Dan Replies:
Dear J.N. The answer to your question is that everyone can improve their speed, if they want to and are willing to work at it. There are on-ice drills, off-ice plyometrics, and technique reviews; all of them designed to either increase foot speed, muscle development, or improve technique.
But it seems you've tried them all, and assuming the camps and teachers knew what they were doing, the only thing left is to question is whether becoming faster is important to him.
I can tell you that at that age, I wasn't concerned about how fast I was. I just wanted to play and have fun and development was the fartherest thing from my mind.
This may sound out in left field, but I'd invite him to play soccer or baseball this summer for four reasons...
1) both sports emphasize running which has a corresponding relationship to foot speed in skating.
2) he may be using his lack of improvement in spite of camps and teachers to signal that he isn't interested in improving his hockey skills at this time in his life.
3) every kid at that age should be playing all the sports because who knows at age 9 what they well be interested in doing at age 16.
4) Playing other sports avoids burnout, and
5) playing one sport at age 9 is detrimental to physical development according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
On reading our answer, one of our good Canadian friends – Scott Moulson - contributed this insight which might be helpful:
Not that I'm an expert, but on your web site, "Ask Dan" I thought you gave a partial answer, basically develop athletic ability if you want to increase speed - fix technique, plyometrics, etc. I did a lot of research on this because I'd watch kids who were better athletes at a younger age get beaten in races by lesser talented athletes. This is what I found.
Part of the problem is hereditary. A kid with more fast twitch muscles will be faster at a young age than a kid with slower twitch muscles. The slower twitch kid can improve his speed through plyometrics, fast-foot drills, etc. by about 10% max.
Kids who hit puberty early at 13 or 14 are generally faster and have more explosive power at a young age (even at age 10 or 11) than kids that hit puberty at 17. This explains late bloomers who develop speed later in their careers.
There will be a power surge in the player when he hits puberty. I've seen a surge in speed of 10-20%. Again nothing a parent can do about it. After a player hits puberty he can start lifting weights and doing the resistance training. Assuming you are doing all you can as far as fast-foot exercises are concerned, speed will increase 10%. Resistance and weight training can increase power 30%.
My message would be similar to yours for young hockey players. Develop an overall athletic base by playing a number of sports, work on developing good technique (knees bent, down low, roll ankles, etc) , and work on the agility (edges) you will need when you finally are ready to really develop speed. The final piece of advice I'd give is every time you are on the ice go as fast as you can. Even in warm-ups when you are skating in on the goalie, sprint as fast as you can, even if your teammates are going half speed. This will make speed a habit. Scott Moulson
Thanks Scott, Dan
