AAA Pros has created fun, age-appropriate dryland (off-ice) exercises that help deliver the agility, balance, coordination, strength and skill training that young players need to complement their on-ice play.
What if there were a magic pill guaranteed to make you a better hockey player and the only side effects were bigger, leaner muscles and more speed on the ice? You would want in on that, wouldn’t you? Hockey dryland training may not be a magic pill, but it does give you the tools you need to have more stability, speed and stamina.
A properly devised hockey dryland training program must include all the right ingredients in the right sequence—flexibility, stability, strength, speed, and stamina. Players progress from one element to the next systematically in a program thoughtfully designed to train them like a hockey player, not a bodybuilder, runner, or other type of athlete.
Flexibility
This often-neglected element is the foundation of movement. If an athlete does not have mobility in the front of their hips they will expend extra energy with every stride and put stress on the lower back.
Pro Tip: Stretching is a good start, but athletes also need to include self-myofascial release.
Stability
This includes hip, knee, ankle, and shoulder stability as well as core stability. Often, dry land work will link these joints together in a functional chain, the way they are used on the ice. This type of functional stabilization leads to increased success when battling in the corners and along the boards.
Pro Tip: Think stabilization of joints and major muscle groups. When it comes to core, consider compound or explosive moves instead of isolated movements like crunches.
Strength
If a player is looking to increase speed and have that edge over other players it’s critical to understand that developing strength (the amount of force you can produce) is the easiest way to improve their speed.
Pro Tip: Understand the distinction between bulking and gaining strength and focus on becoming stronger.
Speed
Once a player has expanded their envelope of strength the next step is to practice applying that force as quickly as possible. This is what determines power, which translates into more speed.
Pro Tip: It is critical that players do not skip developing the foundation of strength before heading into speed training, this may eventually lead to injury. Build a good base of strength and you’ll go faster for longer.
Stamina
No player wants to be rocketing around the ice in the first period and then dragging for the last two periods. This is where the importance of stamina comes in. A common misconception is that a long distance run will develop the stamina a player needs, but when was the last time any player had a 30-minute shift on the ice? Hockey players need to be repeat sprinters.
Pro Tip: Incorporate sprints into dry land and on ice training to mimic the type of energy expenditure and length of time typical to a game time scenario.