How to Train for Hockey Off the Ice

Ice hockey training has made leaps and bounds since the days, only decades ago, when virtually 100 percent of training was on the ice. Today, sophisticated exercise regimens that implement the latest fitness research make off-the-ice training at least as important as the traditional on-ice drills and practices. To train for hockey off the ice, follow these steps.

Instructions

    • 1

      Hit the weight room. One of the more surprising aspects of off the ice hockey training is the amount of weight training involved. Take a look at hockey videos from today and from 30 years ago and you'll see that today's players are bigger, stronger and faster. Get into a weight room to start incorporating resistance and load into your hockey training.

    • 2

      Train movements, not muscles. Hockey is a game of fluidity, therefore it's important to train functional movements instead of muscles. As you use weight to train off the ice, make sure that your movements are dynamic and incorporate multiple muscle groups working in sync to accomplish a lift or exercise. This will not only build strength but also improve your brain's ability to react to different physical circumstances.

    • 3

      Use exercises that require energy bursts. Hockey, like basketball, is an anaerobic sport in the sense that it requires huge bursts of energy and movement followed by very short periods of rest. You need to train off the ice in the same way. Use Tabata squats and sprints to ramp up your anaerobic capability so that your body learns to react explosively even when it doesn't have enough oxygen.

    • 4

      Train for instability. A hockey skate is only a few millimeters wide, adding a level of inherent instability to the sport. Integrate the same instability to your off the ice training. Use a Swiss ball, single leg or single arm exercises or training with odd and cumbersome objects (such as kegs filled with water or sandbags) to simulate the instability of hockey. Any time you can add a destabilizing or dynamic factor to an exercise you should do so.