There are at least four reasons why you should train for hockey. Injury prevention: The most important reason is injury prevention. Effective training will help prevent injury and offset premature fatigue. A player who has worked on his weaknesses through training will be better prepared for practices and games. A player who is able to delay […]
Speed Development: Sprint Technique
To be able to perform well in any sport, there needs to be a component of speed. Speed is the rapidity of movement and is an important aspect of all sports. Speed is developed in athletes by using their strength, flexibility, endurance and technique. The technique is performed numerous times at slow speeds and then […]
Is Strength Training Safe For Younger Athletes?
We train a lot of athletes in a team setting and have done fitness training with kids as young as 8 years old. Most of the kids we work with really enjoy a fun strength training session with their teammates. Occasionally we will have a player sit out of a training session because a parent […]
How to Improve Your Change of Direction Speed
If you watch a hockey game, it quickly becomes evident that the average time a hockey player skates in one direction at full speed at any time during the game is for less than 5 seconds followed by a change in speed or direction. This is not to say that hockey is not a very […]
How to Shoot Harder & Faster
Before we get into the issue of proper training to improve your shot, remember that having proper form and technique on the ice is important! Keep practicing, taking 50-100 shots per day off a piece of synthetic ice in your basement, garage or driveway if you do not have access to ice. As you master […]
Healthy Food Choices at Fast Food Restaurants
For a lot of athletes, fast food restaurants provide a cheap and convenient option for a quick meal. Unfortunately, just one fast food meal can provide enough calories, sodium, sugar and fat to satisfy an entire day’s worth of requirements! Enlightened athletes can make healthier choices and still enjoy the convenience of fast food. Here […]
Establish Your Game With HockeyOT.com’s Dryland Training Program
Establishing your off-season training goals should start with a simple question: What are the attributes most important for success in hockey? If you study elite hockey players, success in hockey depends on: 1) skating speed and agility 2) stickhandling and shooting skills 3) physical conditioning 4) mental toughness 5) confidence 6) hockey sense or hockey […]
Should I Drink Water or a Sports Drink?
The major focus of sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade is that they provide nutrients and electrolytes in addition to just plain water. In order to determine whether or not a sports drink is more beneficial than water we need to understand what happens when we sweat. The major electrolytes lost in sweat during exercise are […]
Basic Posture Exercises That Will Improve Your Skating
Many youth players are starting to use dryland training exercises at the request of coaches and parents. Many hockey coaches are running these dryland training sessions themselves after looking up exercises on the internet or remembering what they did when they were kids. At hockeyot.com we offer a professional training package that can make your […]
Making Proper Nutrition a Priority – Part 2
In our last article we talked about the importance of eating a good breakfast to start your day. Let’s now focus on the other meals of the day. It goes without saying that your body will perform much better if you use premium fuel to keep it going. There is a lot of information out […]
Making Proper Nutrition a Priority – Part 1
You can’t build the machine, or keep it running, without the proper fuel. If you are going to be serious about training for the game of hockey, proper nutrition needs to be part of the equation. An individualized nutrition planning guide is included in HockeyOT, so this article will focus on high level concepts. It […]
Are you looking to get in a game to see how your training is progressing?
If you have been training and was to see how your training is progressing this is for you! Our friends at The Hockey Community can help you out with that! The Hockey Community was humbly founded in 2010 by 3 roommates, Alex, Martine and Daniel. As an engineer and entrepreneur student in France. Alex came to […]
Get More Speed in Your Game, Part 2
The key to increased speed is less contact time with the ground or ice due to a more powerful sprinting action. As simple as this statement is, athletes will spend most of their training time on increasing speed. Team sports such as hockey make heavy demands on sprint capabilities. The truly great players are able […]
Get More Speed In Your Game, Part 1
For hockey you need to be more than just fast. You need to be able to repeat your fast performance on the ice again and again. Most players will play between 10-30 shifts in a game with each shift lasting 30-60 seconds. During each shift, you may reach top speed 2-5 times. Many players I […]
A Pain in the Groin!
Groin injuries are among the most common injuries seen in hockey. A groin pull is a painful and debilitating injury to the muscles of the inner thigh. Research has shown that hip flexibility, and more importantly, strengthening, can help decrease the occurrence of groin strains. Hip strengthening should be performed during the entire season to maintain […]