Vikings Training

This evening I went to Gawler for Vikings training.  I wasn't able to get there the past couple weeks due to work commitments (no longer a problem :)) so it was nice to make the trek again.  I hadn't been able to have any of my usual solid meals, so made the most of having a snack of this and a snack of that through the day.  As it got me through the training session this might bear looking into as a game day food strategy in future.

Session began with everyone bar one having a puck and skating randomly around the rink.  The one player starts trying to steal puck off another player and shoot a goal with it.  If puck goes in goal, original skater now joined by previous owner of puck in trying to get hold of other pucks and doing the same with them. Aerobic exercise mixed with stick work and puck management.

Then a set of suicide sprints.  Pure anaerobic torture.  Using this as my chance also to pratice inline hockey stops.  I haven't got them to the point that I can use them this season, but maybe next...

Then a series of one on ones, players racing to get puck and score goal from various starting scenarios.  This drill exercised the ATP-CP system as the sprints lasted no longer than a few seconds.

Then a passing game, ring of players around whole rink, two players in middle aiming to intercept the puck and trade positions to become one of the circle of passing players.  Rules were applied to the ringside players by the coach, these altered when he called out changes every few plays (eg, move your feet, don't move your feet, one touch only on the puck, stand on one foot, backhand, one hand only, hold your stick left handed if right handed, and vice versa, turn around on the spot before accepting the pass, etc).

Then a series of shots on goal from different spots around the rink, with those who don't get the puck in net having to complete a 'punishment' chosen by those who did.  The last of these punishing drills, and the one the session ended with, was a commando crawl 'for the whole length of the rink'.  Much to my surprise, I got further and faster than anyone else had before I stopped, gasping for air.

Again, all the training is starting to reveal its payoff?!

Inline 51