Simulate On-Ice Skating Off the Ice with the Newron Trainon

The Newron Trainon 4.0 Skating Runner allows players to simulate the on-ice feel of skating...off the ice. The wheels enable players to execute a hockey stride on hard surfaces in the same manner as on ice. So is it worth it? Here’s our review of the Newron Trainon 4.0 Skating Runner:

Overview: The Newron Skate allows the hockey player to execute a hockey stride on hard surface exactly the same as on ice.  The wheels are mounted on a light-weight chassis which support springs allowing for a toe kick and replicated cross-over strides. The Newron Skate is an innovative product that installs easily over an existing ice skate boot.

Price: $179.95 for the Newron 4.0 Trainon Runner (The Newron inline skates are also available. The skates feature the Newron Runner with the Newron Boots which are available in 4 models).

Video: Below is a video that shows the Newron Skate in action:



Details: The Newron Trainon 4.0 Skating Runner allowing players to practice their skating for free on concrete or asphalt surfaces.  In addition, workouts are not limited by time constraints. The Newron Trainon 4.0 Skating Runner is not to be confused with a standard inline skate; it is an “off ice” hockey skate making it a valuable transition from ice to hard surfaces.

Product Features:

* Fluid stride offers the same mechanical movement as ice skating
* Great workout for the hockey player during off season hockey training
* Increase speed and smooth stride
* Double tandem allows player to roll over small objects without tripping
* Designed by the best engineers in hockey technology
* Anti Abrasive Xylex Polycarbonate for long lasting durability
* Highly resistant tested to support up to 1500 lbs of pressure
* Blade sizes are specially made to fit the skate sizes of any brand
* Wheels and bearings – sizes 5-6 front 72mm back 76mm 84A Newron
* Cast polyurethane wheels for smooth and comfortable ride and ABEC 7
* Bearings optimum performance. - Sizes 7 - 11 front 76mm back 80mm
* Brakes decelerate with the newron system inserted. The Leg Trainer and Power Builder are available in 4 different resistance levels.

Benefits from HockeyShot Website: Below are more benefits from the HockeyShot website:

Speed : 10% increase in speed. Friction is greatly absorbed by the blade system.
Agility: Ability to skate more freely, just like an ice skate. Players can skate on roads, concrete, or any other hard surface, just like on ice.
Safety : Reduces stress on muscles and joints, produced by ground impact. Surface imperfections are absorbed by the Newron system.

Final Period: The Newron Trainon 4.0 Skating Runner is an innovative way to simulate an on-ice feel while inline skating. The runner is easy to install on an existing pair of skates.  For more information on the Newron Trainon, visit HockeyShot.com.

Editor’s Note: For a limited-time, when you use the code “teamcares″ at HockeyShot.com, you will receive 10% off any purchase.

Elevating Your Fundraising Efforts

Planning your fundrasing efforts can be a big responsibility. Picking the right program, the right timing and the right group of volunteers can make or break your campaign. Here are a few tips to help you get your program off to a great start and a successful finish!

Organizing a Campaign - Once you’ve chosen your program, it’s time to organize and manage your fundraising campaign. How you organize will depend on which type of fundraiser you’ve chosen: pre-sale, direct sale or online. The following are  fundraising tips for organizing your fundraising campaign.

Planning Your Campaign

Set your goal: The goal you set for your group should include a dollar amount, as well as a tangible element. For example, a cheer squad could set a goal of ,000 (the dollar amount) to pay for new uniforms and competition fees (the tangible element). Basically, you want to say how much you need to raise and why.

Set a deadline: Your fundraiser should run for a maximum of 1-2 weeks. This is just enough time to get a lot of support and keep everyone motivated, but not so much time that your group starts to feel the effects of ‘fundraiser burnout’.  A deadline also keeps you on track for reaching your goal, and is especially important for pre-sale fundraisers where order forms will need to be handed in on a specific date.

Know your group: Knowing how many group members will be participating, and how many volunteers you will have is key to organizing a selling strategy.

Motivate your group: It is important to maintain close and constant contact with your group members to motivate and encourage them throughout the campaign. Being a positive role model and maintaining an attitude of enthusiasm will be key to motivation.



Running Your Campaign

Delivery: Once you have placed your order, allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. Remember that with pre-sale fundraisers,  products are ordered after your group sold products to friends and family.

Money collection: Group members should collect money at the point of sale, or when taking orders. With pre-sale fundraisers, it is usually easier for the fundraising organizer to collect one check from each participant for the entire sum of the money collected.

Tallying and packing orders for pre-sale fundraisers: A good tip is to solicit volunteers in advance for these tasks, and to appoint a chairperson to oversee. The chairperson and each participant should always check and double-check orders for errors.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to eFundraising.com for this article.

What You Should Know About Asthma

According to WebMD, nearly 6.5 million children suffer from asthma.  The incidents of the disorder, which is characterized by difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and wheezing, has nearly doubled since 1980 in individuals under the age of 18.  While scientists race to discover the reasons for the sharp increase, many child athletes suffer with the condition.  The following article offers tips for helping child athletes live and play with asthma.

1. Be aware of asthma

Coaches of any sport requiring substantial lung capacity should be aware of asthma as a potential problem for their athletes. In addition to watching our known asthmatic athletes closely, we need to stay alert for undiagnosed asthma. In particular, look for well-conditioned athletes who occasionally appear slower, mentally sluggish, or out of wind. They might actually be having an asthmatic episode without being aware of it. Suggest a doctor visit for these athletes.

2. Get educated - and be prepared

Asthma can be managed effectively with a team approach. Poll your athletes and/or parents to determine whether any of your athletes have asthma. Then work with the athlete and parent to create an asthma management plan. This plan should cover what medicines the athlete should take if under duress and when help should be called. In addition, coaches should be aware of conditions that can trigger asthma attacks so that steps can be taken to help the athlete avoid problems.

3. Be supportive

It is vitally important for coaches to support their asthmatic athletes. Many athletes will try to cover up their asthma for fear of losing their position or being viewed as a ‘health liability.’

If the Jackie Joyner Kersey’s of the world hide their asthma, what about the average athlete who wants to make a good impression? He or she is likely to hide or ignore symptoms to avoid looking weak or out of shape. An athlete hiding asthma can end up with a serious attack leading to hospitalization or even death. This is always tragic because it is so unnecessary.

It is imperative that coaches work with their athletes to help them manage their asthma. When we become partners with our asthmatic athletes, we not only keep them safe, we help them perform to the best of their ability. There are countless highly successful athletes playing at all levels of sport today. Most of them are achieving their best with the help of a caring and supportive coach.

Editors Note: A special thanks to Elevating Athletes for this article.

How to Help Your Player Stay Positive

When a child is learning a new sport it can be easy for them to become discouraged. Sometimes this can lead to negative thoughts and feelings.  The following is an excerpt from a conversation between Executive Editor TK Stohlman and noted child and sports psychologist, author and motivational speaker Dr. Darrell Burnett on the topic of helping your child avoid negative self talk.

TK: Dr. Burnett again, we are talking about mindset and confidence, let’s discuss a little bit about kids and young athletes and that mindset when it comes to self talk, specifically negative self talk.  What can parents do to help prevent that and to encourage more positive thinking from their kids?

Dr. Burnett: What’s interesting is that realm that’s becoming more and more important and talked about.  There are all kinds of books out now about the mental game.  It used to be mainly for the pros and all that but it’s really kind of filtering down now and we’re seeing, and I’m seeing even in my practice not just in sports, feelings follow thoughts.

The way you think and talk to yourself affects your feelings about things.  The goal is to have a lot more positive self talk going on than the negative.  In fact, the research shows there should be anywhere from four to six to one ratios of positives to negatives in a healthy family.  When parents are talking to their kids for every one time they’re criticizing them about something or confronting them there should be four or five “way to go” complements or positive stuff.

The same thing then should happen if the healthy kid is talking to himself.  What you want is at least a four to one ratio of positive self talk to negative self talk because that affects everything that they do on the field.  Again, if you’re focusing on skills you’ve got a better chance the kid can focus on staying positive when they make a mistake.  I think this is one of the key parts of sports.

Sports are wonderful for kids and that the key message is that it’s okay to make a mistake.  That’s how you learn.  The more you learn from your mistakes the better. That is what separates the really good athletes from the okay athletes — how they handle mistakes.  And negative self talk is all a part of that.

Here is what I mean — when a we make a mistake we have two options.  One is the part of the brain that gets all judgmental, analytical, “I blew it. I can’t believe I did that,” very emotional.  “You know I could do that in my sleep, I can’t believe I didn’t make that shot.”  The other side of the brain simply looks at it as a spatial event and then tries to fix it and look at it mechanically.  Here is the example.

I once saw a couple of gymnasts, getting ready for national championships.  One of the things that separated the two was not their physical skills but their mental self talk.  You know how in gymnastics the girls tried to stick that landing, how they plop down and throw their hands back up? Well if they didn’t stick their landing one girl would go through a whole series of self talk like “oh my goodness my parents are spending ,000 for this” and “what if I do this in the national tryouts, I won’t make it.”  She thinks to herself,  “my teammates are upset, my parents are disappointed, my coaches disappointed, ” all emotional self talk.  The other girl,  would say “I think I have a little too much weight on my right side I need to balance that out.”  In other words, she looked at the event as a spatial event not a whole lot of emotional stuff connected with it, and figured out how to fix it. So when we’re working with kids in terms of the self talk, the goal is to get them to look at their mistakes, not get all emotional. To see what they can do to fix it.

Here’s how this relates to parents. When a kid makes a mistake, if the parent can stay calm, there is the chance the kid can reflect on what happened and think about it.  If the parents are yelling, “I can’t believe you didn’t cover that guy on that path,” or the coach gets all upset, now the kid is going to get emotional.  There’s no way that that child is going to step back and say, “gee coach I wish you weren’t so emotionally involved right now. See, I’m working on the other side of my brain right now.”  If we give players the opportunity of staying calm when they make a mistake and they can see what they can learn from it then you can increase positive self talk rather than negative.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Dr. Darrell Burnett for this interview.

Exercise Programs for Growing Bodies

Preparing your child for youth sports means ensuring that their growing body is ready for the demands of the activity they will be undertaking. Just like any exercise program, there is a right and wrong way to prepare your child.  Athletic Development Expert, Brian Grasso spoke to Executive Editor TK Stohlman about this very topic.  Here is an excerpt from their discussion.

TK: So when parents have identified particular instructors or trainers and think, “I’ve done my research and this person has the potential to be a good instructor for my child. Now it’s time to go talk to this trainer/instructor.” What are some questions that a parent could ask this trainer/instructor to help them with this decision? Again whether it’s a short term training decision over a couple of months, or they’re looking at making maybe a year long decision for specific training instruction program, what are some questions that parents could ask this potential instructor or trainer to help them decide if this trainer is the best for their player?

Brian: Yeah, I love where you’re going with this stuff because this is really prudent information that parents need to hear. It’s primarily a North American ideology right now. It is infiltrating other parts of the world to be sure, but what we’re doing a great deal of here in North America is we’re shooting for what we call the ’short, quick bio-motor gain’.

Now bio-motors are speed, strength, power or those athletic commodities that we perceive make us better athletes. And so we’re shooting for those and really trying hard to make young athletes as fast as possible, as strong as possible, as powerful as possible. But the defining part, TK, is that we’re trying to do so in as short a time frame as possible.

What we’re finding is that a lot of facilities, trainers, coaches and franchise type facilities around North America are saying to mom and dad, “For 0 or 0, I’ll put together a six-week program that makes your young athlete as fast as powerful as possible, as strong and speed based as possible.”

But that really is inappropriate on a number of levels, and let me explain as briefly as I can. The developing human body and the corresponding parallel developing mental/emotional part of young person really does take time. It’s not about making kids as fast or as strong as possible in six or eight weeks, it’s about developing over a long term, and there’s a lot of ways to look at it.

First of all, I always say to mom and dad, “Do you really want your 10 year old to be as strong and as fast as possible now and win the plastic trophy at the end of the year? Or do you want them developed properly in combination and in sequence with what the human body is doing naturally on a developmental basis, and have your kid as injury resistant, as powerful, and as strong and fast as possible when they’re 17 or 18, and sports really starts to matter?” At 10 years old, sports should be fun and engaging. But as we get older, it becomes more competitive and more important, especially if you’re looking to go on to collegiate or beyond.

So you really can’t just take training young athletes into short bursts of time. So that would be the first question: How long do you train my kid for? Is this a year program? Is it a six month program? Is it a six week program? And I would advocate parents to try and stay away from trainers who talk about ’six weeks to maximum performance’, or ‘eight weeks pre-season’. Those things shouldn’t really be involved in youth development; it really should be more of a long term scope.

And TK, if I could say one more thing about that, the best and most appropriate way to get parents understanding the concept of long term development is to parallel it to academics. What I mean by that is that you can’t get a masters degree before you get your bachelor’s degree and you can’t get your bachelor’s degree before you go to high school, you can’t go to high school before you go to elementary school and the reason that is, is that everything is a cognitive building block upon itself. Does that make sense?

TK: Definitely.

Brian: The same with training and developing young athletes. It is not about being as fast as you can be at ten years old, it’s about developing motor patterns and skills and execution standpoints that when you’re 12, you can build on and at 14 you can build on some more.

Editor’s Note: A special thank you to Brian Grasso for this interview.

How to “Manage” Your Player

For all intents and purposes, a parent assumes the role of “manager” when their child is involved in youth sporting events. And, like the manager of a professional athlete, there are both good and bad ways to undertake this job.  The following article provides ideas to help parents assume this role to the best of their abilities while providing their player with a positive experience.

For most kids, sports are an organized activity. Urbanization  and concerns about child safety leave fewer opportunities for kids to just go play. As youth sports become more organized, parents often feel an increasing need to get their money’s worth and may inadvertently over emphasize performance and skills development. These goals may not give kids the opportunity they need to have fun. However, with the right approach, organized sports also provide the opportunity for parents to help their child navigate the experience and gain the fun, skills and confidence to play longer.

Developing a love of the game, a good attitude and other mental aspects of sports can begin at any age. However, real physical development does not occur until after puberty when muscle and bone mass become sufficient for strength. In fact, the majority of top athletes did not get serious about their sport until after puberty.  However, with most kids quitting before puberty, the majority never play long enough to reach anything close to their physical potential.

Unfortunately, some coaches and leagues look at the high drop out rates and assume that the best approach is one that minimizes parental involvement. As in school, kids benefit greatly from positive parental actions. While sports provide a framework for learning, it is up to the parents to make sure their child learns the needed physical skills and life lessons. Leagues focus on administration and coaches focus on teams. Only parents focus exclusively on their child’s needs and can put everything into perspective.

Editor’s Note: A special thank you to Sports Esteem for this article.

Questions to Ask When Selecting Hockey Pants

When looking at which hockey pants to buy you will want to ask yourself a couple questions. First, analyze your playing style. What level of play are you competing in: a beginner, a travel player or higher, or are you an old timer? Second are you more concerned with protection, mobility or a happy medium? The answers to these questions will dictate the type of ice pant you need. Hockey pants come in various designs with many different features.

Mobility - If mobility is your major factor in buying ice pants then you will have to give some on the protection side. The more padding and features that are added to the pant the less mobile it can become. Generally the least expensive pants will offer the most interior room and the greatest mobility. Top level pant designs are allowing for more mobility then in previous years, however, they will still carry more bulk than the least expensive pants.

Padding - The pads which you want to focus on when looking at ice pants are the thighs, tailbone, kidneys and spine. The thigh pads should be preformed so they fit around the thigh and not stick out which can restrict your movement. The tailbone should have a preformed PE insert to protect you from nasty falls. The kidney pads should be preformed also so they wrap around your waist to keep the pant close. The spinal protection will protect you from crosschecks and awkward collisions with the boards.

Features - Additional features that you will want to look for are; a padded belt, a double belt system, zippers on the inner thigh, and segmented thigh pads. The belt is an important factor in the fit and comfort of the pant. Some ice pants come with a double belt system which holds the pant in place better. You will also want to look at getting a pant with a padded belt. The area where the belt wraps does not have much padding so adding some padding around that same area will give you some added protection. The zippers allow you to put your skates on first then your pants. Segmented thigh pads allow for a wider range of motion and less restriction.

Liner - The most important factor with the liner in an ice pant is the type of material. There is no protection factor in the liner so you want one that offers comfort. Higher end ice pants will offer a more durable better feeling material. Some manufactures also use a silicon grip print to lock the pant in place and help stop it from twisting. Antimicrobial liners are becoming more widely used. These liners are treated to stop the growth of bacteria which cause that awful smell and cause skin irritations.

What Recruiters are REALLY Looking For

While recruiters are always looking for players who demonstrate superior athletic ability, that is not the only quality they desire in future college athletes. Here are a few thoughts from Notre Dame Women’s head basketball coach Muffet McGraw regarding players who really catch her eye:

“I observe their overall communication patterns with teammates. I watch during timeouts. I watch what happens when the team is losing. Who’s positive? I watch their demeanor during the game. When they come out of a game, do they cheer for their teammates, or are they just waiting to get back in the game? I want leaders. These are really character issues more than skills. Then of course, there are the God-given abilities - speed and size.

A lot of times I’ll see reports that I’m “recruiting someone.” Well, it depends on your definition of “recruiting someone.” I’m sending out hundreds of letters, but I’m certainly not “recruiting” hundreds of players. And players are getting letters from everyone. It doesn’t mean they’re getting scholarship offers. A player should also know that a school’s interest is serious and genuine when she begins to receive personal, hand-written notes from the head coach. If the head coach comes to see you play in your junior year, you’re in pretty good shape, though this is not always true. Sometimes I’ll see a prospect’s name on a lot of lists, so I’ll put her on my list, too. Then I see her play, and she’s just not what I’m looking for. But, generally, if the coach is there, it’s a good sign.

Young athletes need to ask better questions during the recruiting process. The one question players don’t ask is the most obvious one: Are you offering me a scholarship? It amazes me that they never ask that!”

Editor’s Note: A special thank you to the National Collegiate Scouting Association for this article.

How to Build Team Unity

If you want your team to have success, you need to build unity. It’s not always easy to do when coaching youth sports, but if you use some of the following strategies, the team should run like a well-oiled machine.

If team chemistry made a noise, it would sound like a “click.” When teams click they raise their level of play as teammates cooperate and work together toward their common goal. Most championship teams credit team chemistry as a key element of their success. But, in the limited time available to youth sports coaches, team chemistry is often a challenge for teams composed of kids not already familiar with one another.

Team unity involves building common experiences, skills, emotions, and goals for the players. However, in a short season, practices and games alone may not provide enough time. To build team chemistry quickly, coaches should consider a preseason or early season team meeting with only the players and coaches that helps break the ice and gets players more familiar with their teammates. Some suggested activities include:

• Player introductions where one player asks another a list of questions and then introduces the player to the group.


• Relay races, trivia quizzes, and similar small group competitions with no more than four players per group. Smaller group size helps facilitate player interactions.


• Problem solving activities featuring game situations or strategies that smaller groups of players discuss, solve, diagram, and present to the whole team.


• An after-practice pizza party that gives the players a chance to talk and interact with one another.

By breaking down normal shyness and letting kids get comfortable around their teammates, coaches facilitate an environment where peer support encourages team play. This environment can help the entire team work together and minimize player cliques composed of players who attend the same school, have the same teachers, or have previously played together. Helping all players get along before a game goes a long way to helping players get along during a game.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Sports Esteem for this article.

Player Growth is All in the Details

Despite the saying “don’t sweat the small stuff,” to truly excel as a player, it is crucial to work on the little details of the game. The following article talks about the little details that help young athletes grow into better players.

Players don’t just get better. They get better at many small things that add up to an overall better player. For example, passing requires getting better at things like vision, timing, balance, speed and decision making. If players improve in all of these areas, then they become better passers.

For players, it is important to understand how very basic things contribute to their performance in a game. From this understanding, players can start working backward to identify and correct the details that lead to overall improvement. Coaches often ask players to do drills or exercises that may seem irrelevant but may focus on one of the many details players need for improvement.

John Wooden, a former NCAA college coach who won 10 championships in 12 years, put it best in his book “When you see a successful individual, a champion, a ‘winner,’ you can be sure that you are looking at an individual who pays great attention to the perfection of minor details.”

Editor’s Note: A special thanks to Sports Esteem for the following information.

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