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Warming up the mitts To become a valuable member of any team, you need to know how to put the puck in the net. While it's true that banging in the crease, sick dangles or a beautiful tip will all get the job done, first you need to know how to shoot. There are hundreds of different shooting drills to help you take your shot to the next level, but warm-up for any shooting practice with these different preparations to really take it to the next level. Wrists Warming up before practice is vital to improve your range of motion, repetition, and ultimately your shot. First, you need to take care of your wrists. So much power and energy comes from a simple snap of the wrists that it's crucial to warm them up before shooting. Simply rolling your wrists as far as you can without being uncomfortable in both directions is a simple yet highly efficient way to stay loose. Rotate both wrists as far as they can go at least ten times, making sure to rotate as far as you can with each spin. upper Body We know how important your wrists and hands are to shoot, but to get the most power out of your shot you need to use your whole body. This is where your shoulders and back come in. Stretching out the dominant parts of your upper back and shoulders allows you to stay fluid throughout the entirety of the shot. Simply lift your stick behind your back to a comfortable distance, and rotate in a figure-8 type formation. Doing this exercise backwards will help you even further. speed When working your warm-up, it's also important to pay attention to speed. We always want our shot to be as quick as possible, both through the air and in the release. To get your body used to quick motions, rapidly move your forearms back and forth starting at the wrists. Let your arms hang down just by your sides and repeat the motion over and over. Try going for at least 15 seconds on each arm to get your circulation going and improve the muscle memory in your arm. Not only do these warm-ups help you throughout your practice and in a game, they help to ward off potential injury risks. Far too often athletes jump into a strenuous practice or game without doing the proper preparation. These easy-to-follow exercises take no time at all, but will save you plenty of time down the road. HOCKEYSHOT.COM TIP OF THE MONTH: MARCH 2016 ADVERTORIAL MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM // MARCH.2016 24 NEWS & NOTES Youth Coaches Recognized for Excellence Minnesota Hockey, in partnership with Park Dental and the Minnesota Wild, hosted nearly 50 coaches for the HEP Coaching Excellence Award program in Saint Paul this season. The coaches were recognized for their dedication to youth hockey and provided with the oppor- tunity to watch a Minnesota Wild practice, meet head coach Mike Yeo and have lunch at Tom Reid's Hockey City Pub. "These coaches give so much of their time, family and work time, to come out and work with these kids, so they probably don't get thanked enough," said Minnesota Hockey Executive Director Glen Andresen. "This is a way to recognize them, and they seem to enjoy this day." Players, parents, officials and other coaches can now nominate coaches for the 2016 Coaching Excellence Award. For more details or to nominate your coach, go to minnesotahockey.org. CCM High Performance Programs Start Soon The CCM Minnesota Hockey High Performance 14, 15, 16 and 17 programs are designed to identify and develop the best play- ers in Minnesota by providing the top players from each district or section a chance to play with and against the best players in the state. At the conclusion of the CCM Minnesota Hockey High Performance programs at the 15, 16 and 17 levels, our top 20-25 players represent Minnesota Hockey at a national festival sponsored by USA Hockey involv- ing the best players from each of the USA Hockey districts. The national festivals are used to identify the top performers in each age group for possible opportunities to rep- resent the U.S. at advanced levels of national and international hockey competition. The CCM Minnesota Hockey High Performance programs also include exciting opportunities for boys and girls at the 18 level who still have high school eligibility as well as the Dave Peterson Goalie Camp for our top 15-18 boys and girls goaltenders. For more information, go to minnesotahockey.org/ highperformance.