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Mayfield To NY Islanders in NHL 2nd Round Draft (Training Pics & More)

Scott Mayfield ripping out a mean set of dumbbell pressesIn the fall of 2008, Webster Groves Hockey Coach Dave Garth asked me to work with his team. One thing I really enjoy as a strength coach working with a team is early on having no idea how any of the athletes perform on the  playing field. I only know them in the weight room, and I prefer it that way. I go into the job knowing I can coach them to become stronger and better athletes, regardless of where that athleticism will translate into performance on the basketball court, soccer field, or in this case, the ice rink. I walk into the weight room and give my initial talk to the team, and then wait to see which athletes really grasp the idea and work ethic required in the off-season to make real improvements entering each new season.

I remember coming home one night after a team workout and saying to Tara, “hun, I have no idea how good of a hockey player this Scott kid is, but man he is fun to work with. He just gets it, he asks the best questions, and really wants to get better at every skill and challenge I throw at him.”

Turns out, at the time, Scott was maybe the 2nd, if not the 3rd or 4th most talented player on the team, but that was before his sophomore year in high school. By year’s end he was receiving national recognition. After continuallly improving, and taking advantage of every opportunity he had in the following years, it all culminated when he was picked 34th (2nd round) in the National Hockey League draft a few weeks ago on June 25th.

Scott Mayfield, Denver University, trains with Dave Reddy in Webster Groves, MOAmong other feats that garnered national recognition, Scott was named the most valuable player in the 2010 World Junior A Challenge held in Penticton, British Columbia last November. In 2009, he represented Team USA in the Ivan Hlinka Tournament in Slovakia, where Team USA placed fourth. At the tournament, Mayfield won the skills competition.

Scott also has since been added to USA Hockey’s National Junior Evaluation Camp, to be held Aug. 6-13 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

So I just wanted to say congrats(!) to Scott, and post a few nice articles about him from the Webster Groves/Kirkwood Times, St. Louis and ESPN.com.

Webster/Kirkwood Times:
http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/Articles-i-2011-07-01-175799.114137-The-Amazing-Scott-Mayfield.html

St. Louis Post Dispatch: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/article_3b153069-629e-5478-8d87-d870b4139974.html

ESPN.com:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/draft/2011/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=6704032

Scott Mayfield training with Dave Reddy at the Webster Groves Rec ComplexTraining Journal & Nutrition Notes

Of course, I can’t help but show this kid off … so here are a few video clips and pictures from our workouts … a work ethic like his will get a person to any fitness, athletic performance, or weight loss goal.

Durability & Corrective Work

My primary job with Scott is to keep him on the ice, that is, healthy and durable, first and foremost. So my focus is on what James Harris and I call Durability Training & Corrective Exercises, proactively going after potential problem areas based on a thorough assessment of Scott’s history, strength, mobility, and balance (structural and functional integrity is what we strength coach nerds refer to these things as.) For a hockey player, hip mobility is vital, and with Scott, who boasts something like a 44″ inseam (I’m actually taller than him by maybe a 1/2 inch, but he has got these freakishly high hip bones that set about 5 inches higher than mine. I always say it is the elite athletes that are separated from other normal human beings by these funky anatomical features (have you seen Michael Phelps body? The guy is half fish. And most people can’t really comprehend how wide Michael Jordan’s shoulders are until they see the guy in person.) I digress, here are a few training pics and videos of Scott in the weight room at the Webster Groves Rec Complex:

James Harris working with Scott Mayfield (various corrective exercises and positional release)

All of our athletes go through the rigors of functional movement assessment, orthopedic screens, and corrective sessions with James

Dave Reddy stretching and rolling Scott Mayfield's hip flexor and quad with The Stick

I’m hitting Scott with both a hip flexor/quad stretch while rolling out this thigh with The Stick

Dave Reddy passively stretching Scott Mayfield to improve thoracic and hip mobility
We call this an assisted Bretzel - a passive stretch targeting hip and upper back mobility. All of our athletes go through the rigors of a few assessments and corrective sessions with James

 

Strength & Performance Training

Scott ripping out a mean set of feet elevated TRX rows
Last summer, Scott began hitting these Feet Elevated TRX Rows. This summer he does them with a 35 lb Kettlebell handing from his waist.
Scott Mayfield knocking out a single leg kettle bell deadlift with Coach Dave Reddy

Hockey players need some impressive single leg balance and strength, which is accomplished by performing movements such as this Single Leg Kettlebell Dead Lift.

Scott and Dave hitting some kettlebell loaded get up sit ups

I can’t help but jump in on the fun sometimes … I mean come on, does it get any more fun than kettlebell get up sit ups? I submit that it does not.

Just a couple fine looking gentemen.

Umm … just a couple of fine lookin’ gentlemen, that’s all.

Thank you so much to Susan Jackson (www.susanjacksonphotography.com) for coming out and shooting the majority of these pictures. You are truly awesome!

Also, I want to point out that these pictures are all taken at the beautiful Webster Groves Recreation Complex at I44 & Elm Rd. where we are blessed with the opportunity to work with Scott and so many others in the Webster Groves Community.

Training Videos (& NHL Combine Training)

Scott knocking out a 155 lb Barbell Step Up to an 18″ Platform

 95 lb Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat Jump (At the Richmond Heights Community Center)


 

Rear Feet Elevated Plank Up Down’s


 

100 lb Double Kettlebell Single Leg Dead Lift

 

Chin Up Knee Tucks (during his second workout with me, (and the entire team), I told Scott he had to be able to do ten of these in a row before I would allow him to do biceps curls … mind you, that’s a long 6’4″ frame he is pulling up every repetition here.)

 Finally, draft pick high lights (60 sec video)

 

For more videos of Scott’s training, visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/safefitnesssolutions.

(Update:) It’s Tuesday, July 12th, and Scott just text me from the New York Islanders training camp … he just performed 15 chin ups for their assessment, which should place him number one in the over 200 lbs category. I love it! Effective, purposeful, hard work always pays off! Look out for this guy in an arena near you in the coming years. He is headed to Denver University in the fall to begin his freshman year there. Good Luck!!

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