- An interview in Hockey & Skating Magazine with David Pollitt.

Recently Hockey & Skating met with David Pollitt, owner of Revolution Athletics, a sports strength and conditioning center in Orange County.

A former nationally ranked athlete in both cross country skiing and triathlon, Pollitt holds a degree in Physical Education from the University of Manitoba and is a graduate of the Olympic Academy of Canada.  David is certified with distinction from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.

David has professional coaching certifications in weightlifting (both Canada and the USA), intermediate levels in hockey and track & field, and is a master coach in cross country skiing.  He has had internships at the Calgary Olympic Development Association High Altitude Camp and with the Canadian National Ski Team Development Centre.

Pollitt won the 3M Coaching Award for his work with minor hockey in Canada and he was part of the Eastern Collegiate Coaching Staff of the Year with Duquesne University.  He has worked with the Banff Hockey Academy, the Canmore Eagles, Rugby Canada, along with a number of corporate clients in southern California.

His list of midget, junior, college and professional hockey players that seeks his guidance is considerable.  His first book on conditioning for junior hockey players will be published in early 2008.

H&S:  Tell us about yourself David?

DP:  Well I'm a transplanted Canadian who moved to California 5 years ago from Banff, Alberta where I worked with a number of hockey teams and players in western Canada.  My background is in endurance sports as an athlete and coach, but my passion and true expertise has always been with hockey.  From skating on the frozen ponds in Manitoba to working with hockey players to develop their skills I just can't say enough about how hockey has positively impacted my life.

H&S:  What is your hockey background?

DP:  I have been a player, coach, athletic trainer, strength and conditioning coach, referee, researcher, writer and life-long fan.  I think I have seen a great many aspects of hockey from the locker room to the ice and everything in between so when players come to me with problems or issues I have a pretty good idea what they're talking about and what they need to work on.

H&S:  How is Revolution Athletics different from other gyms?

DP:  First and foremost, Revolution Athletics is a company that specializes in the training of hockey players.  I have aligned myself with a number of other professionals in the field of hockey development such as Steve Phillips, Mike Hartman, Clint Hazen, Angelo Magio, Laura Stamm, Jack Blatherwick and Stefany Hanlan as consulting experts.

We deal with the athlete or client and work to improve all aspects of their game, physical conditioning and life.  All of our athletes or fitness clients go through a functional movement screen to look for muscle imbalances, issues or potential areas where an injury may occur, and then we look to rebalance the body and effectively condition the athlete for optimal performance.  Very few coaches break down the athlete, pick them apart and then rebuild them so we are definitely unique in that aspect.

In terms of our facility we differ in the fact that our place is small but focused on performance enhancement.  We work functional training, general athleticism and sport specific movements while always keeping in mind the athlete's ability, uniqueness and sport.  Our place has all the dumbbells and weights that traditional facilities have, but we also work with weighted sleds (to push or pull), oversized tires, Ultraslides, Powerskaters, kettlebells, etc., so we get the most from our clients with every workout.

H&S:  How important is off-ice training for hockey players or athlete's in general?

DP:  Very important.  You can get a lot out of practicing the skills of hockey on the ice but players need off-ice training to round out their development in ways that player the game can't do along.  As hockey has evolved players have become bigger, faster stronger and more agile than ever before.  Along with this we are seeing more and more imbalances from the game (such as in the hip musculature or throughout the core) that needs to be corrected during dryland training sessions.  The days that you could just play your way onto the team at the next level are long gone.

H&S:  What is the future for Revolution Athletics?

DP:  My goal is to bring the hockey world to California and help put California hockey players into every league in North America.  In the next few months we have a lot of plans from coaching conferences to training camps to team consulting.  I'm really looking forward to a great 2008 and just see where we can take this company and how we can impact California hockey.