Blogs

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 – […]

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 […]

In an international hockey game, the average shift length was ~86s, which was split in half between playing and stoppage time. Players spent ~18% of their playing time in high intensity skating. The big take home here is that the ice hockey requires bursts of high intensity skating interspersed by periods of lower intensity skating […]

There are many ways to break down the demands of the game to gain insight into how to best prepare. In ice hockey, it’s common to look at shift length and work-to-rest ratios as an indicator of game demands. At most levels of hockey, a typical shift is 40-60s and teams carry 3-4 forward lines […]

The athletes that SUSTAIN success commit themselves to doing the little things right, consistently. They warm-up with intent before practice. They train regularly in-season. They hydrate, eat, and sleep with purpose, with a performance mindset. Often times, these acts are monotonous. They’re repeated on a daily basis for months in a row. The best athletes do them […]

Lateral Bound from Pause w/ Drop Start Similar goal as the Squat Jump w/ Quick Dip with maximizing transition speed except now the push is lateral, so the athlete should “push the turf away” to cover as much ground laterally as possible. The emphasis is on the push, NOT on reaching out with the lead […]

The stretch reflex of the quadriceps is typically utilized from a low position in skating. This is the first of two examples of simple modifications to commonly performed jumping exercises to emphasize the stretch reflex and power output from these “skating-specific” positions. Squat Jump w/ Quick Dip The athlete starts around skating depth, quickly dips, and then […]

See below for a quick video on rate of force development. Force output following a quick stretch (i.e. the stretch reflex) can be enhanced with INTENT and training. INTENT to move quickly recruits high force motor units earlier and leads to faster rate of force development, both in the short-term and as a result of training. INTENT […]

Different mechanisms. Different training implications. To your success, Kevin NeeldSpeedTrainingforHockey.comHockeyTransformation.comOptimizingAdaptation.com P.S. If you’re interested in improving your speed on the ice, check out my book Speed Training for Hockey. Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!

See below for a quick video outlining the influence of the stretch reflex and stretch shortening cycle in skating. Major Take-Away: The stretch reflex should primarily be trained in positions of deep hip and knee bend, with less focus on the more upright posture, short contact time exercises applicable to top speed sprinting OFF the […]