off ice and on ice
After giving several talks and demo’s at a kids development camp a couple weeks back- I reinforced or maybe solidified my belief that the off-ice program must combat the detrimental qualities that on-ice skating, shooting and all promotes. What I mean by this is: Playing hockey and skating tends to promote the shortening of hip flexors, this leads to many hip flexor strains among players. So in the off ice training, both in-season and off-season, must promote lengthening or opening up of the hip flexors.
An example of this is in the step up exercise- many players don’t fully extend the hip at the top of the step- the hip stays back, the hip flexor stays short. Full hip extension and triple extension should be stressed here. Exercises that will open up the hip flexors- band pull throughs, good mornings, deadlifts. There are many others. Not only will exercises like these promote full hip extension, they will also address muscle imbalances between hip flexors and extensors, another injury risk that we can address.
2 other areas to think about in this vein- rotational exercises to the opposite of your shooting side, and groin strengthening exercises. The groin is particularly worrisome- opposite of hip flexors, the groin muscles are constantly being opened and to be strengthened and tightened, somewhat.
