FLX Hockey

Hey Hockey Families! Are you looking for ways to help your young hockey player improve their explosive power and acceleration on the ice? One of the most effective exercises to achieve this is the 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞-𝐋𝐞𝐠 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩 𝐉𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞-𝐋𝐞𝐠 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩 𝐉𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐬❓ Hockey demands quick, powerful movements and strong, agile legs. Single-leg snap jump squats are a fantastic way to build the explosive power needed for those rapid starts, sudden stops, and powerful strides. This exercise not only enhances lower body strength but also improves balance and coordination, which are crucial for young athletes. Check out one of our clients performing a set below! 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐚 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞-𝐋𝐞𝐠 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩 𝐉𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭 𝟏. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Stand on one leg with your knee slightly bent. Engage your core to maintain stability. Keep your other leg off the ground, slightly bent at the knee, and ensure your hips are level. 𝟐. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Ensure your knee is in line with your toes to avoid strain. Keep your core engaged to stabilize your body throughout the movement. 𝟑. 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫: Begin on your tippy toes, snap down quickly onto the ball of your foot, and immediately explode upward into a jump. Use the power from your lower body and swing your arms upward to add momentum. 𝟒. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: Control your movement as you snap down to avoid slamming your foot into the ground. Land softly on the ball of your foot, then transition smoothly to your heel, bending your knee slightly to absorb the impact. 𝟓. 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦-𝐔𝐩𝐬: Prioritize proper form and technique over the number of repetitions. Always warm up before attempting snap jumps to prepare your muscles and joints for the explosive movement. Single-leg jump squats take focused effort to master, and we are still working on that with out client. But starting to incorporate single-leg snap jump squats into your young hockey player's training routine can make a noticeable difference in their performance on the ice. It's all about building that explosive power and quick acceleration that sets great players apart. At FLX Hockey, we're committed to helping players reach their full potential through targeted, effective training methods. Stay tuned for more tips and exercises to elevate your game!

Hey Hockey Families! Are you looking for ways to help your young hockey player improve their explosive power and acceleration on the ice? One of the most effective exercises to achieve this is the 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞-𝐋𝐞𝐠 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩 𝐉𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞-𝐋𝐞𝐠 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩 𝐉𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐬❓ Hockey demands quick, powerful movements and strong, agile legs. Single-leg snap jump squats are a fantastic way to build the explosive power needed for those rapid starts, sudden stops, and powerful strides. This exercise not only enhances lower body strength but also improves balance and coordination, which are crucial for young athletes. Check out one of our clients performing a set below! 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐚 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞-𝐋𝐞𝐠 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐩 𝐉𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭 𝟏. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Stand on one leg with your knee slightly bent. Engage your core to maintain stability. Keep your other leg off the ground, slightly bent at the knee, and ensure your hips are level. 𝟐. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Ensure your knee is in line with your toes to avoid strain. Keep your core engaged to stabilize your body throughout the movement. 𝟑. 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫: Begin on your tippy toes, snap down quickly onto the ball of your foot, and immediately explode upward into a jump. Use the power from your lower body and swing your arms upward to add momentum. 𝟒. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: Control your movement as you snap down to avoid slamming your foot into the ground. Land softly on the ball of your foot, then transition smoothly to your heel, bending your knee slightly to absorb the impact. 𝟓. 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦-𝐔𝐩𝐬: Prioritize proper form and technique over the number of repetitions. Always warm up before attempting snap jumps to prepare your muscles and joints for the explosive movement. Single-leg jump squats take focused effort to master, and we are still working on that with out client. But starting to incorporate single-leg snap jump squats into your young hockey player's training routine can make a noticeable difference in their performance on the ice. It's all about building that explosive power and quick acceleration that sets great players apart. At FLX Hockey, we're committed to helping players reach their full potential through targeted, effective training methods. Stay tuned for more tips and exercises to elevate your game!

Deflecting pucks while driving the net is an important skill for any minor hockey forward to learn if they want to continue scoring as they get older, stronger, and face more competition. Despite 𝟏𝟔.𝟏% 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐇𝐋 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, this is a skill often not worked on by minor hockey players or skill development coaches, but gets lots of focus at the junior & professional levels. Here we see U14 AAA Mississauga Sens Forward Brodie Potvin, demonstrating great deflections. Brodie was not always a great deflector, but has drastically improved his tipping ability through FLX Hockey’s “High Repetition, Instant Feedback” philosophy. W𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧s 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐭? 🏒 𝟏. 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 / 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 🏒 - You’re looking to provide the shooter a target so he can put the puck in an area for you to get a stick on. This becomes more difficult when you are being boxed out by the d man protecting the front of his net, making it crucial to fight for stick and body positioning on your way to the net. - Your blade angle when you make contact with the puck will determine what trajectory the puck takes after you tip it. When you are tipping, it is also very important not to try to “swing at the puck with your stick”. Put your stick in a position/angle where the d man has it as a target, and as the shot comes in, let the puck hit your stick and redirect off it, without any ‘baseball-like motion’ in an attempt to tip the puck. 🏒 𝟐. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 🏒 - When driving the net for a tip, your goal is to get on the same page as the dman/shooter. You want to make eye contact with the shooter while you show your stick as a target, as he quickly scans his option. If they are under pressure with the puck, which the shooter often is, yelling ‘FRONT’ or ‘NET” is a great way to quickly indicate to the shooter that their could be a chance to get a puck on net when they are under pressure. 🏒 𝟑. 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐬 🏒 - Whether you get a piece of the shot or not, it is A MUST that you stop in front to jam in any loose rebounds (which their often are after deflections because the goalies reaction timing is now off). So many goals are left right in front of the net, but players driving the net either fly by the rebounds or don’t battle hard enough for these rebounds in front of the net. All it requires is that players learn simple form and technique, and mostly importantly get repetition and feedback that they can apply right away. 📣 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐧@𝐟𝐥𝐱𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲.𝐜𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐒𝐀𝐏 📣

⚫️About Anton Sopov⚫️ Anton Sopov brings a wealth of experience and passion to hockey training. A former Jr. A Player for the Renfrew Wolves (CCHL) and a skills coach with over seven years experience at Power Edge Pro and the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Anton has a deep intuition of the game. Anton emphasizes repetition in fast-paced, small group sessions to ensure real skill development, unlike typical skill development sessions which are typically overbooked, and overcrowded, not allowing the players to truly develop any skill. Anton’s dedication earned him a place at the United Nations Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR) Hockey Canada Seminars, where he works with hockey professionals to integrate United Nations Development Goals into Hockey Canada’s framework. Anton combines his vast knowledge & experience of the game with a deep passion for helping minor hockey players pursue their dreams. His approach cultivates strong, success-focused relationships and prioritizes players’ skill development within a unique & extremely effective training environment. His commitment to the success of his players set him apart, creating a training environment where players can truly develop their skills and share their love & passion for the game. 📣Reach out or email: anton@flxhockey.ca if you are interested in skill development opportunities📣

FLX Hockey transfers experience training NHL & OHL prospects into providing a professional, competitive training experience for minor hockey teams & players of all ages. Leveraging experience from junior hockey playing careers, and over 10 years of coaching expertise, we deliver fast-paced sessions, challenging players to use their head, hands & feet to proactively make, quick, smart decisions, creating space to make plays, and score goals. FLX Hockey creates a fun, competitive environment where players are pushed to another level by those around them, and encouraged to get outside their comfort zone to enhance skill development & quick decision-making. We specialize in providing skills-based training to minor hockey teams & offer small group or private skates for minor hockey players of all ages. Based in Toronto & the GTA, we service minor hockey teams & players all across Southern Ontario, and are excited to continue leveraging our experience training NHL & OHL prospects to expand our training and skill development across the minor hockey community.