Craig Shepherd is a true student of his sport. Born in 1966 in Colorado Springs, Shepherd was a star as a high school and college player. Shepherd found the professional ranks much tougher. He moved around the minor leagues for years before getting his big break. But it wasn't in America. Shepherd became the first non-Russian free agent to play for Moscow Dynamo. He soaked up the Russian style of playing and coaching, which differed greatly from the American version. Later, he became one of the few professional hockey players to compete in pairs figure skating at the 1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. As of June 2011, Shepherd runs a highly respected hockey consulting service and training program, Applied Hockey Sciences, blending coaching techniques he learned in Russia with strategies and styles from the other coaches he played for and observed.
Amateur Career
Shepherd led Edina High School to the Minnesota state championship in 1984. He was a star in the college ranks as well, helping Michigan State into two NCAA Frozen Four appearances, hockey's equivalent of the NCAA basketball Final Four. Shepherd says his success was due to one overriding factor: "I was never a star on any team I played on, but I always tried to work harder than anybody else I played with. I am living proof that if you work hard and dedicate yourself to a proven program of training, you can go places in hockey that nobody else ever thought was possible."
Pro Career
Shepherd bounced around the minor leagues of hockey, playing in Louisville, Erie, Roanoke, Knoxville, Dallas and Tulsa. Shepherd then tried out for Moscow Dynamo, a famed club in the Russian Elite League, and surprised everyone by making the team. Shepherd thrived on the arduous six-hour practice sessions, describing training camp in Moscow as something "that would seem like a prison to most, but hockey heaven to me." Shepherd also played in Germany.
D.A.R.T
After his playing career ended, Shepherd founded Dynamo Authentic Russian Training, or D.A.R.T., the forerunner to Applied Hockey Sciences. It was a five-month program designed to increase speed, power, endurance and athleticism. In his time in Russia, Shepherd learned that Russian hockey training is conducted at an uncomfortably fast pace. Interval training, overload training, building leg strength and training on dry land were some of the techniques Shepherd brought back from overseas.
Applied Hockey Sciences
Billed as a consulting firm and training camp, AHS offers personalized training programs and coaching for young hockey players. The intent is to make students into top-flight athletes first and hockey players second. Shepherd recommends a supervised structure for training athletes from a young age. He also focuses on periodization -- working on specific needs at the right time of the year. For example, weight training is not advisable during the season.
Figure Skating
Shepherd skated with Natalia Mishkutionok. The pair married and subsequently divorced. Shepherd also worked as the Slovakian Figure Skating Federation's head pairs coach. His team of Olga and Joseph Bestandig won the 2004 Slovakian national championships.
Member Comments