The Alternating MiniBand Elvis is another exercise we integrate into our prep work.
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There are a couple things this exercise can help accomplish:
1️⃣ Help athletes learn to dissociate between hip and lumbar range of motion.
Keeping the pelvis stable while moving from the hip can help athletes create more power, while generally reducing unnecessary stress on the low back/lower ab areas.
2️⃣ Improve strength/control of the hip external rotators from an internally rotated position.
Many exercises designed to strengthen the hip rotators start with the hip in a neutral position of rotation and work into external rotation from here, so they miss ~1/2 the arc, which is particularly important since this is where most injuries occur.
A few quick coaching cues:
✅ Keep your hips level and facing forward throughout the exercise. Put your hands on your hips as a reference.
✅ Allow one knee to “fall” in as far as possible, pause, and then pull the knee out as far as possible to stretch the band.
✅ You can allow your feet to roll in and out as you move from the hip, but your foot should stay on the ground throughout.
Typically performed for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps/side. Can progress by moving to thicker bands.
Give this a shot, and feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, tag a friend in the comments section below, and please share/re-post it so others can benefit.
To your success,
Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com
P.S. For comprehensive hockey training programs to improve your speed AND repeat sprint ability, check out: Speed Training for Hockey
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