subject: Hockey Dry Land Training - 3 Dry Land Tips to Make You Faster on the Ice [print this page] If you're serious about improving your game, hockey dry land training is an absolute essential. Dry land gives you an opportunity to train and condition yourself for in-game success, without the need for ice time. Here are three tips on how to utilize off-ice training to get maximum results when you hit the ice.
1) Integrate intervals into your conditioning where possible.
Hockey isn't a sport where you put out the same amount of effort consistently over the course of an entire game. In hockey, you hit the ice for a hard shift at maximum capacity for 45 seconds to a minute, then head back to the bench to rest up for a couple minutes before repeating the process again. Hockey is literally built around intervals, so incorporate intervals into your training, like running one minute hard and one minute easy, and you'll have no problems keeping your effort levels up when you hit the ice at game time.
2) Plyometrics are perfect for dry land training.Plyometrics focus on explosive, powerful movements, which are exactly the kind of movements that make great hockey players. All you need to do plyometrics is somewhere to run and jump. Incorporating plyometrics into your training will build power, speed and strength, making plyometrics one of the most effective methods of hockey training.
3) Time everything, and if possible, do your dry land as a team, or with other players.The dynamic nature of dry land makes it a great opportunity to train as a group. Often you'll be focusing on running, agility drills, plyometrics, and other drills where direct head to head competition can make a huge difference in motivation and results. Not to mention it's simply more fun to train in competition with a line-mate or team-mate.
Hockey Dry Land Training - 3 Dry Land Tips to Make You Faster on the Ice