Speed, Agility and Quickness Training
Flexibility Training
Strength Training
Stretching for Ice Hockey - Is it Really Necessary?
SPEED, AGILITY AND QUICKNESS TRAINING
FOOT SPEED DRILLS:
- SPRINTS: After a good warm up, complete a series of sprints or dashes. Concentrate on your explosion-pulling your feet in under you as quickly as possible as you accelerate.
- CROSSOVERS: Instead of facing the point you are sprinting to, turn sideways to the left, crossing your left leg in front of your right
- UPHILL SPRINTS: Concentrate on short powerful strides, generating as much speed as possible.
- SKIPPING ROPE: Long, looping swings of the rope for longer duration will help with conditioning but not speed. Use a combination of regular rhythm with short bursts of frantic pace-just as action comes and goes when you are in the net.
- STAIRS: Running up stairs will work on speed and quadriceps muscles. Exercises such as this will prove their true worth in the final minutes of a game when you are dead tired and your team is counting on you to hold the lead or keep them in the game.
DYNAMIC FLEXIBILITY DRILLS
- HEEL TO BUTT SKIP: Bring the heel of one leg to your rear end(knee pointing down) as you bounce twice off the other leg. Alternate legs and try to kick yourself in the butt as you do this drill.
- DEAD LEG SKIP: Skip forward on one leg and do high knee lifts with the other, hopping twice for each knee lift. Pump your arms forward and try to lift the knee as high as possible. Go in one direction for 5-10 seconds, then turn around and switch legs.
- RUSSIAN MARCH WALK/SKIP: You can walk or skip for this exercise, depending on your skill level and how you feel. Hold your hands out in front of you at about shoulder height. Try to kick yourself in the hands as you walk or skip to your destination point.
JUGGLING
LEARNING TO JUGGLE
- Standing erect, hold a tennis ball in your throwing hand(usually right hand). Place your elbows to your sides, with your forearms out in front of your body and parallel to the ground. Using your wrist, toss the tennis ball underhand to your left hand, creating a high arc. This arc should pass just over your forehead. Catch the ball with your left hand and place it once again in your right hand. Do not toss the ball with left hand- at this point we are perfecting only the right toss. After you feel comfortable with throwing the ball with your right hand, repeat the process with your left. Spend a minimum of 10 minutes perfecting your style.
- Place a second ball in your left hand. Toss the ball that’s in your right hand toward your left. As it reaches the top of the arc, toss the second ball inside the path of the first. Catch the balls and stop. Repeat this exercise again, throwing the right ball first, until you are comfortable. The most common mistake at this point is to rush the second ball. It may help to count "one and two and " - to help with your rhythm.
- Once you have perfected step 2, place a third ball in your right hand along with the first ball. Rest once ball on two fingers, with the other in you palm. Do the same exercise as in the last drill, but with on extra throw. Toss one of the balls from the right had toward your left. As the ball hits the peak, toss the ball from your left to right. As that ball hits its peak, you should have caught the first ball (with your left hand) and be throwing the third (from your right hand). You’ll end with one ball in your right hand and two in your left. Make no more than these three tosses until you can consistently control all three balls. Now, place one of the balls you have in your left hand into your right and repeat the sequence.
- If you can complete the last step, you are ready to juggle. Simply follow the last instructions, but continue by throwing for a second time with your left hand. Count how many throws you can make before you lose control. *Once comfortable with it you can use different weight or throw the balls outside your hands instead of inside or even behind your back.
TWO BALL JUGGLE
*IMPROVE CATCHING ABILITY
Begin with one ball resting between your fingertips and the other in your palm. Throw the lead ball in a circle toward your body. When the first ball reaches the peak of the arc, toss the second ball in the air, catch the first, and so on. Once you master the technique, try moving the balls in a circle away from you, or tossing them straight up in parallel paths.
WALL JUGGLE
Using the two ball technique, stand three feet from a wall and toss your lead ball underhand about head-high against it. As it strikes the wall, toss the second ball, then catch the first. Continue juggling the balls like this while standing still, or while moving along the wall. After mastering this exercise, apply the same principles and juggle three balls using both hands. The system is the same as earlier, only the path of the ball has changed.
JUGGLING CATCH
Face a teammate approx. 8ft away. At the beginning you hold two tennis balls, one in each hand, while your partner holds one ball in either hand. Toss one ball to your partner, who then tosses one ball back to you. Continue throwing and catching balls-this gets harder the faster you toss.
*To make this drill more interesting, play a game up to 10- receiving a point when you opponent drops a ball. If two balls collide in the middle and you catch one on the rebound, you receive a point. After each point, the player who began with only one ball the previous time should begin with two balls. Move closer together, then farther apart, consistently challenging your opponent to time his catches and throws.
JUGGLING SNAG
Face a teammate approximately three feet away as he juggles three tennis balls. After ten seconds of juggling, snag one of his tennis balls as it hits its peak in the arc. Your partner should throw his next ball as if nothing had changed and you should also grab this one at its peak with your free hand. Now you have two balls, while he tosses his third and final ball. As this ball hits its peak, toss the ball in your right hand and snag the final ball, initiating the three ball juggle technique for yourself.
The switching from your partner’s juggling should be smooth and without pause. After you juggle for ten seconds, your partner should snag your tennis balls as you did his. This exchange should carry on until someone drops a ball or messes up an exchange.
WALL BALL
Holding two balls, stand five feet behind a teammate who is facing a wall. He should be crouched in his playing stance approximately one body length away from the wall. Throw a ball (overhand) over one of his shoulders. As the ball returns off the wall, his job is to catch it with either hand, as if he were catching a puck from a shooter. Continue throwing balls over both his shoulders, increasing velocity as his ability to catch improves.
FLEXIBILITY TRAINING
*BEFORE STRETCHING WORK UP A SWEAT BY GOING FOR A SHORT RUN OR RIDING A STATIONARY BIKE, ANYWHERE FROM 8 TO 15 MINUTES. ONCE ON THE ICE PERFORM A FEW STRETCHES AFTER SEVERAL LAPS AROUND THE RINK IN ORDER TO STAY LOOSE.
AFTER A GAME FIND A SPOT TO STRETCH FOR ANOTHER 10 MINUTES OR SO: THIS WILL ALLOW YOU TO RECOVER MORE QUICKLY AND MAINTAIN YOUR IMPROVED FLEXIBILITY.
PARTNER-RESISTED
PARTNER-RESISTED SEATED STRAIGHT LEG:
Sit on the floor with your legs extended straight out in front of you. With a teammate gently applying pressure from behind, lean forward as far a possible while keeping your back straight. When you have reached maximum extension, slowly return to the upright position as your partner resists. Perform this sequence several times; you should be able to extend farther with each stretch. A slight variation to this exercise is to spread your legs out forming a "V".
PARTNER-RESISTED LEG RAISES:
Lie flat on your back with your legs straight. Your teammate should brace one leg with his hand above your knee. Raise the other leg as far as possible off the floor without bending your knee. When you cannot raise it any further, contract your hamstring and push downward against your teammate’s resistance. Perform this stretch several times using both legs and your will find that you have greater range of motion each time.
PARTNER-RESISTED LEG FLEXION
Lie flat on your stomach with arms and legs completely extended. Your partner should hold your hips down with one hand, while placing his other hand under one knee. With your partner’s help, slowly raise your leg as far as you are comfortable, then contract your muscles and force the leg back to the ground against your partner’s resistance in a slow and controlled manner. Repeat 4 to 5x’s with each leg, attempting to raise your leg further each time.
PARTNER-RESISTED BUTTERFLY GROIN STRETCH
In a seated position, join the soles of your feet forming a diamond with your legs. Have a partner place the palm of his hands on your knees as he faces you. Release your legs toward the ground by relaxing the muscles and yielding to gentle downward pressure applied by your teammate. Stop at maximum extension and squeeze your legs together against the resistance of your partner. Perform this exercise several times, always attempting to get closer to the ground.
PARTNER-RESISTED LOW BACK PRESS
Standing erect on both feet, bend at the waist until your trunk is parallel to the ground. Do not lock your knees. Have a teammate place his hands on your shoulders while facing you. With your partner’s help, bend over as far as possible, raise your trunk in a slow and controlled manner while your partner resists. With each repetition (4 to 5), try to extend past your original maximum stretch.
INDIVIDUAL STRETCHES
CALF STRETCH: Leaning against a wall, extend your legs while balancing your weight on the balls of your feet. Slowly press each heel toward the ground alternately, stretching the calf muscle of both legs.
PRONE QUADRICEPS STRETCH: While lying flat on your stomach, bend your right leg and grab your ankle. Pull your leg up and back, getting a full stretch of the thigh muscle. Reverse legs.
SEATED STRAIGHT LEG: Sitting on the floor with your legs extended forward, lower your chest toward your knees while bending lowly at the waist. Full extension of the stretch can be achieved by holding your calves and pulling your torso forward. Remember that smooth and steady movement is essential.
INVERTED HURDLER PROGRESSION: PRETZEL
Sitting up, as in the previous exercise, bend your right knee forming a 90-degree angle and cross it over the left leg, which remains flat on the ground. With your left elbow, press against the outside of your right knee, rotating your torso to the right. You should feel the stretch in your hips and lower back. Alternate legs.
BUTTERFLY GROIN STRETCH: From a sitting position on the floor, bend both legs so that the soles of your feet are touching, forming a diamond with your legs. Place your forearms over your knees. Relax the groin area and stretch by slowly pushing down with your forearms. Ideally, your knees will touch the floor. When you’ve stretched as far as you can, contract these muscles by pulling your knees up toward you against the resistance of your arms, just as you did in the hamstring stretch. Relax for a few minutes, then try the stretch again. You should be able to stretch further this time.
PRONE ABDOMINAL STETCH: Lying flat on your stomach, place your hands in position to do a push-up. Using only your arms, lift your upper body off the ground while keeping your hips in contact with the floor, arching your back. After your arms are extended as far as possible, hold the stretch for a few seconds; then slowly lower yourself. This exercise stretches the lower back areas.
MAD CAT ARCH: Get on your hands and knees. Push the middle of your back toward the ceiling, hold for 10 seconds, then bring it back down.
SHOULDER STRETCH: Stand upright. With your right hand, pull your left elbow inward toward your chest, thus stretching your shoulder muscles. Alternate arms.
SIDE STRETCH: To stretch your lats, raise your right hand and arm to the ceiling. Without rotating your hips, bend at the waist and let the upper body fall to the left hand side. Repeat with left arm.
NECK ROTATION: Standing erect, place hands on hips. Slowly rotate your head in large circular movements in the right direction and then the left. Do not rotate your head backward.
STRENGTH TRAINING
AREAS TO CONCENTRATE ON, EVEN WITHOUT USE OF A GYM:
- CALF RAISES: Stand on a step or block with your arms balancing your weight and feet close together. Place the balls of your feet at the edge of the step and drop your left heel toward the ground while raising your right foot off the step. At its maximum stretch, concentrate on the calf muscle to pull your body weight as high as possible. Repeat this until you feel the burn in your muscle; then switch sides. Repeat each set 3x’s.
- LUNGES: Standing straight, take an exaggerated step forward with one foot, so the angle at your knee is approximately 90 degrees. Control your balance in this lunged state then perform the same movement with the other foot. Move slowly and deliberately to avoid injury and , to get the most out of this movement. Continue making steps until you tire and find it hard to maintain your balance. Take a 45-second break and repeat the exercise. *For a variation: Use a chair positioned behind you to support your back leg. Start in the lunge position with your front leg bent, and your back foot resting on the chair. As your straighten out your front leg, lift your heel off the floor so you’re standing on the ball of your foot-this works your calf muscle as well. Keep the calf flexed for 3 seconds, then lower your heel back to the floor.
- SQUATS: Stand with your back against a wall and with your feet about the same distance from the wall as your knee is from your hip. Slide your back downward until your thighs and torso form a 90-degree angle. Hold this position as long as possible without using your hands to support any weight. Take a 45-second break, shake your legs out, and try again, always challenging yourself to hold on longer than the last time.
- SIDE LEG RAISES: Lie on your left side. Support your head with your left arm and lift your right leg as high as possible without any rotation or bend, then bring it back down again. Continue this up-and-down motion until you can do no more. At the point of exhaustion, bend your right knee to 90 degrees, and let it rest behind your right foot touching the floor. Lift the left leg as high as possible by contracting the inner thigh of your left leg. Repeat to exhaustion. Complete 3 sets of this exercise, then switch sides. *You should do no more than 100 reps of either of these movements. If you can do more than 100, use a weight at the end of your foot or have a teammate provide resistance in order to bring your exhaustion point below 100.
- PRONE LEG RAISES: Lying flat on your stomach, extend your body fully. Keeping your right leg straight, extend it as high as possible. Slowly raise and lower the right leg, while your left leg stays in contact with the floor. Repeat this movement until exhaustion, then change legs. Repeat this exercise 3x’s. *Do no more than 100 reps of this exercise. If you can do more, use a weight at the end of your foot or have a teammate provide resistance.
- PUSH-UPS: Lying on your stomach, place your hands slightly farther than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your body rigid, push your entire body up, contracting your chest, triceps and shoulder muscles. Do as many push-ups as possible, then rest for 45 seconds. Complete 4 sets of push-ups.
- TRICEPS DIPS: Having power in your triceps will increase your recovery time immensely. When returning to your feet from your backside, you typically will call upon the triceps to spring you up. Set 2 chairs, facing each other, about 4ft apart. With your back to one chair, place your hands on its seat while placing the heels of your feet on the other chair seat. Hold the weight of your body by fully extending your arms. From this position, dip your rear toward the floor while maintaining control of the triceps. Finally, power your weight back to the initial starting position. Repeat to the point of exhaustion. After resting a short time, complete another two sets-each consisting of repetition to exhaustion and separated by a period of rest of approximately 2 minutes.
- CRUNCHES: Lie on your back with your calves on the seat of a chair. Your legs should form a 90 degree angle. Keeping your lower back pressed against the floor, raise your chest toward your knees. Once your abdominal muscles have contracted and brought your chest as far forward as possible, hold the position for 3 seconds, then relax. After you have performed as many reps as possible, pause for 45 seconds and repeat 3 more sets.
STRETCHING FOR ICE HOCKEY - IS IT REALLY NECESSARY?
We hear so much about stretching, we watch our favorite NHL players go through the vigorous routine of stretching before each game, but why are they doing it and is it really necessary?
Let's start with the human body. There are over 600 muscles and 206 bones. Your tendons are what each muscle is attached to, and each muscle crosses over a specific joint in a way that causes the bones of that joint to move when the muscle contracts or shortens. So in easy terms, your muscles tell your bones where to move and what to do.
By stretching your muscles before a game or practice, you will help to improve your flexibility and prepare the muscles for the range of movement your game demands. In order to obtain smooth, coordinated movement when you're on the ice, your muscles must contract and relax at just the right time. The key to stretching is to make sure that the blood is flowing throughout your body and the muscles are warmed up so that the muscle is elastic and extensible which will allow it to contract and relax quickly. Let me repeat that, you need to be warmed up before you engage in any stretching. By having cold muscles, it restricts the movement and can easily injure the muscles being stretched.
When is the best time to stretch? You may think it's before the game, which is the practice of most athletes, but that would be incorrect. The best time to stretch is immediately following the game. If you think about it, it's very simple, when are your muscles the warmest and temperature the highest?... following a game. This allows for easier stretching, and, it will give you long-term gains in flexibility.
Does strength and lean muscle mass gains decrease flexibility? No, because flexibility at a joint is affected by the degree to which a muscle can be stretched, not by the strength and size of the muscle.
In hockey there are certain areas that you will want to draw more attention to, that being the lower back region and hamstrings. If you notice when skating, during each stride, the hamstrings are rarely stretched to their full length. Muscles will shorten when not used to their maximum length, the lack of full extension during skating results in tightened hamstrings, over time leading to back injuries or groin pulls. More flexibility at the hips, groin, hamstrings and thighs will not only prevent injuries from occurring but will also help improve your skating speed and foot work. When hockey players skate, they tend to do so with a slight back flexion, which in return places demands on the lower back strength and flexibility. You need to focus on specific stretching for the lower back because it will not be able to withstand the continual isometric contraction of the back extensors in the skating position or the stressful twisting actions that take place during a game, for instance, the forceful trunk rotation when shooting a puck.
There are four types of stretching: static, dynamic, PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation), and ballistic. Static stretching, dynamic stretching and PNF stretching are the three you will want to work with. Ballistic involves light bouncing across a joint which causes the muscles under stretch to contract and may result in a tear.Static is when you select a muscle and gently move across a joint until you feel a comfortable stretch on the muscle, then you stop and hold that position for a short time. Dynamic stretching combines warm-up and stretching routines, using warm-up type movements through slow, smooth, graceful, full ranges of motion. PNF is done with a partner. The partner moves the limb or area to stretch it, then the athlete contracts the muscle while the partner resists the movement. As the athlete relaxes the muscle, the partner moves the area deeper into the stretch. When doing PNF stretching it should only be attempted under the guidance of someone well- experienced in it.
Now let's do a run-down, Warming-up will make the muscles more extensible, enabling them to contract and relax quicker, which will aid in skill execution, it helps prevent injury and prepares muscles for stretching. Stretching prepares muscles for on-ice movements, increases flexibility and range of motion, which will aid in agility, speed, quickness and complex skating and puck-handling skills. It is important to do before a game but should be a must following the game, which will aid in muscle recovery and prevents delayed muscle soreness and done regularly produces good flexibility improvements.
So if you're going to stretch, make sure you warm-up adequately first or your not just wasting your time, your aiding in the possibility of an injury.
