There’s no better way to prepare your body for the game than with off-season hockey training.
Improving your strength, speed, explosiveness, and conditioning should be the main goals of every athlete in the summer. Focus on making small personal improvements each day, each week.
Here’s what every hockey player, seeking to improve should include in their off-season hockey training plan…
#1. Restore Muscle and Balance
Due to the nature of the game, players are typically left with a wide array of problems that need to be fixed over the summer.
Some of the most common issues among hockey players include:
· Limited range of motion in the hips, ankles, and shoulders
· Tight hip flexors combined with weak glutes and hamstrings
· Strength imbalances between the hip adductors and abductors that increase the risk of groin strains
Our comprehensive SMART training program is designed to help increase athlete mobility and range of motion.
#2. Get Stronger
Stop wasting your time with unstructured and ineffective workouts and focus on training to get better.
Off-season training should consist of progressively increasing resistance to maximize strength gains.
As always, it is important to maintain proper lifting form while training.
#3. Become Faster and More Explosive
While training the focus should be emphasizing acceleration and deceleration. As they are crucial for getting faster and more powerful as this will translate to more speed on the ice.
#4. Condition
Being strong and powerful is great… but only if you’ve got the conditioning to back it up.
Conditioning is nothing more than increasing work capacity for YOUR sport. The problem is that what many hockey players are doing off the ice rarely helps them optimally prepare for the demands of the game. Hockey is a sport with short, high-intensity, high power output bursts are followed by low-intensity intervals. Understanding this, we realize that repeat sprinting ability is the KEY to excelling in the rink from an energy systems development standpoint.
#5. Enjoy some time off
Taking a little time off from skating will help restore mental balance as well. Spend time this summer doing completely unrelated activities such as tennis, golf, or fishing. Doing this takes your mind off the game and allows them to relax. As a result, when the athlete does go back on the ice in the pre-season, they feel rejuvenated, motivated, and better prepared for what will hopefully be the best season yet.
If you’re interested in learning more about off-season hockey training, getting in great shape and playing your best season, reach out.
Nobody Cares – Work Harder!
Coach Lubos
