. Before then, the focus isn't on “physical training,” but on physical activity.
Kids should be playing outside and on playgrounds and experiencing many different sports to develop motor skills. Too much structure at a young age will promote early specialization in one sport and can make their physical development one-dimensional.
A true measure of the effectiveness of a strength coach's program is if the teaching brings about a habitual change in your athletes' view of nutrition, training, and health. There are many parents out there who have good intentions. My purpose for writing this article is to educate them on asking the right questions so they may make an educated decision on where to spend their money and their children's time.
1.) Go And Watch the Coaches do Their Thing: Coach.
You have to analyze whether or not a strength coach is knowledgeable, but it's also critical to see if he or she works well with individuals and in a group setting, has a presence among the group and has a motivating demeanor about training. It's normal and understandable for parents to observe a program that they want their kids to participate in. Observing schools and their teaching staff, swim programs, karate instructors and some sports teams are common programs for parents to see before committing. Observing an off-ice program and its coaches is one of the wisest moves a parent can make for the physical development of their child.
2.) Do You Know Their Academic Qualifications and Past Coaching Experiences?
Ask these questions to gain insight on potential programs, staff members, and their level of education and experience. Questions to ask: What credible certifications do they hold? Are they CPR and first aid certified? Do they have a degree in physical education, athletic training, kinesiology, physical therapy, exercise science or exercise physiology? How long have they been working with youth athletes and at what ages?
3.) How Safe is the Facility and the Surfaces They Train On?
A facility should be: clean from sweat and the contact of athletes and all its members so there is no spread of bacteria. Equipment should be positioned with enough clearance from other pieces of equipment so it does not hinder athletes from properly training and moving around the facility. The surface that your child trains on should be a floor-friendly for jumping, running and doing agility work. A rubberized floor is the most common in weight room facilities and is safe to run on and perform jump training. Grass and synthetic grass surfaces are the best to run on and are great for jumping as well, but you need to inspect the grading to be sure no holes or divots exist so the potential for rolling an ankle is eliminated. Concrete flooring or a parking lot surfaces are not favorable for athletes to train on.
4.) What Are They Teaching?
The first things that should be taught in any training program are conduct during training and proper training technique. A young athlete's conduct is a safety concern because of the potential dangers with improper use of weight training equipment. Horseplay should never be allowed while training at any level or in any type of performance facility. The second thing that should be taught is proper training technique. If you see a program where the coaches throw out exercises and just have the kids perform them, then take your money and child and leave! You want to see a hands-on approach to coaching where coaches are enforcing technique and posture during all exercises, even with something as simple as a stretching exercise.
5.) Do They Talk About Nutrition and Its Effects on Athletic Performance and Health?
When we talk about proper nutrition, we're really talking about developing a habit that will stay with our children for the rest of their lives. From this education, young athletes will learn what constitutes high quality “hockey fuel” and how nutrition can improve their health when they're done being athletes. A nutrition seminar for kids and parents is great because the child and parent are put in an environment where they're learning together. I've always recommended that giving a child some responsibility in the kitchen and while shopping involves them in the process and allows them to take a piece of ownership with family nutrition.
6.) What is the Athlete to Coach Ratio?
This is a fairly simple question but commonly overlooked. We see our classroom sizes growing larger in schools today which can overwhelm a teaching staff. Much like academic teachers, performance coaches are more effective in smaller groups because they can dedicate more time to each person. While working as an undergrad for Mike Boyle, our camp group size was held to 15 kids. Now, this is a functional number because a coach can teach a drill or exercise to five kids at a time. So, you'd have three groups of five athletes for dryland and you can cycle through each group in the “working group” to the “resting group” format. Built-in rest is key because it can teach kids to be visual learners by watching their peers perform the exercise.
7.) Don't Be Fooled By Gimmicks
Itt's amazing as a strength and conditioning professional to see all the useless gimmicks and worthless pieces of equipment being marketed on television. It's insulting to the consumers who aren't educated on the science of training because they are being taken advantage of. The biggest gimmick in hockey, in my opinion, is the skating treadmill. The machine puts you in awkward postures and changes the true mechanics of the skating stride, not to mention hip extension is passive on a treadmill. I always encourage kids to get on the surface they're going to play on, i.e. the ice. If it's a challenge to find or afford ice, train on a slideboard or perform some speed skater patterns which will strengthen depth and posture. Slideboards are great for adductor strengthening, conditioning, and posture work, and compared to the skating treadmill are $99,000 cheaper.
Ask these questions and take the time to research potential dryland programs for your son or daughter. Establishing a foundation of training technique, fostering a safe training environment and a coaching staff who are truly teachers at heart are ingredients for a successful off-ice training program. The more positive answers you get after asking these questions will help lead you to the right program.
