Worried about injuries? “Heads up” and stay off the trampoline

The coaches are making progress with the boys, and they are less tentative about taking and giving the check.  When you hear the Mom’s talk as the level of physical contact is going up for first year peewees, much of the discussion is about potential injury.  Yes Mom, hockey is a collision sport, and as such, injuries do occur.  The vast majority of injuries are bumps and bruises to the lower extremities.  Body checking is the most commonly reported cause of injury and is associated with the more severe injuries, so it makes sense that the concern would go up as the boys are now checking and being checked.  Many of the players really injured by body checking collide with goal posts and the boards. Contact between opponents, usually in the form of body checking, is associated with 46 percent of all minor injuries and 75 percent of major injuries.  Yes there are even the serious head injuries.  

There are ways to reduce the chance of head injuries.  Good, well-fitting equipment is very important.  Parents should check cages, helmet fit, straps, neck guards, with unchewed mouthpieces in.  I hear coaches telling players regularly to keep their head up.  Its more than obvious advice.  It has to do with the position of the top of the spinal column as the player enters contact.  USA Hockey has a “Heads-up Hockey” program  which explains the physiology well, and includes tips for the kids on angling and how to take a check:

 http://www.usahockey.com/uploadedFiles/USAHockey/Menu_Players/Menu_Youth/HUH_Guide_2004.pdf

Now, remember, the #1 alternative to physical activity is inactivity, and at least half of America’s youth do not engage in physical activity that promotes long-term health.   This leads to all kinds of health problems in adulthood.  So yes there is risk in the game.  But there is risk in all activity and in inactivity.  Hockey is a rough game, but it also builds character, mental toughness, and lifelong friendships.  Maybe some of the Mom’s want to play.  Check out this month’s USA Hockey Magazine : http://www.usahockeymagazine.com/story.php?left_nav=0711&article=moms0711&right_nav=normal

By far, the most injuries occur with unstructured, unsupervised activity around the home, not at the rink.  The category the American Pediatrics list as the highest number of emergency room treatments for sport injuries for kids was the trampoline at 88,000 per year.  Nevermind the bike or the skateboard.  Tyler?

 

Study your history!

School is in full swing as the calendar marks the first day of fall. Time for a history lesson. How did the hockey puck originate?

Well, there are a number of stories about the origins of the game. Canada and the North of Europe had an unusually cold period during the late 1800s and people adapted by spending more recreational time on frozen lakes, rivers and harbors. People that played Hurley or Field Hockey took the game to the ice. This had been an occaisional past-time in Europe since Roman times. Most early accounts of Hurley used a round ball although balls used in some English field hockey leagues were square.

In Halifax Nova Scotia in the 1860s, square wooden pucks were being used on ponds (round balls bounced into the spectators too much), a new type of skate was invented that held blades to shoes with tension, carved ice sticks were made, and a new game started to come together. Over the next few years the game was refined and rules were written. Montreal saw the first “indoor” game between young English men from both Halifax and Montreal using square wooden pucks. Like rugby, forward passing was forbidden.

As wood is porous, it soaks up water and creates friction. Early players adapted by cutting pucks from solid rubber lacross balls starting in the 1880s. At first they tried to cut them square, and the surviving relics are pretty crude. They then settled on just cutting off the top and the bottom of 2 balls and gluing the pieces together leaving a rounded disk shaped puck, not far from the shape of the modern one.

Sometimes hard shots off the post split the glued puck in two resulting in arguments if one half entered the goal. After 1930 one piece vulcanized rubber pucks were the rule. These modern pucks were ridged with a diamond pattern to create shooting friction in the 1940s, and the puck has not changed much since.

So next time you need to do a history report, think hockey, there is plenty of history to explore!

 

Eating, drinking, and working hard

Yesterday’s practice was interesting. Coach Haviland had players running the full length of the ice working on edges for almost 1/2 hr, with some rest in between runs. While this is a great way to develop endurance, by 3/4 through practice, a few kids came off sick. Why? You never know with kids, but I have some suggestions:

1) Big dinner before practice. While most nutritionists will tell you its ok to eat before exercise, they often focus on keeping the size of the eating to snack size. Practice has been at a time just after dinner for many, but keep the meal light, or eat earlier if possible. A full stomach takes energy to digest, and it tends to bounce around in there. On the other extreme, a totally famished player who has not had any food since breakfast is not in a good place either. Figure the eating routine that feels best for you as a player and stick to it.

2) Water. Or lack of it. The rink was warm yesterday. It may not seem that way to parents in shorts outside the glass, but it was hot under helmets, gear and jerseys. Many kids had no water. See the notes on H2O in the tips section, but you will feel the effects of no water quickly. Drink a little before you start and periodically at practice.

3) Balance. Coaches like to see hustle, and last night, early on, the boys were almost racing around the ice. Sometimes, its more important to work on technique. Coach Haviland was emphasizing the proper ways to turn with power, quick start, accelerate, and pivot. Good form is much more important than beating the guy in front of you. Also pace and rhythm is as important as speed. Getting the drill wrong will lose much of the benefit as muscles can learn improper form as easily as proper form.

4) Great Effort. Overall there were a lot of wet heads and tired boys after practice, a sign they are working hard. Aerobic exercise now, whether skating or just summer fun running around
will bear fruit in the 3rd period of games as the fall rolls around…

Some hockey specific nutrition guidelines…

http://espn.go.com/trainingroom/s/2000/0128/320695.html 

 

What’s all this about flex?

Two squirts talking in the locker room last year:

Squirt 1″Hey that’s the new Warrior Mac Daddy, cool”.  Squirt 2 “Yeah, its got great flex, its a 50″. (leans down on the blade bending the shaft)

Squirt 1 “Mine’s got a 95″.

Squirt 2 “What’s better, higher or lower?”

Squirt 1 “I dunno, but aren’t these colors cool?”

Squirt 2 “I gotta get one of those!”

So what’s flex?

The force of the strike either to the ice in front of the puck (slap shot) or to the puck itself, causes a stick to bend.  The recoil of the stick, much like that of a diving board, stores the force for a nanosecond and then releases it as the shooter follows through.  The number or “Flex” of a stick (usually printed on the shaft) is a measurement of how many pounds of pressure it takes to put a 3 inch bow in the shaft.  (I have seen kids testing their flex break the stick bending it not much more than 3 inches, so use caution dad).  A flex of 85 takes 85 pounds of pressure to bend the stick, so a 65 would be easier to bend, and a 95 would be tougher to bend. 

Now this has led people to think that the lower the flex, the better the stick because it will allow for a harder shot, right?  Wrong.  Think about a rubber shaft.  It would have a very low flex, bending with just a little pressure.   It could never allow for a hard shot.  So why do kids go for lower flex?  Number one marketing (I think the stick companies must hire kids to walk around with new sticks just so the one we recently bought will look old), second, it is easiest for the weakest players to noticeably bend a low flex stick.  So is high flex better?  No.

On the other end of the spectrum, a steel shaft could not be bent at all by the strongest player.   Think about a bow and arrow where the bow does not bend.  Unlike a toy bow and arrow, the string on a real bow does not bend, its the bow that stores the force.  Would the bow be able to store any energy to release with the arrow?  No.

So if high is not best, and low is not best, how do I get it right?  Well first of all, relax.  Johnny is just a Pee Wee, and just taking slap shots for the first time.  His flex is not the biggest factor in his game.  That said, the answer is start low and move up to the stiffest stick he can shoot with while still feeling some bend in the shaft during a shot.  The stronger he becomes (and the more he weighs), the higher the flex should rise.  Most of our boys cannot bend a stick above an 85 flex. Adult players use a rule of thumb equal to 1/2 their weight, but this does not translate well to the junior sticks.

Also remember, the trick of flipping a broken stick over and placing a replacement blade in the butt end to extend the stick life?  It dramatically alters the flex, as composite manufacturers have learned to vary the flex to the lower part of the shaft.

Cutting 6 inches off of Johnny’s too tall stick will make it stiffer, so avoid that senior stick that’s on clearance.  Adding a new grip to lengthen and extend the life of the short stick will change the flex again.

 Want to learn a little science with your hockey, and get a jumpstart on next year’s science fair?  PBS has a site that describes an experiment on flex:

http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/parentsteachers/tguide_hockey.html

And more on potential energy: http://science.howstuffworks.com/crossbow1.htm

 

H2-Ohhhhh

Water. We have seen it many times. Players come to the rink for practice or games with no water…Mistake. Coaches will provide water bottles for travel games, but good hydration should be practiced before, during and after play. Adult players can lose between 5-8 pounds during a game. This is mostly water. Goalies, who do not skate as much but bear a heavy load, lose as much.

Why are you thirsty? This happens because your salt level in your blood is too high, triggering a”thirst response” from your body. By that time it is too late. Your thirst is an indication that you are already suffering from dehydration, the result of which is loss of coordination and muscle fatigue. That definitely effects your game. Instead, water is recommended before, during (a 2 ounce sip per shift) and after games.

What about Gatorade and other sports drinks with glucose (sugar) and other (electrolytic) ingredients? Well, for exercise lasting no more than 90 minutes, there is no benefit to these drinks over water. In fact water will leave the stomach faster than sugary drinks, getting to where it needs to more quickly. Another downside to a drink with sugar, or sugar in general before games is that a soda, donut or chocolate bar will cause your body to secrete insulin. 30 to 40 minutes later the blood sugars will be reduced below their previous levels, often making the player more sluggish from the lower blood carbohydrate levels than they would have been without the sugar in the first place. No one wants to be tired before the 3rd period.

Should my water be cold? Will I get cramps? Cold water will leave your stomach faster than warm, and cool your core temperature. You are more likely to get cramps if you do not drink.

Wait, what about those “energy drinks”?

Most doctors and nutritionists would tell you to avoid them. Red Bull, Stinger, others are loaded with caffeine to ‘Enhance performance”. They are usually also loaded with sugar (see above). But more troubling is the ingredient list that is intended to enhance, which may cause other issues. Remember caffeine is a diuretic, and aids fluid loss. And just because you feel ready to go does not mean you are.

From a USA Hockey Article

“Caffeine might make someone feel amped up early in the game, but it’s not going to give you legs period after period. In fact, caffeine will make you feel fired up right until the minute you crash and burn. The reason is that caffeine will temporarily blunt the feeling of exertion and fatigue, but when it wears off you will feel like a refrigerator jumped on your back.
Another problem with caffeine is that it makes you go to the restroom more often, and that is just the opposite of what we want for athletes when they are sweating. We want to retain as much fluid as we can when we’re sweating, not speed up the fluid loss process.”

The body is also great at adjusting and over time the level of stimulant needed will go up in order to maintain that “rush”. Not a cycle you want to start. Stick to water. Its cheap, easy to find, and makes up 98% of your body mass.

Read more about it:

http://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Clarks-Sports-Nutrition-Guidebook/dp/0873227301

http://www.masshockey.com/Safety/Fluid/index.html

http://ushockeymagazine.net/story.php?left_nav=1006&article=energyDrinks&right_nav=normal

 

One for the Keepers

We have 2 fine goalies on our team.  You may have noticed they are 95s vs. 96s for the skaters.  Remember, at the A level, many clubs we face will be mostly 95s, because they often use first year’s as a B team and second year’s as an A team.  As a result, our goalies are likely to get a fair amount of shots from players who have Pee Wee experience.  So everyone should be supportive of our goalies, and grateful for their experience.

This entry is for AJ and Chris. 

A very interesting study was done by 2 researchers at the University of Calgary.  They focused cameras on the eyes of elite level goalies to figure out where their eyes were focused just before a shot.  The answer seems obvious, but not apparent to most young goaltenders (don’t be critical until you have spent a few hours in that gear taking shots).  The Elite Goalies eyes were on the puck (and the ice just in front of it) a full second before most shots.  When they did that, they almost always made the save, even from close range, despite the fact that professional level shots can reach 100 miles per hour, reducing the time to react with the bulky equipment.   Young players often are gazing all over the rink at the action, and making a much lower percentage of saves.  While the physical, muscular and flexibility work that a goalie needs to perfect in order to perform is also very important, this work puts the spotlight on an aspect of the position that can be taught at any level.  

Professor Joan Vickers career has centered around studying sports and decision making, where she has opened up a new dialogue for training what many have thought to be instinctive.  “I think this research is exciting because it’s new information that can be immediately incorporated into a goalie’s game with the proper training,” Vickers said. “Our previous experience tells us that if athletes incorporate what we’ve learned in Quiet Eye studies, they can improve in their sport - even if they are already at an elite level.”

Read more about it:

http://www.emaxhealth.com/96/8041.html  

Shooters, you can also take a lesson from this.  Even good goalies can’t see through an effective screen, and will save less if you interrupt their focus.  This also may help explain why there are so many deflections for goals in the NHL, as the goalie who can react to a 90mph  shot from 10 feet, can’t adjust to the quick change of direction produced by the deflection in the milliseconds left before puck hits twine.

 

Play it safe

Uniform fittings will be soon, so watch your e:mail (or check back here).  Remember we need to purchase those red helmets (No you can’t paint your black one…it voids the safety certification).      

On the subject of equipment, good fitting equipment is key to avoiding injuries.  If Johnny’s wrists are sticking out of those 10 inch gloves he has been using since Mites, you need to upgrade before he gets hit in the wrist with a stick.  Every month or so you should be reviewing the fit of equipment.  From this age through high school, growth rates are accellerated, reaching a peak velocity of 3.5-5 inches per year!   The feet and hands experience their growth spurt first (new gloves & skates),  followed by the limbs (shin guards), and finally ending in the trunk (girdles/shoulder pads).   

  (Growth rates for boys)

Remember, the level of contact and speed of shots at PeeWees goes up significantly.  Try the following websites for a US and Canadian doctor’s view of proper equipment:

Canada: http://www.hughston.com/hha/a.hocksafe.htm

US: www.hdco.on.ca/web_pdf/htcp_guide_to_hockey_equip.pdf 

Finally, remember that manufacturers differ in sizing greatly, so you can’t interchange that Youth Large in Bauer for the same size Mission.  That is why for fit, a good pro shop is often a better alternative than buying on-line.  The following is a good discussion on the confusion around manufaturers sizing logic, and some discussion about used vs. new gear.

http://www.epinions.com/content_3876495492