Preparing to play competitive ice hockey is one of the most demanding activities for any athlete. Hockey requires players to be expert skaters and have the strength and toughness to absorb hits and dish them out on a constant basis. Players also need endurance for a long season. This requires devotion to conditioning for those who want to become excellent players.
Skating Endurance
Players must work on their skating throughout the season. However, the intensity of hard skating is an everyday occurance in training camp to prepare players for the work they will have to do in games. Players will start off at the goal line and skate to the near blue line and back, skate to the red line and back, skate to the far blue line and back and then the endline and back. Players take a two-minute break and repeat the drill to build skating ability and endurance.
Skating Agility
Agility drills focus on a hockey player's ability to produce big plays at key moments. Players must start, stop, reverse direction and turn quickly. To build agility, start off at the near goal line and skate a full circle around the faceoff circle, then sprint to the faceoff dot outside the blue line, and skate backwards around the center ice faceoff circle before sprinting to the faceoff dot outside the far blue line. Skate to the faceoff circle past the far blue line and skate backwards around that circle. Take a two-minute break and repeat that drill.
Weight Training
In addition to expending energy while skating, players regularly endure and dish out physical hits, called checking. Weight training exercises such as the bench press, arm curls, lunges and deadlifts will help players with their strength and help them find the confidence to know they can play the physical game. Players should lift weights no more than three times per week to build and maintain strength.
Shooting Drills
The process of shooting the puck with accuracy and speed requires the player to focus and expend energy. In the late stages of the game, players often will fire a shot wide that would have been on net earlier in the game. To build the conditioning needed to shoot the puck in a dangerous method in the late stages of the game, have your player fire 20 pucks at a goalie cutout from the slot -- about 25 to 30 feet in front of the net. He should fire five pucks at the upper right corner, five at the upper left corner, five at the lower right corner and five at the lower left corner. Taking these shots will help players strengthen their wrists and forearms for building accuracy and power later in the game.
Member Comments