Hockey Players

Warm Up – Perform Better, Reduce Risk of Injury

By Gary Nelson, President of Acceleration Indiana

 Warm up for Hockey players is an extremely important and often overlooked area by both players and coaches. With a greater emphasis on proper warm up we would see reduced injuries and improved performance.

First, let me present some basic facts.

• Muscle-Tendon units have elastic properties that are strongly influenced by temperature.
• Warm muscles are more elastic and allow greater ranges of motion in your movements than cold muscles.
• Warm muscles also contract more rapidly than cold muscles allowing you to generate more power.
• Warm muscles prevent injury by being able to tolerate movements that are at the extreme ranges of movement that your body will experience in on ice practice or play.

Think of taking a rubber band out of your refrigerator. It is still stiff and a sudden load or large stretch will cause it to fail. Compare that to a rubber band lying outside in the sun on a warm day. It is very elastic, can be stretched a large amount or loaded with a sudden stretch and doesn’t fail.

So what should you do and why? First, let me share some observations of what is currently taking place before practices and games. Goalies come out and “plop” down on the ice in front of the net and begin doing stretches. Have you ever seen a track sprinter sit down on a block of ice and stretch? Of course not, it is well understood in Track that warm up comes first. Goalies, more than anyone on the team, need to do proper warm up because their position requires quick movements and arm & leg positions at extreme range of motion.

The other players may come out and do some static stretches, skate a couple of laps, and then do sprints and hockey stops. Doing high intensity sprints and stops without proper warm up risks injury to the groin muscles, which is the most common injury for hockey players. It also begins to generate lactic acid in the leg muscles which can result in early build up of lactic acid in the first period and therefore sluggish performance.

Hockey players also have a practical limitation regarding warm up. Unlike high school or college basketball teams who have 20 to 30 minutes to warm up before the game, hockey teams are limited to usually 5 minutes before the game due to ice availability and cost. We also know the physiology of the body requires 10 to 15 minutes for proper warm up. The obvious conclusion is; teams need to start warm ups off-ice.

The first rule to remember is warm up comes first, not static stretching. Only after 10-15 minutes of warm up should you do stretching. Static stretching like I see Goalies doing or other players with one leg up on top of the boards or sitting on the ice, legs out and stretching the hamstring and groin by reaching for your skate are counterproductive. Players need to get moving to elevate their heart rate which increases blood flow to the muscles, elevates the temperature of the muscles, and activates the enzymes required for metabolism of carbohydrates and fat.

The evidence of the benefits of warming up are well documented in the literature on exercise physiology. Results observed in our training facility show the dramatic effect warm up can have on the muscles. Using a simple hamstring stretch of bending over to try and touch your toes when cold compared to doing the same movement after warm up of the hamstring muscle will show an increase in range of motion typically ranging from 2 inches to 6 or more inches measured from floor to wrist. Therefore, that athlete can tolerate greater range of motion without straining the muscles tendon units when properly warmed up.

Muscles also perform better when warm; specifically the velocity of contraction increases with temperature (approximately 12% per 1° C) which means the muscles can generate more power. Speed and quickness on ice depend on the skater being properly warmed up so he or she can take advantage of their full power potential the first shift on the ice and each period.

The second rule is do not do warm ups and then sit in the locker room for a half hour before the game. After warm ups, have the team get dressed and then do some additional exercises before going on the ice. Body weight squats, knee lifts, leg swings (lateral left and right), arm circles (forward, backward, small and large).

If you have a break between periods while the Zamboni does the ice you should try and incorporate some of the above off-ice warm ups before going back on the ice.

 When your team goes on the ice without proper warm up, you give your competition an advantage. I’m sure you’ve all experienced seeing your competition score early in the first period and heard the comments that “our guys haven’t gotten going yet”. Then you have to dig yourself out of a hole and come from behind. Instead, make a habit of proper warm up before practice and games. Start with a light aerobic workout like jogging for 3 or 4 minutes to get the heart rate up and the blood flowing. Then progress to more specific warm up exercises that also involve range of motion movements. Examples would be high knees, kick backs, skips, defensive slide, forward lunges, backward lunges, inchworm, pushups, etc. Total warm up should be about 10-15 minutes. When the team goes on ice, have them skate some laps, forward, backward, crossovers, and a few sprints but keep the sprints under 10 seconds so as not to generate lactic acid. The goalie should skate with the team. The job of the team is to warm up the goalie once the goalie gets in the net. So start easy, no dekes, and gradually progress the speed of the shots and then progress to multiple players coming in for a shot so the goalie can work on both movement and concentration on where the puck and players are located.    

Preparing the mind.

Having a systematic warm up routine that can be varied to fit various rink layouts also helps the athlete to prepare mentally for the game. The player needs to feel both physically and mentally prepared to produce 100% performance in terms of acceleration, speed, quickness, agility and shooting and puck handling skills. Players need to be informed of the physical performance benefits of proper warm up. That will assist the mental preparation by establishing the connection between warm-up and performance. Teams that are physically and mentally prepared to give 100% the first minute of play can realize a significant competitive and physiological advantage over their opponent.

In Summary

• Allow 10 to 15 minutes for off-ice warm-up before going to locker room to get dressed
• Static stretching should be done only after 10-15 minutes of warm-up
• After getting dressed allow 5 minutes for warm-up exercises outside the locker room before going on the ice
• When on the ice, skate: DO NOT go down on the ice and stretc. Skate Forward, Backward, crossovers with moderate power, sprints for 5 to 10 secs. With hockey stops.
• Warm up the Goalie (Shots) start easy and progress.
• Proper Warm Up:
• o Prepares the body and mind for competition
• o Ensures you are ready to give a 100% at the start of the game
• o Reduces the likelihood of injury
• o Improves your performance; acceleration, speed, quickness, agility, ball skills, mental preparation

Have a great hockey season. If you wish to learn more stop and see us at Acceleration Indiana. For more information check our website: www.accelindy.com     or     www.athleticrepublic.com                                  

References:

• Frappier Acceleration Training Manuals and Papers
• Enoka, Neuro mechanics of Human Movement
• MacIntosh, Gardiner, McCombs, Skeletal Muscle, Form and Function
• McArdla, Katch, Katch, Exercise Physiology
• McGinnis, Biomechanics of Sport and Exercise
• Nigg, MacIntosh, Master, Biomechanics of Biology of Movement