The Training Aspects Approach to onboarding Athletes
At our core, we’re dedicated to developing athletes. To ensure every athlete thrives in our small group training, we offer a tailored onboarding process. Athletes begin their journey with either 1:1 personalized coaching, semi-private sessions (up to three athletes), or our comprehensive 6-week Foundation Training program.
This initial phase allows us to build a strong base and ensure each athlete is fully prepared for the dynamics of small group training. By establishing these fundamental skills and understanding, we guarantee that every individual in our small groups receives the focused attention they deserve, leading to greater success for all. Here is a basic overview of the initial training completion.
Ages 8–11: Movement & Body Control Foundation
Focus: Body awareness, coordination, stability, posture, and light power through games and structured patterns. Most important is to get this age group to enjoy training so they love getting better!
Structure per Week (3x/week, 45 mins/session)
| Week | Training Focus |
| Weeks 1–2 | Intro to foundational bodyweight movements: push-ups , bodyweight squats, glute bridges, planks, bear crawls, push plates, sliders etc. Introduce jump rope, skipping, and tag games for rhythm and body weight weight shift awareness. Understand hinge mechanics and movement range, Light med ball work: chest passes, overhead tosses, and scoop tosses to understand power production. Games for frontal and transverse movement (side shuffles, crossovers, single-leg balance games). Finish each session with fun team relay or agility play. |
| Weeks 3–4 | Progress push-ups, squats, and planks (longer holds, tempo control, more reps). Introduce single-leg strength patterns (step-ups, assisted lunges). Add in skater hops and hop-and-hold drills. Introduce kettlebell deadlift technique with light KBs. Expand med ball work with rotational throws and slams. Build jumping and landing mechanics (two-leg to one-leg landings). |
| Weeks 5–6 | Increase complexity of body weight: push-up hold at bottom, squat jumps, jump rope timing games, lateral bounds. Med ball relay races. Use partner resistance drills and multi-planar circuits (e.g., crawl, throw, sprint, jump). Maintain variety and playfulness, but structure workouts to build mental focus and control. Finish each week with a challenge circuit and group cooldown. |
Ages 12–16: Strength & Pattern Foundation
Focus: Introduce and refine key movement patterns, integrate kettlebells and light lifting, build tempo and control.
Structure per Week (3x/week, 45 mins/session)
| Week | Training Focus |
| Weeks 1–2 | Teach and reinforce hinge, squat, push, pull, and carry patterns. Bodyweight push-ups, TRX or band-assisted pull-ups, goblet squats, KB deadlifts, farmer carries. Jump rope warm-ups, med ball chest passes and slams. Emphasize core activation (dead bugs, bird dogs, side planks). |
| Weeks 3–4 | Increase complexity: tempo squats, negative push-ups, kettlebell swings, single-leg RDLs, light barbell intro for those who are cleared by TA staff. Add rotational med ball work (wall throws, scoop tosses) and lateral movement training. Begin integrating circuit-style work for conditioning and coordination. |
| Weeks 5–6 | Introduce supersets (push/pull, lower/core), add complexity to kettlebell movements (clean prep, front-rack carries). Refine squat and hinge mechanics. Add resisted sprint drills, jump-to-sprint transitions, and short bursts of power work. Challenge with loaded carries, multi-plane movement circuits, and short AMRAPs (as many reps as possible) at controlled pace. |
Ages 17–21: Strength Foundation & Power Integration
Focus: Solidify Movement power, strength foundation, add complexity and loading, emphasize power and transfer to sport.
Structure per Week (3x/week, 45 mins/session)
| Week | Training Focus |
| Weeks 1–2 | Teach and reinforce hinge, squat, push, pull, and carry patterns. Bodyweight push-ups, TRX or band-assisted pull-ups, goblet squats, KB deadlifts, farmer carries. Jump rope warm-ups, med ball chest passes and slams. Emphasize core activation (dead bugs, bird dogs, side planks). |
| Weeks 3–4 | Learn the Movement mechanics, of basic lifts, Squats, deadlift, bench, row. Progress into Kettlebell and other power exercises to understand and refine power production techniques through optimal range for sport. Week 4 will have a conditioning piece to the week three trainings. |
| Weeks 5–6 | Introduce supersets and volume work (3–4 sets x 6–8 reps). Add plyometrics (depth drops, tuck jumps, med ball throw + sprint). Kettlebell swings, front squats, and barbell complexes (clean pull + RDL, etc.). Emphasize unilateral work (Bulgarian split squats, single-arm carries). |
Developing youth, college and pro hockey players varies but our goal is to make sure each athlete that comes through our program gets the attention, guidance and enjoyment (maybe not int the moment but when they see results) to unleash the potential.
Written by:
Kirill Vaks
BA, CSCS
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Voorhees Flyers Training center.
The Hollydell ice arena, in the main building.
