Simple tools that will help your kids feel better, enjoy the game more and perform at a higher level.

Goalies who struggle with back or hip pain – or those who simply want to unlock performance – will want to set aside some time today to watch two new videos brought to us by James Wendland and his 5 Damn Things series.

We’re first sharing a routine for diagnosing some of the anatomical problems that could be causing your pain or otherwise holding you back while then giving some safe and gentle adjustment practices that you can do at home to get your goalie back to peak performance.

James Wendland has quickly become an InGoal Reader favourite for sharing his in-depth knowledge of human anatomy and physiology and their application to goaltending, sharing simple yet incredibly effective ways to improve your health and performance. Wendland, a manual osteopathic therapist and kinesiologist with a master’s degree in exercise/respiratory physiology, shared the details behind his practice with InGoal Radio Podcast listeners in Episode 235.

Wendland often notes, “I want to put myself out of business,” implying with humor that he wants to give goaltenders and their families the tools to better health and performance so they don’t need to show up at his practice looking for help. Much of that is being shared through InGoal beginning with his “5 Damn Things” series.

First was his Five Damn Things to Improve Goalie Hip Health which gave goaltenders a daily practice for hip health that also helps unlock performance on and off the ice. This video demonstrates the basis for some of the techniques that will be used in today’s videos.

In it Wendland detailed his goal for the series:

“It just makes no sense that every family doesn’t have access to these simple tools that will help their kids feel better, enjoy the game more and perform at a higher level.”

“Of course there are more complex issues that require a goaltender to spend more time with me and those that require medical attention – but for the majority of goaltenders a basic assessment and correction like we’re showing today will make all the difference.”

5 Damn Things for Parents for Assessing Your Kids

Goaltender Matthew Hutchison is our demonstration goalie for this session. Like many of Wendland’s clients such as PWHL Toronto’s Kristin Campbell and NHL goaltenders James Reimer and Matt Tompkins, Hutchison swears by Wendland’s work.  He describes an immediate relief of back pain and an unlocking not only of the range of motion in his hips but also the ability to harness a significant increase in power in his movements after just a single session with Wendland.

Hutchison came into this session with nagging discomfort in his back and diminished range of motion in his hips after the long grind of his first full season in the WHL. He left feeling no pain and a remarkable recovery of his range of motion, ready to take on a hard summer of work and training. Several weeks have passed since this was filmed and he remains pain free.

Before we get to the videos, we must note the mandatory warning to all. Here at InGoal we are NOT medical experts. We are merely sharing the knowledge of a trained professional. If your goalie is feeling pain in their back, hips or anywhere else we encourage you to seek out medical attention from your doctor or other health professional. We are not suggesting these videos will take the place of proper medical attention.

In the first video Wendland walks us through a simple way of assessing your goaltender. It begins with a basic observation of your goaltender walking watching basic movement and alignment. You may already notice some of what Wendland describes in your child but here it is broken down into a series of steps that will give you insight into their condition and ultimately an understanding of what is causing the discomfort or diminished range of motion. He follows with a more detailed examination explaining a number of possible causes of the symptoms observed which will lead to corrections in the second video.

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