U18 Men 2012
U18 A Mens Coach: Brent Miskimmin
U18 B Mens Coach: TBA
Tournament Dates/Venues:
National U18 Premier Tournament - 2nd - 7th July 2012, Palmerston North
National U18 Championship Tournament - 2nd - 7th July 2012, Wellington
A pre-season message from Brent Miskimmin:
I hope you are enjoying the break from hockey and that you were thrilled by the games from the Champions Trophy. I thought that it was inspirational hockey and even to a die-hard hockey person like myself it continues to excite me just how much our game is evolving and developing.
As a coach I am very keen to ensure that we continue to seek out opportunities to gain that key competitive advantage that ensures our Wellington Hockey teams are at the top of the National ladder.
One of the key elements of modern hockey is fitness and speed – and we saw that in abundance at the Champions Trophy. If this is going to be a key advantage to us in the 2012 U18 season then the training needs to start now. As part of the 2012 U18 selection process, fitness will be a heavily weighted factor in the final selections. No excuses, no what-if's ! To play the game that we want to and need to in-order to win a National championship we need to be the fittest U18 team in NZ – and our skill and game development will follow.
SO…..between now! and the start of the pre-season I want you guys to get out and start to build up your aerobic fitness. You need to build up to be able to do 3 or 4 40-60min runs a week. Honestly that is not much guys (and is a minimum at this level) but you will be surprised at the benefits it brings when we get down to the start of the preseason training. It will give a good base to start from. And it won't be easy over the Xmas period but starting now is a must.
ONE LAST THING …… I am very keen for as many of you as can to enrol in the WHA Elite Clinic starting in 10 Feb (see WHA web site http://www.wellingtonhockey.org.nz/page/high_performance__development__camps.html)
Last year we had a very good number of boys in attendance and I am convinced the early season training was a big factor in our 2nd place at Nationals. One of the emphasis at this clinic will be about execution at speed, and fitness assessments will be undertaken