| Some fitness coaches who specialize in hockey | | | | other adaptations. When a player skates she must |
| training insist that hockey players should stay off the | | | | extend at the hip to get a full powerful stride. If the hip |
| ice during the summer months. The advocate a return | | | | flexor is tight they will not be able to get this range |
| just in the weeks prior to training camp. Some believe | | | | from the hip joint and will likely compensate by either |
| that riding the bike is the best mode of energy system | | | | taking short choppy strides or by hyper-extending the |
| development for hockey players. Others, like me, use a | | | | lower back. This will reduce their skating performance |
| combination of modes to train hockey players who will | | | | and may lead to overuse injuries. |
| be fitter, faster and more injury resistant. | | | | One of the arguments against skating in the |
| The elite level players that I train skate 1-2 times per | | | | off-season is that it lets the player's groins recover |
| week. Some of them go to the local power skating | | | | from the use they get when skating. This is used to |
| guru and work on their skating skill. This is my | | | | support the use of the bicycle as a training tool. If you |
| preference, I do not really want them scrimmaging, I | | | | look at someone bicycling you notice that their thighs |
| want them skating. For the pro players, we go on the | | | | stay parallel as they pedal, the movement is in the |
| ice twice per week, once for medium duration interval | | | | saggital plane. So you can see how this will not put the |
| sessions and once for agility and quickness training. | | | | groins on a stretch the way skating does. |
| The skating is supplemented with land-based agility | | | | If I take an athlete who needs to abduct at the hip |
| training, a track or hill workout and yes, even some | | | | (which puts stretch on the adductors or groin muscles) |
| biking. You may be asking yourself, "What is the | | | | to move in their sport and train them in a way that |
| difference? As long as they are getting more fit what | | | | does not put any stretch on those muscles, can you |
| does it matter if they only bike or not?" To be clear, I | | | | see how they may adaptively shorten in response to |
| am not saying that hockey players should not ride the | | | | the new demands? They are not being repeatedly |
| bike. I have my hockey players ride the bike at times | | | | stretched, so they do not need to be as long and they |
| during the summer, just not all the time. And I think it is | | | | will shorten. Then if the athlete starts skating everyday, |
| a great tool to use during the season. Here are a few | | | | they are now putting those adaptively shortened groin |
| of the pros and cons of using the bicycle with hockey | | | | muscles on repeated stretch and risk a strain. Not a |
| players: | | | | great way to start training camp. |
| PROs I like biking because you can very easily adjust | | | | So my argument against riding the bike in the |
| the resistance. It is relatively safe; no athlete is going to | | | | off-season is that it compounds muscle imbalances |
| sprain their ankle riding the bike. From a skill | | | | that already occur in hockey players and undoes |
| perspective, there is a level playing field for different | | | | some of the adaptive lengthening that is necessary in |
| athletes. If you are running at the track, some hockey | | | | the adductor (groin) muscles. Both may reduce skating |
| players have a great running stride whereas some | | | | efficiency and contribute to overuse injuries. |
| athletes are not nearly as proficient. Finally, the player | | | | I will finish by saying that there are some amazing |
| will get a great leg workout. When we do intervals on | | | | fitness coaches out there who specialize in training |
| the bike they will tell me that their legs feel the same | | | | hockey players, love the stationary bike, use it |
| fatigue they feel when they are on the ice. | | | | effectively as a part of their overall hockey training |
| CONs I dislike the bike because it trains the hockey | | | | system and produce some very effective players. |
| player in a hip flexed, spine flexed position, a position | | | | Clearly they are addressing the muscle imbalances |
| where they already spend a good amount of their | | | | and mobility issues in other areas of their training. My |
| time on the ice and sitting on the bench. If they are a | | | | goal is to encourage you to continue thinking about the |
| student then they spend all day sitting at their desks in | | | | specific demands of hockey on your athletes and train |
| a hip flexed, spine flexed position. With these sustained | | | | them systematically with those demands in mind. |
| postures we see shortening of the hip flexors among | | | | |