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you have confidence to partic- ipate in a variety of activities." One example is practicing the number of times you can juggle a puck on your stick. Mannix says coaches can even turn these drills into a contest stressing h o w m a n y t i m e s they can do it. The p r o o f i s p o st i n g a v i d e o o n T w i t t e r or Facebook or even sending it to their coach. "You can do it on your left hand or you can do it on your right hand," she says. "That's an example of becoming more physically literate." Mannix recommends juggling, too. YouTube has videos of how to juggle with your off-hand. " T h a t s k i l l t r a n s l a t e s i n t o m a k i n g y o u a b e t t e r h o c k e y player," she says. "It gives you better eye-hand coordination." Juggling a soccer ball with your feet and using a hula hoop are two others that can be done. STAYING IN PEAK CONDITION is, of course, the most important facet of using your time away from the rink effectively. Brian Galivan, the strength and conditioning coach for the National Team Development Program, stresses Plyometrics, which consists of fundamental exercises in which you give max- imum effort in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power and speed. T h e s e i n c l u d e s k i p p i n g , hopping, jump squats, sit-ups, clap push-ups and lunges. The exer- cises should be part of a daily regimen. " I ' v e c r e a t e d a gym class with off- ice training, using a live feed on Instagram," Galivan says. "I get a ton of kids—a couple hundred—all the way from Mites up to profes- sionals. We go through a dynam- ic warm-up. We do some speed ladder work, Plyometrics and s p r i n t i n g . We d o w h a t I c a l l a free gym class every day. A lot of people are charging for things, but we aren't." M a n n i x s u g g e s t s t h a t coaches set up off-ice train- i n g s e s s i o n s u s i n g G o o g l e Hangouts, Facebook, FaceTime, Zoom or Skype. This not only t a k e s c a r e o f t h e w o r k - o u t aspect but also allow s team- mates to stay connected during this time of social distancing. "One of the things that play- ers miss most when they stop playing is the teammate con- nection," Mannix says, refer- ring to another advantag e of using video. James is a big fan of Plyometrics, as well. "It's anything that is explo- sive," he says. "You should jump in multiple directions, and not just up and down. Backwards, forwards and lateral are super important." He offers three exercises that can really benefit a hockey player: pull-ups, squats and running hills. "I think the biggest thing is consistency," says James, empha- sizing that athletes need to work out for an hour, three to four days a week, at the very least. E X P E RTS A P P L AU D P L AY E RS who follow a training regimen on their own. But the training won't be nearly as effective unless accompanied by a healthy diet and plenty of water. That means drinking it all day. "When you're sitting around, i t 's e a s y t o c r a v e s u g a r a n d carbs," Galivan says. "Having r e g i m e n t e d s n a c k t i m e s i s i m p o r t a n t , a s i s e a t i n g f r u i t and vegetables. You don't want to overload on sugar, candy or soda. Those are the things you want to stay away from." Just as important from a psy- chological perspective is the realization that for most players this is not a long-term threat to hockey careers. It's just an interruption. A n d f o r m o s t p l a y e r s , i t should be viewed as a chance to improve their game. "Certainly it's a disruption a n d i n c o nv e n i e n c e , b u t y o u take it day by day," says Dan Saferstein, a sports psycholo- gist who has worked with the National Team Development Program for nine years. "For instance, I figured out my golf game this winter. I was thinking about things and visu- alizing things. I came back play- ing the best golf of my life. " I n h o c k e y, y o u c a n t a k e a m e n t a l i n v e n t o r y o f y o u r strengths and weaknesses and how you may want to approach things differently." P Tom Worgo is a freelance writer based in Annapolis, Md. Being Shut In Doesn't Mean You Have To Be Shut Down From Working On Your Game APRIL/MAY 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 21 By Tom Worgo Down Time ATHLETES OF ALL AGES NEED TO FIND THE MOTIVATION WITHIN THEMSELVES TO WORK ON THEIR SKILLS WHEN THERE IS NO ONE AROUND TO PUSH THEM.