Monthly Archives: January 2022

Training to Improve Repeat Sprint Ability

Training to Improve Repeat Sprint Ability

There are two main strategies for improving repeat sprint ability: Improve initial sprint performance Improve recovery between sprints If you’re interested in training strategies to improve speed, check out the previous series I did on Speed Training for Hockey (also available at my instagram account: @KevinNeeld) Clearly, training to improve speed requires maximum effort, high-intensity… Read more

Limiting Factors to Repeat Sprint Ability

Limiting Factors to Repeat Sprint Ability

One of the most common questions I get is “what’s the best way to condition for hockey?” Often times, people are looking for one prescription (e.g. “Do 12 sets of 15s of work with 45s of rest”). This review paper from Girard et al. (2010) details the factors that contribute to fatigue in repeat sprint efforts… Read more

Physiological Demands of Ice Hockey

Physiological Demands of Ice Hockey

There are many ways to analyze the physiological demands of a sport, but tracking heart rate (HR) is the most commonly used. When looking at the HR response during shifts of male Canadian university players, forwards had higher peak and average HRs compared to defensemen. This is consistent with my experience, and speaks to the… Read more

Analyzing Game Demands of Ice Hockey: Positional Differences

Analyzing Game Demands of Ice Hockey: Positional Differences

Four separate studies looking at different levels of competition across different time periods share common findings. Defensemen log more minutes, but their shifts are characterized by significantly less high intensity work and sprinting compared to forwards. The natural question that arises here is “should defensemen spend more time doing longer aerobic work?” Short answer –… Read more

Analyzing Game Demands of Ice Hockey: Sprinting Emphasis

Analyzing Game Demands of Ice Hockey: Sprinting Emphasis

In a professional hockey game, players perform around 7 high intensity skating efforts per shift, including 1-2 sprints around 20-30m, accumulating over 2000m in high intensity skating throughout a game. These sprinting efforts often have an impact on possession, scoring opportunities, and ultimately the outcome of the game. Ice hockey is a repeat sprint sport, and as… Read more