How Ice Hockey Players Can Maximize Their Performance Through Training

Ice Hockey Strength Training

Hockey players need to build muscle to protect themselves from the impact they incur during collisions on the ice. As with other speed-dependent sports, individuals must be careful not to focus too much on getting big, as it can slow them down if done the wrong way.

This is an explosive power sport in every way, and strength training programs should match these needs. Upper and lower body work must maximize strength gains, and a solid core is a must for success at any level.

Olympic lifting and plyometric work are often valuable training tools for ice hockey, as well as medicine ball drills for upper body power. Their benefits include increasing your skating stride and slap shot power, among other things.

Rotational training for strength and power also fits well here, as skating and shooting have a lot of rotational elements to them. Rotational core stability will reduce wasted motion, and should be trained heavily. This will further increase power, and but will also conserve energy to keep you playing fresh far longer into games.

Two other helpful training tools, although not primary areas of focus, are grip strength and vision training. Grip training that truly strengthens the muscles and tendons of the hands and forearms will help with snap shots and injury prevention. The growing area of sports vision can also help with passing, defense, and shooting, but is of particualar value to goalies.

Ice Hockey Speed Training

Although skating and sprinting are very different skills, a dryland program that includes sprinting still helps to trigger adaptations to your nervous system that will make you quicker on the ice. Do not overlook this simple tool to build skating speed when you don't have the opportunity to skate.

Just about every multi-directional land skill translates well to the ice. Crossovers, lateral movement, reaction speed, and acceleration work all help build speed for hockey, and should be used often.

Speed endurance, or conditioning, must include longer length drills to adapt to increasingly higher levels of lactic acid buildup on long shifts. This is not the easiest, or funnest, type of training, but it is critical to success.

Conditioning drills must consider the age of the players, and should be used very sparingly before high school. Even then, teenage hockey players do not benefit from taking the same exact volume of conditioning drills that are found in a typical college workout. A focus on fast paced team drills are far more appropriate for the long-term development of young hockey players.

Injury Prevention for Ice Hockey

80% of all injuries come during games, when the potential for high impact collisions is greatest. The top concerns that can be lessened through training include problems with the shoulders, legs, lower back and wrists.

Shoulder injuries come almost exclusively from taking on contact. A balanced approach to upper body strength training is the best way to protect this vulnerable joint while improving performance at the same time.

Injuries to the knee and ankle joints, as well as muscle strains to the hamstrings and groin are common in ice hockey. Developing good mobility (flexibility), lower body strength in all 3 dimensions, and good skating technique will minimize the risk for problems here.

Butterfly goalies can develop hip impingement problems due to constant internal rotation of their hip joints. Part of the issue is simply that this is an unnatural motion that will be a concern no matter how you train. Having said that, regularly strengthening the external rotators of the hip as a counterbalance to the internal movements would be highly beneficial for butterfly-style goalies over their careers. Increased flexibility work can also make a big difference in preventing impingement issues.

The lower back is under constant stress while skating, which makes it prone to tightness and pain. High levels of core strength can do wonders to combat both short-term and long-term back problems.

Proper upper body strength training that protects the wrists can mimimize damage if a problem occurs. Sometimes training can create tendonitis in the wrists for ice hockey players, so good technique is very important. And if you could avoid getting into fights on the ice, that would help, too. (That last part is not a training suggestion, per se, just some friendly advice).

Youth Ice Hockey Training Considerations

Building a great foundation of strength and power, particularly through the core and hips, is great for young hockey players. This will help you to skate better, and increase the power in your slap shot.

Developing high levels of balance and hand-eye coorination, both critical for future success, are best trained starting at age 7. Kids have a window of opportunity up to about age 14 where these skills, along with general athleticism, are most capable of being improved.

Sports vision training can easily be sprinkled into age-appropriate exercises for young players, and would be an additional benefit for them. In a fast paced sport that uses a tiny puck, having great vision will make you better both on offense and defense.

Ice Hockey Position-Specific Concerns

Most of what we've mentioned above focuses on skaters (forwards and defensemen). Goalies do have some different training needs that coaches and parents should be aware of.

Hand-eye and foot-eye coordination are key targets for goalies during workouts. Reaction time must be maximized, and can be worked on through dryland training.

Goalies should not focus on these areas at the exclusion of strength, power, and mobility work, which will also have a very positive impact on their overall performance.

Ice Hockey Game Intelligence

Hockey players must play at a lightning-fast pace, and quick decision making is critical for success.

You need to understand the team systems inside and out.

You need to know what you're teammates are doing at all times.

And you need to understand exactly what you contribute to the team's success in order to truly embrace your role.

These are areas all players and coaches struggle with on a regular basis. They are issues that are often times considered to be constant, and unchangeable.

Those days are gone.

Power Source can help athletes in Massachusetts and beyond to play with more intelligence on the ice. Check out our exciting new game intelligence program that is set to launch in the Fall of 2010.

Ice Hockey Training at Power Source

We have designed effective, personalized workouts for literally hundreds of ice hockey players In Massachusetts and New Hampshire at all levels. You can get access to our services through our middle school and high school/college level training programs. These programs also incorporate all of the injury-prevention techniques listed above.

Speed in hockey is best developed by a blend of on-ice and off-ice training. We can help you with the off-ice part through our Game Speed Clinics. Hockey teams should strongly consider the 101, 204, and 406 programs that build quickness, lateral movment, and elite level agility.

In addition, Massachusetts and New Hampshire teams can take the first step to a great season by partcipating in one of our pre-season conditioning clinics.

Young hockey players can develop tremendous balance, coordination, athleticsim, bodyweight strength, speed, and hand-eye skills by taking part in Power Source's youth training program for 7-10 year olds.