Making Stridz Athlete Development would like to welcome parents and players from Hockey Impact Training in Leduc and I look forwards to working with you in the future. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding the services which will be provided at the Hockey Impact Training Center.

Thanks,
Brian Shackel, MSc
Owner - Making Stridz Athlete Development

Making Stridz Athlete Development has worked quite closely with the athlete below in regards to his forwards skating mechanics. During the initial skating assessment it was evident that the athlete showed a 10 degree asymmetry between his left and right sides during the push off. Specifically, the athlete showed 36 degrees of hip abduction on the left side and only 26 degrees of hip abduction on the right side. This asymmetry resulted in a hitch in the athletes skating stride as the left leg was performing a long powerful push off while the right push off was very short and choppy in nature. The image below shows the athlete’s initial filming session at the top with limited hip abduction and the improved hip abduction present during the second filming session.

This athlete was able to make significant changes in his skating stride by working on a specific movement correction program which focused on the quality of movement over the quantity of movement. This program was facilitated by a strength and conditioning specialist who focused heavily on improving the athlete’s hip mobility and stability as well as improving the athlete’s core stability. This program was important for improving the athlete’s range of motion which was then translated onto the ice during the athletes skating stride. The image below shows the similar discrepancy in the athletes skating stride with the top image being the initial assessment and the bottom image the post treatment filming session.

It is also important to note the improvement in the athletes knee flexion as he was able to increase the range of motion or the length of his skating stride. The athlete still has room for improvement in his skating stride as there continues to be a 10 degree asymmetry between the left and right sides. This discrepency will continue to be monitered with a greater emphasis placed on improving the funtion of the athletes right hip. For more information on the exercise program and how you could experience a significant change in your sports performance please contact us at shackel.brian@gmail.com or 780-932-2903.

What is Biomechanics?

Biomechanics is the science concerned with the internal and external forces acting on the human body and the effects produced by these forces. More specifically, Biomechanics is the study of human movement and describes the forces which cause this movement.

What is the role of Biomechanics?

Biomechanics can play a crucial role in both injury prevention as well as performance enhancement. It is important for athletes of all ages and skill levels to understand the importance of education to develop proper mechanics. Education can come in multiple forms, but with the emphasis on the visual learner in today’s society, visual feedback is one of the most effective ways to modify an athlete’s technique and allow them to perform at the most efficient level possible. An athlete’s ability to perform efficiently and injury free are two key features in performance outcome and can both be improved with Biomechanical analysis.

Who can benefit from Biomechanical Analysis?

Biomechanical analysis can benefit athletes of all ages and skill levels. Whether you are a weekend runner or a high performance sprinter, biomechanical analysis can be beneficial to you as it will allow you the opportunity to develop more efficient movement patterns. This can benefit the weekend runner by allowing them to increase their distance and run pain free, while the high performance sprinter can benefit from a more efficient running stride and allow them to shave milliseconds of off their personal best time.

How to get the most out of your biomechanics sessions?

Biomechanics and video analysis specifically works best when the athlete makes use of multiple video analysis sessions. The theory behind multiple video analysis sessions comes from scientific research using pre testing, intervention and post testing. During a Biomechanics session, our Biomechanist will break down the video and make recommendations on how to improve your performance. This will be the pre-test portion of the experiment. Following the initial filming session, you will have the opportunity to make the necessary adjustments to your mechanics and work closely with our team of exercise therapists in order to correct your movement pattern. This will be the intervention portion of the experiment. Lastly, the athlete will undergo post testing where another video analysis session will be performed in order to determine the outcome of the intervention. During the second filming session, our Biomechanist will perform a pre and post test comparison in order to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. This cycle is important in creating good results as it will allow the athlete to not only see, but feel how the correct movement pattern should be performed.

Making Stridz Athlete Development is pleased to announce their partnership with Louis St. Laurent Hockey Academy for the 2010 school year. The Louis St. Laurent Hockey Academy has put togethor an excellent staff for this upcoming season including strength and conditioning coach Barry Butt from Premier Strength, goaltending consultants Dave Rathjen and Jamie McCaig from Above the Crease Goaltending, sports psychologist Nicolas Allan from River Valley Counselling as well as coaches Rick Swan, Larry Draper and Jaret Peel. If anyone is looking for a senior high hockey academy for next season please check out their website at www.baronshockeyacademy.com.

Click here to view a Promo Video done by Making Stridz Athlete Development