I'm not just talking about the hits players need to handle each time they come on the ice.
I'm talking about the variety of skills required by an ice hockey player and the immense effort players have to make just to keep up with the pace of the game.
Hockey requires a high all-around fitness level and you need a specialized off-ice exercise routine to prepare your body for the rigors of the game.
In this article, I want to share 3 dryland hockey fitness exercises that can help you become a stronger hockey player.
- Exercise #1 - Bosu ball squats
For that, you must develop powerful stabilizing muscles.
The best fitness equipment to work on stability is a bosu ball which you can get in many sport equipment store.
To do this exercise, you need to stand on the bosu ball with both feet and go down into a squat.
The unstable surface of the bosu ball is going to force you to use the stabilizing muscles in your core to keep your balance.
This exercise kills two birds with one stone: it develops leg power and works on the stabilizing muscles together.
- Exercise #2 - Squat jumps
This dryland hockey exercise is as simple as it sounds.
You go down into a squat and from that low position, you need to lean a bit forward into your toes and spring up high into the air.
When you land, you should go into a squat again and repeat.
The faster you do this exercise, the better.
- Exercise #3 - One arm dumbbell snatch
You need to take a dumbbell in one hand, stand with your feet apart and let the dumbbell hang in an outstretched arm before you.
Go into a squat and let the dumbbell hang between your legs.
Straighten your legs and lift the dumbbell with a straight hand above your hand.
Your movement needs to be clean and continuous.
Repeat the exercise with both arms.