Off-Ice with Adam Francilia: Counter-Rotation Series Summary
- Perform the Counter-Rotation Series 2-3 times per week using 2-3 sets per exercise to reinforce correct neuromuscular firing patterns.
- Counter-rotation is a common goaltender error that creates unnecessary delay in lateral movement and makes it harder to stay square during a push.
- Adam Francilia has worked with Connor Hellebuyck since 2017, contributing to his development into a Vezina Trophy-winning NHL goaltender.
- Watch each of the six individual exercise videos first to learn proper form before using the summary video as a training reminder.
- Carter Hart's pro-read is recommended as a starting point for understanding counter-rotation, as he identifies the error in his own game on video.
Connor Hellebuyk was presented with the 2020 Vezina Trophy this week and joined us shortly after on the InGoal Radio Podcast to talk about his development from literally training at local stick ‘n puck session for junior tryouts into the top of the NHL goaltending world this week. While Hellebuyck is quick to credit many, part of that transformation came from his work with Adam Francilia which began in 2017.
Francilia has generously shared some of the work he does with his many pro goaltending clients with InGoal Members, including the Counter-Rotation Series of exercises designed to help goaltenders stop this common error that causes unnecessary delay in movement through both strengthening and re-patterning neuromuscular firing patterns. We love it because it highlights the direct correlation between the work goaltenders do off and on the ice.
If you’d like to learn more about counter-rotation, a great place to start is Carter Hart’s excellent pro-read where he calls himself out for making this common error that causes delay in movement that will also challenge your ability to remain square as you push to move laterally.
Although we have already presented all the exercises in this series, we recognize that working through six separate videos to guide your workout is not the most convenient way to work. And so, while we strongly encourage you to watch each video separately first to understand the correct form — a hallmark of Francilia’s teaching is a relentless attention to detail — today we present one summary video while has taken the essential movements from the series and combined them into one series you can follow along as a reminder when you are training.
You can include the series in your regular workouts a few times each week. Francillia recommends 2-3 sets of each exercise with the following number of repetitions:
- Horse Stance Dynamic 90-degrees 10 reps each side
- Single leg kneeling abduction 8-12 reps each side
- Supine lateral ball roll 5 each way
- Prone lateral ball roll 5 each way
- Single Leg Rotation Hold 7 each way
- The tube hold. 3 each way
Questions? Hit us up in the comments section below – Adam will respond personally!
Enjoyed the Counter-Rotation Series?
InGoal has several other videos with Adam Francilia:
Last week Adam Francilia shared some of his thoughts on the neutral pelvis — a video that could change your game unlike any other.
These exercises will support you in desperation mode:
the swing leg pushup
a one-arm pushup designed with goaltenders in mind.
And a foundational exercise that will strengthen and support an oft-injured area for goaltenders: the Swiss Ball Groin Buster.
For those who missed our introduction to Francilia in earlier articles, a quick refresher: He jumped into the NHL spotlight for the off-ice transformation in 2017 that “helped propel Winnipeg Jets No. 1 Connor Hellebuyck to a Vezina Trophy nomination in 2018, but was working with goalies like James Reimer long before the NET360 camp, where we first met, started in 2015. His current client list includes more than a dozen other NHL-contracted goalies like Reimer, Devan Dubnyk, Matt Murray, Laurent Brossoit, Eric Comrie, Thomas Greiss and Troy Grosenick.