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Fast Twitch Muscle Fibers
The fact is all muscles have some slow twitch muscle fibers and fast twitch muscle fibers. Depending on the muscle and the person you may find the ratio of fast twitch to slow twitch will be different. Question is, can you add more fast twitch muscle fibers to your muscles or are the ratios of each fiber genetically predetermined and what is a good ratio?< xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" prefix="o" namespace="">
Most research today tells us that genetics does play a huge part in the ratios however more and more evidence is coming around to show that you can change the ratios to a certain degree. Before we get to the subject of what you can do to help increase the number of fast twitch muscle fibers, a question I would like to answer first is why would you want more fast twitch muscle fibers as compared to slow twitch.
From a genetic standpoint the prototypical "fast twitch" muscle fiber athlete is an Olympic short distance sprinter. This person will carry upwards of 75-90% fast twitch muscle fibers in each muscle. Fast twitch muscle fibers don't have a lot of long term energy so the fast twitch muscle fibers will run out of energy 10-15 second into a sprint. So you can see that these types of muscle fibers are used for explosive power. This is obviously beneficial in hockey when having to race to a puck that is 4-5 steps away. It is important to understand that these muscle fibers last only 10-15 seconds then take, depending on the athlete, about 4-5 times that time to recover. Once these muscle fibers have used there energy you then have slow twitch muscle fibers take over which means your explosive take offs won’t be as explosive. Watch any hockey game and you will see that when a specific player is first on the ice they are explosively fast however towards the end of a shift that explosive power is gone and they then have a hard time keeping up with a slower player who is just stepping onto the ice.
The prototypical slow twitch muscle fiber athlete is a marathon runner. This athlete is not explosively fast but can run and run and run. These slow twitch muscle fibers are great long distance fibers. They use more of an aerobic energy system so they will last much longer than a fast twitch muscle fiber.
Which type of fibers a great hockey player would have to reach their full potential in hockey. My feeling and the answer I get from other experts is a combination of around 60-70% fast twitch and 30-40% slow twitch. Although most do consider hockey to be an explosive sport please consider that on-ice shifts range from 40 seconds to sometimes as long as 70-80 seconds. Now go back to the fact that fast twitch muscle fibers usually only last around 10-15 seconds. So although hockey is an explosive sport it also carries a bit of an aerobic factor to it as well. Therefore an athlete with almost all fast twitch muscle fibers or slow twitch muscle fibers will not do as well as an athlete with a good combination of the two.
With all this said the next question might be, “If the ratio of fast twitch to slow twitch is already genetically predetermined then why am I working out to try and build more fast twitch fibers to try and become a better hockey player.”
The answer, “because research has demonstrated that players can become faster with the proper training!”
25 years ago off ice training consisted of running and lifting weights but those were the guys that seemed to be slower?
Fact is today some of the best off ice training programs for hockey players still consists of weight training and running but maybe with a different philosophy.
Today’s hockey player needs to understand when to run a mile and when to run sprints. He/she needs to understand when to weight train with high reps and build muscle and when to train with low reps for power.
The days of bodybuilding workouts are over. Fact is for a hockey player to build his/her chest, biceps and triceps may in many cases do more harm than good and yet today I still see junior coaches telling their players do more bench press and bicep curls. Why?
In hindsight thoughts that the guys that were in the weight room were slower than those who did not go into the weight room it just tells me that they were training improperly because if you train correctly off the ice you can make huge gains and see very good results when it comes to speed and power on the ice IF you train properly.
Good hockey habits
Good habits make good hockey players. University of Alaska Fairbanks head hockey coach Guy Gadowsky says that the following are hockey habits he emphasizes at the Division I college level. Most of these habits apply to all the levels. The sooner a player develops these habits the deeper they will root and the more consistent they will be. When college and pro scouts and coaches evaluate players they evaluate the consistency of many of these habits.
General Habits
These hockey habits apply generally for all aspects of play:
1) Take What is Given. Be aware of and take advantage of opportunities given to you. If you are given a shot, passing lane, dump in, hit, time or open ice, then take it. Do not miss the opportunities that are given to you. They are free. See that they are there and take them.
2) Head Up. Keep your head up. You must see the play and read it. You must see the opportunities given to you so that you can take what is given. Keep your head up or you will be hit and hurt.
3) Talk. Talk to your teammates. Hockey is a team sport. Players must talk if they are going to work together. Talk on both offense and defense.
4) Hard off. Skate hard when coming off for a change up. Quick hard changes keep offensive and defensive pressure on the opposition. Coming off hard is an easy ways to set and keep the tempo high.
5) Never Retaliate. Retaliation will cost the team a penalty. Referees often see the retaliation but often miss the first penalty. Do not let the opposition see that they have gotten to you. Keep your emotions under control. Instigate, do not retaliate.
6) Only Captains Talk To Referee. Unless you are a captain carrying out you duties do not talk to the referee. Nothing good will come of it. Direct all communications through the coach and captain. This will buy time and show that the team is intelligent and disciplined. Keep your emotions under control.
7) Show Positive Emotion. Emotion is good and should be shown when it is positive. Emotion is powerful. Positive emotion will generate positive results. Negative emotions will generate negative results. Be emotional but keep it positive.
Defensive Habits Playing The Puck Carrier
These hockey habits apply when playing the man with the puck:
1) 5 on 5 Stick and Pin. When playing at even strength, hit your man and pin him, keeping him from returning to the play. Always beat your man back into the play.
2) 4 on 5 Stick And Move. When playing a man down, hit your man and move on, quickly getting back into the play. Do not get tied up with your man, giving the opposition more ice and your team less defensive coverage.
3) Numbers Hard At. When forechecking and the puck carrier’s back is to you, numbers showing, go at him hard, quickly taking away time and space.
4) Crest Control Angle. When forechecking and the puck carrier is facing you, crest showing control him by angling towards the boards. Make him go where you want him to go. Take away time and space in a controlled manner.
Defensive Habits Away From The Puck Carrier
These hockey habits apply when playing away from the puck carrier:
1) Head on Swivel. Keep you head on a swivel, always turning your head, looking around, and seeing and reading the play.
2) Stick In Passing Lane. Keep your stick in the passing lane, taking away the passing lane and ready to intercept passes.
3) One Hand On Stick. Keep one hand on your stick (in passing lane) presenting a bigger profile and keeping one hand free for making contact with your check.
4) Back check Through Middle To House. Backcheck through the middle of the ice all the way to the front of the net, the house. Pick up trailers, help out in front. This allows defensemen to pursue, maintain defensive pressure, and perhaps make a quick transition.
5) Never Caught Flatfooted. Never get caught flatfooted. Stay on your toes with a wide stance and a good knee bend so that you are able to react quickly in any direction.
Offensive Habits With The Puck
These hockey habits apply when playing with the puck:
1) Take What’s Given Deep. Take what is given, but you must get the puck deep, at least behind the defensemen. Getting the puck behind the defensemen forces the defensemen to retreat further, prevents getting caught in transition and sets up offensive pressure deep in the opposition’s zone.
2) Take What’s Given Out. Take what is given, but you must get the puck out of the defensive zone. Getting the puck out of the zone puts an end to offensive pressure. At worst there may be an icing or the opposition regroups, at best offensive opportunities may develop from the neutral zone.
3) Keep Dumps Away From Goalie. Keep dump ins away from the goalie so that the goalie cannot control the puck. Dump ins away from the net may draw the goalie far out of the net and he could get caught if there is a breakdown.
4) Keep On Boards If No Play. Keep the puck along the boards if there is no certain play. This applies in all zones. Dangerous offensive opportunities can be given to the oppositions up the middle.
Offensive Habits Playing Without The Puck.
These hockey habits apply when playing without the puck:
1) Give Good Targets. Keep your stick on the ice and give good passing targets in an open passing lane. Move to open passing lanes. Make it easy to get you the puck.
2) Support Puck Carrier. Support the puck carrier by moving to open passing lanes, following in the open space created by the puck carrier’s movement or going at and isolating defenders so that the puck carrier has more space to move to. Passing lanes, open ice, and defender positions are constantly changing, therefore supporting players must be constantly looking, reading, and moving.
3) Never Offside. Never go offside, especially on an odd man rush. Read the play, stay under control, and stay onside if it means stopping.
Defensemen Retrieving Dump-ins
These hockey habits apply when defensemen are retrieving dump-ins:
1) Back Hard. Go back for the puck hard, top speed, stride do not glide. By going back hard you create precious time and space for yourself that you will need when you get to the puck.
2) Shoulder Check. Check over you shoulder and read the play behind you as you go back for the puck. You must know where your passing options are, where the forechecking pressure is coming from, and where the open ice is so you can make your decisions before you get to the puck.
3) Use Deception. Do not telegraph your decision. Use deception to control the opposition, keep the passing lanes open and create space and time to make your play. A simple body lean or head fake is often enough.
4) Move Puck Quickly. Move the puck up quickly, before the forecheck sets up. The first opportunity is often the best opportunity to get the puck out of the defensive zone.
Bench Management
These hockey habits apply on the bench:
1) Out Over Boards. Go out onto the ice over the boards. Give your teammates who are changing up room to get out over the boards.
2) In Through Gate. Come in through the gate. Give players coming on to the ice the right of way.
3) Sit With Linemates. Sit with your linemates so that you can talk together and go back out together, so that the coaches can better track the lines.
4) Ask Who Is Up. If you are uncertain who is up next, ask.
Overspeed Skill Training for Hockey
Below are links to an OUTSTANDING book written by Jack Blatherwick, Overspeed Skill Training for Hockey, Interval training on ice and the off ice building blocks.
This is a MUST READ for anyone serious about developing their or their players overall skill level in hockey.
i. Cover
1. Athleticism, synergism, developmental training, and informed hockey players.
2. Over-speed skill practice: the Soviet comfort zone
3. Skating quickness: speed, acceleration, and agility
4. To skate faster...train like a sprinter!
5. Creating the environment for over-speed skill development ...the physiology.
6. Creating the environment for over-speed skill development ...the psychology
7. Is a strong weight lifter a strong player?
8. Hockey-specific endurance
9. Nutrition for a developing athlete.
10. Sample: over-speed interval practice on-ice.
11. If you could do only one drill
12. Periodization: planning for year-round training and recovery in different phases.
13. Off-season training phases
14. Summary of training drills: their purpose, age specify.
15. Elevating the comfort zone: a mathematical model
Glossary
Bibliography