New England Hockey Journal - December 2015 - 60

HOCKEY NUTRITION

Julie Nicoletti is a nationally recognized sports nutritionist who specializes in coaching student and professional
athletes to optimize performance and minimize the risk of injury through nutrition. Learn more at www.kineticfuel.net.

Simple recipe for holiday fueling

is the season to celebrate. From
mid-November through early January, we are blessed with the opportunity to spend quality time with
family and friends to reconnect, give
thanks and, yes, to eat together.
In addition to the joy and wonders of the holiday season, hockey players and families might find themselves
spending hours at rinks for holiday
tournaments. Travel sometimes is required to the area and then between
rinks. Games are played at various
times of day - and night - and players often are participating in more
than one game on back-to-back days
over the course of a tournament.
This could be a recipe for a Performance Nor'Easter. Begin in the
JuLIE
height of the holiday season when
sweets and treats abound, add travel
and take out meals, mix in multiple
games and late nights, omit any
semblance of a familiar routine, add excitement and
voila! Not quite what any of us would consider ideal
conditions for a player to maximize performance.
Is it possible to remain focused on proper nutrition,
hydration and recovery during the tournament season?
After surviving last winter's storms, players certainly
can weather this one, too. It just takes some thought
and preparation.

NICOLETTI

is it possible to remain
focused on proper
nutrition, hydration
and recovery during the
tournament season? After
surviving last winter's
storms, players certainly
can weather this one, too.
Follow these three tips to fuel your holiday tournaments:
Think through the logistics. Are the rinks
within driving distance or will you be flying?
Will players be able to come home at night or
will a hotel stay be necessary?
If you are traveling by car, bringing a cooler full of
everything a player and his or her family might need to
eat and drink throughout the day is realistic. It then can
be restocked before each day if a player is going home
at night.
If you are flying, pack non-perishable foods along
with a soft-sided, folded-up cooler in your luggage,
then search for a grocery store that is in close proximity
to the airport, hotel or rink to stock the cooler upon arrival. Another option is to put together a list of healthy

November 2015

restaurant options along with hours and addresses.

What time are the games? Ideally players
would eat their last full meal three hours before
the puck drops and then would have a highcarbohydrate snack, such as a banana or small box of
raisins, within an hour of playing.
In a perfect world, the game times would fit nicely
into this schedule. However, players should be prepared with extra snacks or smaller-portion meals in
case there isn't enough time to eat a full meal. On the
flip side, players might be on the ice during a meal and
might come off the ice hungry.
Best practice is to have what is needed on hand rather than to be searching for healthy options and settling
for whatever can be found at a local convenience store.
Plan ahead with your resources as though you will be
playing in the final All-Star or championship game.
What is your goal? Is this a fun tournament
with friends that, for younger players, might feel
more like a vacation than an athletic event? Or
is this an opportunity to improve, to showcase your talents or to contribute to your team's success?
In either case, players should drink plenty of water,
minimize sugar, avoid fried foods and eat plenty of real
food they can recognize.
#FueltheChampionWithin
@kineticfuel1

THE AMERICANODEL
DEVELOPMENT M
DRILL
AGE-APPROPRIATE

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OF THE MONTH

TOMAS FUN AGILITY COURSE
Purpose: To provide a fun obstacle course for 8U players to conquer while
developing skating, balance, goaltending and overall hockey skills.
Drill Structure/Coaching Points: Start with two large nets facing each other
but staggered off center. This creates a mini tunnel for the players to skate
through. Line up five cones across the top of the circle. Here the players
will use an alternating single foot and skate around the cones on inside
edge. After they round the last cone, have them turn and attack the net.
Set up an obstacle for players to slide under at the hashmarks. Once the
player slides (Superman style) under the obstacle, have that player stand
up and receive a pass from the coach for a shot on net. NOTE: Have the
goalie work on scoping (striding out toward the attacking player). Goalie
should start on the near post for every shot and scope to shooter. This will
help the goalie practice proper angles and skating.
Equipment: Pucks, nets (3), cones, extra hockey stick for Superman
obstacle (we recommend also using hockey tape to secure stick to cones).
Comments: This drill is a great combination of fun and skill development.
Players love the net tunnel obstacle. Use a marker to indicate skating path
through the cones. Have the players slide, get up quickly and shoot.
ADM Drill_HockeyENGLAND
Journal_2015.inddHOCKEY
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60 NEw
JOURNAL December 2015

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11/9/15 8:03 AM

New England Hockey Journal - December 2015

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