Kim McCullough
The 360 degree rule
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 18 October 2012 16:25
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
What’s the first skill that starts to deteriorate when players haven’t been on the ice for a few days?
I believe it’s passing.
When players are used to skating daily or every other day, it’s pretty amazing how “off” the timing, strength and accuracy of their passes can get.
I remember back to when I played in university and we took a five-day break over Christmas. Even though most of us still skated when we went home, we couldn’t string 2 or 3 good passes together when we returned from holidays.
Three game-winning nutrition tips for young hockey players
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 04 October 2012 16:26
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Think of your young hockey players as high-performance automobiles and food as the fuel that drives their performance. Far too often, players run out of gas during a game after having lunch at a fast-food restaurant or forgetting to eat breakfast. This would be like putting diesel fuel in your tank instead of regular gas or trying to drive on empty. You could be the most skilled player in the world, but if you aren’t putting the right fuel into your tank, you won’t have the energy to compete at the highest level. In order for players to perform their best day in and day out, they have to take in premium fuel.
Here are three game-winning nutrition tips for hockey players:
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The No. 1 weakest skill of girls’ hockey players
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 09 August 2012 16:18
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
If you had to guess what the No. 1 weakest skill is of girls’ hockey players, what would it be?
A few weeks back, I was sitting in a classroom, alongside elite level coaches from all over the country, listening to a presentation given by a national expert in skill development of female players. One of the coaches asked the presenter what he thought was the single biggest skill deficiency in female players. And I thought to myself, it’s got to be shooting, or the mental game, or the ability to see and use open ice. But that’s not what he said. Without hesitation, he said, “giving and receiving passes.”
Top three reasons girls can’t shoot
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- Last Updated on Friday, 07 September 2012 17:17
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
As a coach, I’m constantly amazed at how poorly most girls’ hockey players shoot. Here are my top three reasons why (there are many more as well):
1. Bad stick choice: Far too many girls are using sticks with the wrong amount of flex. You should calculate the amount of flex you need by taking your weight in pounds and dividing by 2. So if you weigh 130 pounds, you likely need a 65 flex stick.
But ... you also need to keep in mind that when you cut the stick, it makes the stick less flexible. So if you cut a couple of inches off a 65 flex stick, it will now feel like a 75 or 85 flex stick, which means that it will be much harder to bend while shooting.
What’s your goal for the summer?
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 12 July 2012 16:13
By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Here’s my challenge to you this summer: Become an expert at something. It could be something as simple as proper wrist rolling technique while stickhandling, perfecting the “push-pull” action when taking a wrist shot, being able to do 30 perfect pus-ups or developing super-fast feet.
Eight weeks from now, another summer will have come and gone. What are you going to have ACHIEVED between now and then? This is an opportunity to be really specific and really honest with yourself. What do you really need to improve on?
