Air Force hockey is on a roll unprecedented in the program’s 51-year history. The good news includes consecutive NCAA Elite Eight appearances, three 20-win seasons in a row and graduating the winningest class in program history into the service.

As the Falcons soar again and again, however, it’s presented some challenges for one of the men who helps ensure they’re physically prepared. It’s clear time is of the essence for veteran strength and conditioning coach Drew Bodette, who is entering his third season with the hockey program and 11th at the Academy.

The demands on Cadets’ time, much less those playing a Division I sport that has a season that can last longer than six months if all breaks right, are imposing, and that is what Bodette has to work around as he helps the Falcons prepare for their upcoming season.

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Gearing up for summer training

On the heels of a successful season, Bodette might have three weeks to work with the players before they have finals and then head off to their various summer assignments. That, as much as any time, might be the most critical in the strength and conditioning cycle because he’s got to – in concert with athletic trainer Erik Marsh – address injuries and set a plan in motion for the summer months, when players will spend three weeks at home, three weeks at a base somewhere in the world and typically three weeks working at the Academy or on another assignment.

“When we do well, our offseason is about three weeks long. These guys haven’t lifted with the same volume we (do in the spring) because they’ve been playing so much,” Bodette says. “In the offseason we do lots of reps with light weight. This is introducing them back into the weight room because we just work big muscle groups in the short amount of time when they’re in season (October through at least the end of March).

“I get about five weeks (before) the beginning of the season and the three at the end of the season. So a lot of the responsibility lies on these guys in the summer time.”

One way to look at the spring is getting a course syllabus. Summer is the independent study time. Fall is when preparation for the exam, or season, reaches its conclusion.

“What I try to do is get them ready for the summer manual, so when they look at it they remember the drills, the lifts, the jumps. So when they spend that time, wherever they are, they remember,” he says. “We’re also battling through the last of the injuries, making sure guys are taking care of those with Marshy.

“We’re trying to strengthen those areas and getting them ready to train again because they have so much more volume in the offseason, and they have to adapt to it.”

Bodette takes a two-step approach to prepare the Falcons for their summer programs.

“We don’t even get into our sport-specific or Olympic lifts (in the first two weeks). It’s very simple, very general, more like a squat lift, a single-leg squat, a split squat, lunges, basic movements with resistance.”

Olympic lifts are re-introduced in the final week so players develop a level of comfort with these crucial building blocks.

“In the summer we’ll have them do lots of Olympic lifts because they’re explosive athletes and they need to be explosive and strong as well,” Bodette adds. “That’s what the offseason is about, get prepared to handle the rigors, the speed and the collisions of Division I hockey.”

Getting immersed in the AFA way

A new season brings new players, and not every new player walks into the Academy with an in-depth knowledge of strength training, at least at the collegiate level.

So while Bodette knows what to expect from the returning players, the newcomers can be a different story, and he adjusts accordingly.

“We can have some pretty raw guys in the weight room,” Bodette says. “In the beginning, we’ll have a separate workout for the freshmen that just works the basics. The upperclassmen, I’ll write them a workout to continue their offseason program to get them ready and they do their own thing. I’ll take the freshmen and work with them.

“I do have a different approach with the younger players.”

Just as there is an adjustment period to the academic demands and military demands, the training demands associated with hockey can, and often are, an eye-opener for the newcomers. But the upside is immense, and Bodette says time and again he’s seen players transform their bodies during their first few seasons at the Academy.

“They make their biggest games from freshman to sophomore year because they understand the movements, they understand how to push themselves,” he says. “They’re motivated and they want to get better, they want to be able to keep up with the older guys, they want to be as strong as the older guys, they want to move as well as the older guys.

“I think that internal drive is a big motivator for them.”

The other factor Bodette and Marsh have to consider is what a player’s injury history is. Is he coming in dealing with something from his final season of junior? The type of rehabilitation and strength training programs that are available in juniors can vary widely. In other words, Bodette and Marsh have to expect just about anything.

“My approach depends on what we call their training age,” Bodette explains. “How much experience do they have? Do they come in with injuries? That’s something we get together with Marshy to work those out.”

Unmotivated need not apply

It’s quite possible the tipping point toward the Falcons’ three-year run of success started in the weight room. Bodette noticed a difference around the program in 2015, when Max Hartner took over as captain after a season that began with high expectations ended with a 16-21-4 mark, including a 4-13-3 road record.

“The entire mindset around training changed,” Bodette says. “He made sure everyone took it more seriously. Dylan Abood (AFA’s captain the past two seasons) continued that and you see what happened.”

The training component is particularly huge for the Falcons because, well, they’re not. Of the 24 returning players, just five weigh more than 200 pounds (and one of them is a goalie), and just 11 stand taller than 6 feet.

“We don’t have the biggest guys but we’ve got the guys who have the biggest hearts, and the drive and the motivation and the desire to be the best they can with what they have,” Bodette notes. “These guys will not quit for me. If I tell them to do something, they don’t ask twice. They give 110 percent every single time I see them.

“Discipline is not an issue with these guys, obviously; motivation is not an issue either. If I chose to, I could sit and watch, they’re that self-motivated. They’re awesome kids and they work hard. That’s why I think we’ve had a lot of the success we’ve had, especially this season with all the different configurations of defense and forwards (due to injuries).”

NEXT: How one Falcon is overcoming a devastating injury

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