How To Develop Group Testing Standards
Thank you, Stéphane for sharing this presentation. Not only for sharing it but for going out of your way to TRANSLATE it from French for us. If anybody has any questions about Stéphane's presentation, you can wave hello on Twitter (@GeRvZ15) and Instagram (@sgervais15).
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In order to give context to the PowerPoint presentation, this is a brief description of the Player Development Project here in France.
This past summer I began a new mission with the French Ice Hockey Federation as the Strength & Conditioning Coordinator.
The first task was to evaluate the physical qualities of the Team France U20 prospects at the July Development Camp in Albertville (home of the '92 Winter Olympics). 28 Players were tested both on and off the ice and Individual Performance Profiles were created for each player. Allowing us to identify the player's strengths/weaknesses and implement specific strategies and protocols for him moving forward. A collaboration with the player's club team was crucial as the majority of his development will be spent there.
My 2nd task (which is highlighted in this presentation) was to create a new physical testing battery for U17 and U20 teams and to use the data to create our National Standards. The goal was to get as many clubs as possible to buy in and send in their testing results. With that in mind, the new testing battery had to be created using assessments that were easy to administer, required little to no equipment and could be integrated into a team workout. Not all teams have a gym in their rink and some that do are very limited on equipment.
Trust me, I would have loved to have sprint tests using timing gates and jump tests using force plates etc. But nobody would have participated. Though we did include an on ice resistance test that Sean Skahan told me about a few years ago. The French here just call it the “Minnesota.”
Here are the slides from the S&C Conference where I presented the results for the U17 and U20 categories, while also highlighting the results of Team France U20. The table highlights the average score for each test/category, along with the average of the Top 5 scores.
A few other topics are also included; how to individualize training in a group setting based on the Performance Profile and the importance of collaborating with the head coach to prepare the return to competition after Lockdown.
The presentation is attached below. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
