Explosive skating

[Sensinitis]

Hey guys looking for some tips. I'm 19, and I'm likely playing junior hockey next year. I live in Montreal but I'm going to university in Sherbrooke(an hour half east) so I'll be playing hockey there.

I signed up for the Junior AA tryouts(the highest level, I think elsewhere it's equivalent to Junior B). To be perfectly honest, I'm a pretty good player. I haven't played on a real team for a whole season in a few years, but I've been playing a good amount of hockey in that time span. I signed up for a 4vs4 league that lasted a few months(the level was about Midget double letters), I ended up with like 17 goals in about 10 games. I know it's not a super high competitive league, but still. Other than that I've been going to a local arena where they hold shinny hockey multiple times a week; it's like a beer league basically. I always score goals or play really well if I don't. The average age is pretty high.

So now I'm going for something pretty intense, the level is high. What I wanna improve on the most is my explosiveness. I'm pretty strong on my skates and my shot is pretty good. Good one timer, good slapper and respectable wrister. What I really wanna improve is my acceleration, agility to just be more explosive as a result. Like Ovie to illustrate what I mean.

Someone told me just going to a track, doing sprints and fast start exercises can go a LONG way. Then there's going to the gym, doing the some lunges, some leg press to get your legs pumped up and flexible.

Any ideas?

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[Maupin Fan]

There are several threads on this already if you search so I won't spend too much time addressing your post.

However, one thing that sticks out is your mention of leg press... don't waste your time with that. You don't play hockey sitting down. Back/front squats will be far superior compared to leg press.

 

[jorbjorb]

leg strength hit the squat rack

but for explosivness/acceleration you gotta have quick feet for that quick explosive start.

there are plenty of dryland and ice drills you can do to improve.

seems like you're doing pretty good playing junior and all though.

 

[JoeCool16]

Off-ice you could try some of these drills, I know a few address speed and agility.

 

[sanityplease]

Regarding sprinting, I was almost always the slowest (who played sports) growing up. I mean it was embarrassing, I'd be last by miles, even some of the really non-athletic kids would beat me. I had great endurance though, could run forever & max out the leg press weight in grade 9 (old unit, don't remember the weight but no one my age could do it).

Saying that, I was always one of the best (+fastest) skaters in the leagues I played hockey in. I grew up in minor competitive hockey, junior then collegiate team.

Leg strength (power) & technique are extremely important, hit the squat rack hard & take power skating lessons if you can. You know you're there when you feel like you're leaping forward when you power stride on skates.

 

[Sensinitis]

leg strength hit the squat rack

but for explosivness/acceleration you gotta have quick feet for that quick explosive start.

there are plenty of dryland and ice drills you can do to improve.

seems like you're doing pretty good playing junior and all though.

I'm doing pretty good, but I haven't played since Midget. I missed my first year of junior for school so I'm entering my second now. I guess it's a small advantage because I'm more mature physically and lots stronger compared to last year. The downside is that I missed a year of organized season hockey, but at least I played a healthy amount of times.

Regarding sprinting, I was almost always the slowest (who played sports) growing up. I mean it was embarrassing, I'd be last by miles, even some of the really non-athletic kids would beat me. I had great endurance though, could run forever & max out the leg press weight in grade 9 (old unit, don't remember the weight but no one my age could do it).

Saying that, I was always one of the best (+fastest) skaters in the leagues I played hockey in. I grew up in minor competitive hockey, junior then collegiate team.

Leg strength (power) & technique are extremely important, hit the squat rack hard & take power skating lessons if you can. You know you're there when you feel like you're leaping forward when you power stride on skates.

Too late for power skating lol. Have taken two courses of those when I was younger though.

I think I'm just gonna start integrating squats to my workout. I hit the gym, but I always skip leg day lol, since I play hockey and my legs are far from skinny.

I'll integrate squats to shoulder day(so only 2 muscles that day), and that should be good I think. Otherwise, the same day(I guess) I can go to the track and just work on fast start sprints and interval sprinting to really help that explosive acceleration and first steps.

How does that sound??

 

[Sean Garrity]

I'm doing pretty good, but I haven't played since Midget. I missed my first year of junior for school so I'm entering my second now. I guess it's a small advantage because I'm more mature physically and lots stronger compared to last year. The downside is that I missed a year of organized season hockey, but at least I played a healthy amount of times.



Too late for power skating lol. Have taken two courses of those when I was younger though.

I think I'm just gonna start integrating squats to my workout. I hit the gym, but I always skip leg day lol, since I play hockey and my legs are far from skinny.

I'll integrate squats to shoulder day(so only 2 muscles that day), and that should be good I think. Otherwise, the same day(I guess) I can go to the track and just work on fast start sprints and interval sprinting to really help that explosive acceleration and first steps.

How does that sound??

Squat 3 times a week, but never on back to back days, you'll be surprised how quickly you will become more explosive.

 

[Sensinitis]

3 times a week? That would probably interfere with the usual workout I do in a week.

If I can get results fast though and if they would be that effective on the ice, I think I'd take the sacrifice.

 

[TieClark]

Attach explosives to your skates. Boom. Explosive skating.

 

[jorbjorb]

Attach explosives to your skates. Boom. Explosive skating.

win LOL

 

[Sensinitis]

I found this:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/419020-off-ice-exercises-for-explosive-hockey-skating/

Skating is one of the skills in hockey that separates top players from everyone else. The ability to exhibit explosive speed on the ice is a valuable asset to add to your hockey skills. Genetics help, and practicing your stride with different skating drills is important, but training off the ice to build powerful legs also plays a role.
Want to get in great shape? Learn more about LIVESTRONG.COM's nutrition and fitness program!

Interval Training

Interval training refers to performing an exercise at a high intensity or speed, followed by an exercise at a lower intensity, and repeating the interval. An example is sprinting for a set time or distance, followed by a short recovery period of walking, then sprinting again. Interval training mimics the actions a hockey player takes during a game, where coasting rest periods follow bursts of speed. Interval training is effective for building skating strength.

Squats

Since skating power has almost everything to do with the strength of your legs, performing regular squats as part of your routine is beneficial. Squats can be done with dumbbells, barbells, resistance bands, gym machines or your own body weight. You might want to vary heavier lifting days with lighter ones to balance strength and endurance, but each variation should be performed with a straight back and thighs about parallel to the ground at the bottom of the movement.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics refers to different jumping exercises and is effective for building explosive leg strength for different sports, including hockey. A basic move is to squat down and jump as high as you can, then repeat. You can also utilize wooden boxes or benches and weights such as medicine balls to create even more power.

Hill Sprints

Running against gravity is an effective way to build the power in your legs and a wise choice for off-ice hockey training. Hill sprints can be performed outside on an actual hill or on a treadmill using the incline feature. Walk down the hill after each sprint to recover and prepare for the next round. On the treadmill, pick a time to sprint uphill, then lower the incline and walk to recover.

and this

http://howtohockey.com/how-to-improve-skating-acceleration

Off Ice Hockey Drills to improve acceleration

Here are a few simple drills that you can do at home to help you build your acceleration

Wind sprints

When you are training for hockey, you need to train as if you are in a game. Wind sprints are great because you go hard, and then take a break. All you need to do here is sprint as hard as you can for about 20 strides and then take a quick break, then do it again. Push as hard as you can and try to get to full speed in as few steps as possible. For added resistance you can sprint up a small hill and walk down it.

Stair Climbs

Stair climbs are fairly straight forward, run quickly up a set of stairs and walk down. This will force you to bend your knees and get a full extension, it will also build your leg muscles and give you a great leg workout.

You can also treat the stairs like pylo boxes and do two foot jumps up the stairs, one foot jumps, and lateral jumps up the stairs.

Lunges

Lunges are a very easy way to work your leg muscles, the important part is doing them right to help maximize the results and get the most out of the workouts. You can do them with, or without weights. Here is a good video from Gary Roberts showing dumbell lunges

Skater Jumps

This workout is very easy to do at home, all you do is start balancing on one leg, bend your knee and jump to the side, then land on your other leg and repeat. Move your arms as well as if you are skating. The purpose of this drills is to explode with power off each leg, and get a deep knee bend and full extension.

 

[rinkrat22]

don't forget to throw in some weight sled pulls and pushes.

 

[deems]

sprints, any quick feet things off ice. squats at the gym. 3x per week could work. I did this routine and broke my records. www.stronglifts.com All exercises work multiple muscles. You can throw in accessories like 1 set of bicep curls, reverse arm curls/wrist curls, tricep push down, etc.

 

[Sensinitis]

Just did 8 sets of about 16 reps. Squatting without weights. The last couple of sets I was holding maybe one pound lol. I also did some jumping, feet close together(kinda like jumping rope): 2 sets of 60 reps(yeah, 60 cause it's not super super hard).

Is that a good start? Let's say I start with that I'll see if I'm sore or anything tomorrow. Eventually I'll add weights obviously.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

I'm doing pretty good, but I haven't played since Midget. I missed my first year of junior for school so I'm entering my second now. I guess it's a small advantage because I'm more mature physically and lots stronger compared to last year. The downside is that I missed a year of organized season hockey, but at least I played a healthy amount of times.



Too late for power skating lol. Have taken two courses of those when I was younger though.

I think I'm just gonna start integrating squats to my workout. I hit the gym, but I always skip leg day lol, since I play hockey and my legs are far from skinny.

I'll integrate squats to shoulder day(so only 2 muscles that day), and that should be good I think. Otherwise, the same day(I guess) I can go to the track and just work on fast start sprints and interval sprinting to really help that explosive acceleration and first steps.

How does that sound??

Don't do that!! Pretty much every leg excercise will help you with hockey. Even leg press. No it isn't going to make you fly around, but it will help you brace yourself for hitting, and allow you to explode up while making a hit. Squats will target this much more but leg press wont hurt.

Go to the free cables and put it all the way down to the floor. Attach a strap to the pulley and strap it around your ankle. Put your entire body into the same position you would if you were on the ice and about to start skating and move that foot exactly as if you were pushing off to start skating. Put enough weight on so that 8-10 reps is a struggle, but just possible. Then put the strap on your other ankle and do the same with your other leg.

 

[Thesensation19*]

Hey guys looking for some tips. I'm 19, and I'm likely playing junior hockey next year. I live in Montreal but I'm going to university in Sherbrooke(an hour half east) so I'll be playing hockey there.

I signed up for the Junior AA tryouts(the highest level, I think elsewhere it's equivalent to Junior B). To be perfectly honest, I'm a pretty good player. I haven't played on a real team for a whole season in a few years, but I've been playing a good amount of hockey in that time span. I signed up for a 4vs4 league that lasted a few months(the level was about Midget double letters), I ended up with like 17 goals in about 10 games. I know it's not a super high competitive league, but still. Other than that I've been going to a local arena where they hold shinny hockey multiple times a week; it's like a beer league basically. I always score goals or play really well if I don't. The average age is pretty high.

So now I'm going for something pretty intense, the level is high. What I wanna improve on the most is my explosiveness. I'm pretty strong on my skates and my shot is pretty good. Good one timer, good slapper and respectable wrister. What I really wanna improve is my acceleration, agility to just be more explosive as a result. Like Ovie to illustrate what I mean.

Someone told me just going to a track, doing sprints and fast start exercises can go a LONG way. Then there's going to the gym, doing the some lunges, some leg press to get your legs pumped up and flexible.

Any ideas?

Track work is great. Work on all types of plyometrics (sprinting can be considered a plyo).

Stairs are also great work.

You want to see significant improvement. Eat right, stretch right, sleep right. Work out like an animal.

Go to the track 3x a week and work on sprints, jumps, stairs. Mix it up.
Go to the weight room at least 3x a week working on olympic lifts.

With the right schedule you should have some days clashing with others. And maybe 3x each is a bit rough, but its off-season... Maybe too late now...

Just remember that you can increase your power and explosiveness with more flexibility so try to do some real yoga and spend some time away from training to do stretches and balancing techniques.

Also, energy is a huge part of keeping that power going. Eating right and sleeping right are underrated.

 

[PS12]

Too late for power skating lol. Have taken two courses of those when I was younger though.

I dont think its ever too late to work on power skating. You could develop explosive strength but if your form isnt good you could be under utilizing your potentisl speed.

I watch guys in beer league who have terrible form- short choppy strides with no leg extension. It works for them and yet i wonder how much faster theyd be with better form. Im sure their leg strength is impressive.

Im constantly working on my sprint speed. There are a lot of great suggestions already mentioned. I like doing short sprints up a hill on inlines. Sometimes with a weighted pack sometimes without.

Try pistol squats. One legged squats and eventually work up to using a weight.

Snd dont forget your core. A good core will help in sprints too. My speed improved with a stronger core.

 

[Sensinitis]

Worked my legs hard the past few days. Did squats on Monday: 8 sets of 16 reps without weights. And two sets of 60(yeah) reps of static jumping to work out the calfs. Then Tuesday I played an hour of shinny hockey(3 on 3). Did the same thing Wednesday, and today my legs are pretty destroyed. They've been sore since Tuesday, and I played hockey anyways Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

[Sean Garrity]

Squat jumps, and broad jumps also increase explosiveness. 3 times a week will get you sore at first, but after a few weeks of it you wont be nearly as sore.

 

[Thesensation19*]

I can create a whole schedule for you. And talk to you about how much the slightest of change of your diet and a smarter way in looking at your sleep, rehab and rest habits will make significant changes.

I can talk to you for hours on it and you probably would get no where with it. Especially since I would need to know more about you. Your weekly schedule, your form on your lifts or work outs, your stretching methods and more.

If you would like to know more, feel free to PVT message me. Answer some of my questions and I can teach you a lot.


Here is a short answer though... Join Crossfit. And indulge yourself into their community of endless videos and blogs/articles on fitness. Of course continue to play as much hockey as you can though

 

[Sensinitis]

Got to squatting 30 lbs now. Not bad? I already feel more explosive. Played only once the past week and a half but even when I walk I feel more explosive and my legs killed me each time I squatted.

I think when I get to squatting a plate is when I'll see big results on the ice?

 

[vapor11]

No offense, as I was never the strongest guy.. But 19 and your squatting 30lb? Up the weight.. Many videos on YouTube of how nhl players train.. Mostly focused on speed, explosiveness and strength

 

[snizzbone*]

Got to squatting 30 lbs now. Not bad? I already feel more explosive. Played only once the past week and a half but even when I walk I feel more explosive and my legs killed me each time I squatted.

I think when I get to squatting a plate is when I'll see big results on the ice?

Keep adding weight.. 30 lbs squat is something a 12 year old could do.

 

[Sean Garrity]

I imagine, and hope, he was talking about 30lb weights...on each side...meaning 105lbs. Even saying that, you should be lifting a far greater weight at the age of 19. To increase strength, I would recommend only doing 5 reps at the highest weight possible you can get to. Continue to increase the weight every workout, you're young enough where you should be able to do so. I'm not talking an extreme increase in weight, but increasing your highest weight by 5 lbs every lifting session should be quite easy until you plateau.

 

[Danko]

• I noticed large differences in my overall speed when i started doing about 40 minutes of cardio/running on the eliptical,
  
• followed by some box jump ups...put boxes on the floor and jump on and off as fast as you can for 30 second intervals repeat 10 times. I
  
• used to have three flights of stairs to my apartment and I used to run up and down the stairs sometimes skipping a step.
  
• Run a mile at like an 8-9 mph, then walk for 30 seconds, Sprint Fast for about 30 seconds, Walk, Sprint, Walk, Sprint, Walk, Sprint and continue alternating on the way back.