Reader Aleksey M. drops a question regarding my Next Level Hockey Training System:

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"What would you add, remove from the program for juniors 9-10 year old? Given that their bodies are still in fast development, I don't want to hinder their growth and development."

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Great question. I would focus less on maximal strength and power training with heavier weights.

Teach these young kids how to MOVE WELL, first and foremost.

Get them technically proficient on bodyweight exercises like push-ups, chin-ups, squats, split squats, lunges etc.

When they can do those with picture perfect form, you can start adding load.

By load, I don't mean weights, necessarily.

Just that you increase difficulty over time, so that progress never stops.

Repeating the same workout with the same resistance over and over again leads to zero gains.

You can make a split squat more challenging by including a slow eccentric on the way down or a dead pause at the bottom, or by increasing range of motion by elevating the front or back leg.

In any case, keep reps per set at 5 or above.

Also teach these kids how to jump and land correctly.

Bad landing mechanics coupled with high jump volumes will lead to knee and low back problems down the line. I see this all the time with my junior hockey players.

Keep reps per set low and accept nothing but a great landing position - chest up, butt back, knees in line with the hips and ankles.

Another thing to remember is that training at that age should be fun and the kids have very limited attention spans.

So short workouts are the way to go.

And if you can work in some sort of game or play into the training session where the kids jump, throw, crawl and/or sprint (ideally as a part of the warm-up), even better.

Follow these pointers for a few years and you're looking at some mobile, injury-free, strong for their body weight young athletes.

By which point, you should introduce them to proper strength training methods in the weight room.

Here's how you do that:

http://www.NextLevelHockeyTraining.com

Yunus Barisik