| The bag skate can take many effective and creative | | | | you can do torture the legs for 30-45 seconds and |
| forms, but basically the players skate to the point of | | | | then torture the arms and core for 60-90 seconds - |
| exhaustion, vomiting or submission whichever comes | | | | repeat until you get desired effect. Here are a few |
| first. Some may argue that exercise should not be | | | | sample workouts: |
| used as a punishment for athletes and I am not looking | | | | Better bag skate #1o Blue line to blue line for 45so |
| to debate coaching philosophy in this article. Personally I | | | | Push ups for 45so Core plank from push up position |
| think we can build a better bag skate and turn them | | | | 45s (gets the athletes to activate their core muscles |
| into something a little more productive while still getting | | | | while they are breathing hard - great game specific |
| the full attention of your hockey players. | | | | core activation plus you are working the shoulder |
| Picture your players after 20-minutes of bag skating. | | | | stabilizers which will help prevent injuries down the |
| Do they look like the type of player you would like to | | | | road) |
| have on the ice during a game? Probably not - they | | | | Better bag skate #2o Partner side boards for 90 |
| are bent forward at the hips, their knees are barely | | | | seconds (one partner sprints side board to side board |
| bent at all, their strides are short and weak - it is just a | | | | while the other partner rests and then next partner |
| mess! Now imagine your athletes 20-minutes into a | | | | goes)o Partner core stabilization for 45-60 seconds - |
| bag skate who are still low in the legs and taking | | | | partners face one another both holding the same |
| powerful strides. The key is giving them rest! Don't | | | | hockey stick at approximately chest level. One player |
| think I am crazy, I know the point is to exhaust and | | | | will try to hold the hockey stick using the core muscles |
| torture your players. Stay with me a little bit longer. | | | | to stabilize while the other player tries to twist or |
| Which is tougher skating slowly, no knee bend, light | | | | rotate the stick to challenge their partner. Switch roles |
| strides or low powerful skating? Once an athlete | | | | as stabilizer after approximately 20-30 seconds. |
| reaches a certain point (lactate threshold), they | | | | You hockey coaches can still exhaust you players |
| physiologically cannot continue working above that | | | | while keeping them moving at game speed which will |
| level for longer than about 60-seconds. Even if the | | | | improve their performance on the ice. Add in some |
| athlete wants to go fast, their body cannot keep up | | | | upper body and core training to build better athletes by |
| with the demand for energy output. So here is what | | | | building a better bag skate. |