How To Become The Best Female Hockey Possible This Summer

By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

As the regular season ends in girls hockey and the playoff season begins, the real buzz around the rinks is about tryouts and next season.  Girls’ hockey has become a year-round sport, which means that more and more summer teams, tournaments and camps are popping all over the place.  It seems like getting to the elite levels of female hockey means more time, more money and more commitment than ever.

Back when I was in high school, I would have gone anywhere and done anything if I thought that it would improve my chances of “getting noticed”.   But “getting noticed” and “getting better” are two very different things.  The truth is that going to five spring hockey tournaments or attending a five-day summer camp isn’t going to make players better. 

I am not saying to avoid those camps and tournaments altogether.  But instead of spending the entire summer in a hockey rink, go to the one or two camps or tournaments that have the most value and spend the rest of your summer focusing on training.  Instead of spending the entire summer trying to convince coaches how good you are, spend the summer getting better so that they will notice you next season when it really counts. 

The road to the elite levels of female hockey goes right through the training room.  In my final two years of high school, I spent most of my summer in a gym training off the ice to become the best player possible on the ice.  Sure, I went to the odd camp or tournament to keep my skills up, but my primary focus was on getting faster and stronger off the ice so that I would be ready for my last year of high school.  And I truly believe that my dedication to summer training is what gave me an advantage over everyone else on the ice when the season started in my final year of high school. 

And that’s when I was really able to “get noticed”.

One of the big reasons I started working with young female hockey players in the first place was to help them do exactly what they need to do in the off-season to become the best players possible and stand out on the ice.   And the key to getting to the next level is off-ice training. The best female hockey players don’t play hockey all summer long. They train.  It may not be as much “fun” and it may not seem as “specific”, but it works.

This summer, you have a decision to make.  You can go to all the hockey camps and hockey tournaments and try to get noticed.  Or you spend your time training off the ice to get stronger, faster and better, and stand out on the ice in September - when it really counts. 

© Total Female Hockey 2008

Kim McCullough, YCS, MSc, is a Athletic Development Specialist and founder of Total Female Hockey. In addition to training and coaching girls at all levels of hockey, from novice to the National team, Kim has also played at the highest level of women’s hockey in the world for the last decade. Kim’s female player development website features a state-of-the-art Complete Off-Season Training Program and her blog gives the coaches and parents of aspiring young players access to the most up-to-date tips and advice on how to help their players take their game to the next level. To learn more about female-specific player development, get your Free Report: The #1 Mistake Female Players Make in the Off-Season at http://www.totalfemalehockey.com