A specific exercise set to help improve checking skill is a standing cable chest press supersetted with plyometric push-ups. To effectively check an opponent, you need to have good core strength, stabilization, and power. The first exercise, the standing cable chest press, builds core strength in the standing position and the second exercise, plyometric push-ups, builds explosive upper-body power. For the standing cable chest press, use a cable column set at chest height. Engage the core by drawing-in the stomach and use a fast tempo to drive the cables out in a pressing motion. Perform 5 repetitions and then immediately follow that exercise with plyometic push-ups. Engage the core and then explosively perform a traditional push-up so your hands leave the ground. Perform 5-10 repetitions of this superset with 3 minutes rest between sets. By performing these two exercises as a superset you will increase your power and core strength used for checking.
Hockey
Hockey is a team sport that incorporates balance, endurance, and hand-eye coordination. Choosing the proper hockey equipment is important to protect from injuries or dental damage. Hockey players need to drink plenty of water because the heat and weight of the equipment can cause dehydration.
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National Academy of Sports Medicine answeredTo stretch the front of the thighs, or quadriceps, start by foam rolling the thighs for 30 seconds and then perform a static standing thigh stretch for 30 seconds. Foam rolling is a form of self-massage in which you apply pressure with a foam roller to the thighs. This breaks up adhesions, or "knots", in the muscle and relaxes the muscle to allow for a better static stretch. Once you have foam rolled the quadriceps, perform a standing thigh stretch, holding the stretch for 30 seconds. To perform the thigh stretch, begin by standing up straight and bending one knee. Grab the insole of the foot and gently pull up toward the glute (butt). Keep both knees together as you pull; you should feel a stretch in the front of the thigh. Make sure you activate your core by drawing-in the belly button to the spine. Perform 1-3 sets of the stretch. If you are stretching just prior to a hockey game, you can do dynamic stretches instead of the static stretch. Dynamic stretches use the momentum of the movement to take the joint through a full range of motion. This helps prepare the body for the fast movements used in the game and raises body temperature. Front-to-back leg swings are a good dynamic thigh stretch. Perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions of the leg swings. -
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National Academy of Sports Medicine answeredA combination of foam rolling any tight/overactive muscles like the hip flexors and adductors and static stretching the tight/overactive areas for 1-3 sets of 30 seconds is recommended to help prevent overuse injuries. It is important to follow these flexibility techniques with activation exercises for weak/underactive muscles like the outer hip muscles and glutes. Foam rolling is a form of self-massage in which you apply pressure with a foam roller to tight areas in a muscle for 30 seconds. This breaks up adhesions, or "knots", in the muscle and relaxes the muscle to allow for a better static stretch. Muscles that are kept at a proper length are better able to produce force when necessary and allow full range of motion in the surrounding joints; this will help prevent injury and promote recovery from practice and games. Example exercises for muscle groups that are typically weak in hockey players are lateral tube walking and ball bridges. To perform lateral tube walking, place an elastic band just above the knee and take 10-15 side steps and then back. Make sure to keep the feet straight ahead and the knees in line with toes; keep your hips level as you take your side steps to most effectively target the outer hips. For the glutes, perform a ball bridge exercise. Begin by laying face-up on a stability ball with the head and shoulders supported by the ball. Lower your hips slowly down to the ground and push the hips back up until your back is flat and the glutes are fully contracted. Hold this position for 2 seconds and do 2 sets of 15 repetitions. For both exercises, make sure to engage the core by drawing-in the stomach to the spine.
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National Academy of Sports Medicine answeredTo improve hand-eye coordination, you can use an agility ball. Recruit a partner to bounce the agility ball to you. You should attempt to catch the ball as quickly as possible. The agility ball will bounce in random directions and this will work on reaction time and hand-eye coordination. You can also use the hockey stick to block the agility ball to work on a stick coordination. Perform 3 sets of 10-20 catches or blocks.
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National Academy of Sports Medicine answeredTo perform the kick save. a goalie requires good flexibility of the inner thigh, hamstrings, and calves. To stretch the inner thighs, or adductors, start by foam rolling the area for 30 seconds and then perform a ball inner thigh static stretch for 30 seconds. Foam rolling is a form of self massage that uses a foam roller to apply pressure to tight areas. This helps inhibit (relax) tight muscles making the static stretching more effective. To perform a static stretch for the inner thigh, start by sitting on a stability ball. Extend one leg out to the side and keep the other knee bent. Lean toward the knee that is bent, keeping the back flat until you feel the stretch in the inner thigh. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat 2 times. Make sure you activate your core by drawing-in the belly button to the spine. To stretch the hamstrings, start by foam rolling the hamstrings for 30 seconds and then perform a static ball hamstring stretch for 30 seconds. To perform the hamstring stretch on a ball, sit with one leg straight and the other knee bent with the legs spread apart. Keep the back flat and lean toward the straight leg. You should feel a tension develop in the hamstrings. Move slowly into and out of this position. Make sure you activate your core by drawing-in the belly button to the spine and hold the stretch fo 30 seconds. Perform 2 sets of the stretch. To stretch the calves, first foam roll the area for 30 seconds and then perform a static standing calf stretch for 30 seconds. To stretch the calves, stand with your feet staggered a few feet away from a wall. Put your hands on the wall for support and resistance and push against the wall with the front leg bent and the back leg completely straight. Lean into the wall and keep the back heel on the ground until you feel a stretch develop in the calf. Make sure the back foot is straight ahead and activate the core. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat 2 times. By performing these stretches you will have the flexibility to make kick saves.
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When watching a hockey game you will see that there is a high anaerobic demand put on the athlete, followed by about a minute and a half break. This brings us to the conclusion that hockey is truly an anaerobic sport. The power that a hockey player must generate while out on their shift is very high. They need to use their legs to generate power for every stride they take on the ice. Even more demanding is the deceleration and repeated accelerations that need to be performed in a short period of time. The recovery period is very important to allow the athlete to replenish the anaerobic system so they can repeat the next shift at the same intensity. Without this recovery it would not bepossible to maintain this anaerobic level. Training for hockey ideally consists of a lot of anaerobic power sessions built around forty-five second intervals and aerobic training to build up cardiovascular base to help with the long season.
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National Academy of Sports Medicine answeredConditioning for any sport should focus on the surface it is typically played upon. Hockey is no different, except that it is hard to do recovery or low intensity workouts on the ice. Because of the stress on the legs caused by the pushing off for each stride, it is best to do some other form of exercise for recovery other than skating. Low level movements in a pool or even light cycling is better for this type of training than staying on the ice. During the season, the higher intensity conditioning should be done on the ice. During the off-season, this high intensity work can be done using a variety of cardio equipment such as medicine balls, ropes, or kettlebells, to achieve the cardiovascular overload without skating. When you get closer to the pre-season, add skating to the conditioning.
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National Academy of Sports Medicine answered
The goal of pre-season cardiovascular training for hockey is to build a good aerobic base. Start by building up the work capacity. This is done by doing low-intensity work on cardio equipment, if possible, to reduce the pounding on the joints. Pre-season is meant to prepare you for the real season, so there is a fine line between preparing for the season and setting yourself up for burnout in the middle of the year. Building the work capacity slowly is a safe way to ensure you are peaking at the right time during the season. Once you can handle at least thirty minutes of low-intensity training, it is time to increase the aerobic base by pushing your anaerobic threshold higher. Playing hockey requires a series of anaerobic shifts, so preparing to strengthen the anaerobic system is very important. By the end of the pre-season, you should be doing more anaerobic training by working in the same ratio of work to rest that hockey demands, which is in forty-five second shifts.
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National Academy of Sports Medicine answered
The cardiovascular demands of hockey are very high, so pre-season training needs to be well-balanced so you will be prepared for the season but do not peak too early. Throughout the pre-season you should be performing a six-day rotation. This rotation will include two days with high-intensity anaerobic training using forty-five second shift intervals as your base. Another two days will be more endurance training around your anaerobic threshold to build work capacity needed for the long season. Two other days will be low-intensity recovery days to promote an aerobic base and recovery. At the beginning of the pre-season, you can slowly introduce skating on the endurance days to get the legs ready for more advanced skating while still working the cardiovascular system. As you progress in the pre-season, some of the higher interval days can also be on the ice. By the end of the pre-season, three to four days per week should be conditioning on the ice at different intensities, while always keeping the recovery days on a bike or in the pool.
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National Academy of Sports Medicine answeredCardiovascular training in-season is based on how many hockey games you are playing during the week. The general rule is that you should perform two high-intensity cardiovascular days per week. If you are playing approximately eighteen minutes or more a game, this game day is considered a high-intensity training day for you. If you have two games per week and you are playing a lot, you should not need any additional interval training during the week. The most important cardio days for a player who is often in the game are the recovery days after a game, training at a low intensity on either a bike, elliptical, or in the pool. If you are not playing a lot of minutes in the game you will need to do some additional high-intensity intervals several times a week for ten to fifteen minutes to maintain cardiovascular strength. Your anaerobic threshold and endurance training should be maintained by your normal practice schedule.