Many players and teams are starting to get the message that off-ice warm-ups are never optional.  Players must prepare the muscles they use to skate, shoot and save before every ice session if they want to guarantee that they feel and perform their best.

While most players do some kind of off-ice warm-up, many of them are not getting the maximum benefit from their pre-ice routine.  Most start the warm-up with a few minutes of jogging and then finish with some quick stretches.  The whole routine is usually over in less than 5 minutes - and that just isn’t enough time to get ready to perform your best. 

To ensure that you come flying out of the gate in the first period, you must complete an off-ice warm-up that progresses through three different stages, mimics the same movements and intensity that players must use on the ice, and lasts at least 10 minutes.

General
The first stage is the general warm-up and typically involves low-intensity jogging.   While jogging for a few minutes increases blood flow and gets muscles loosened up, it doesn’t address a player’s hockey-specific needs.

Dynamic
After performing the general warm-up jog, players must perform exercises and drills that mimic the movements they will perform ice.  The movements used in this part of the warm-up are commonly referred to as dynamic stretches, or stretching while moving.  By performing simple movement patterns, such as side-shuffling and forward lunging, players will increase the readiness of the muscles used while playing hockey which will allow them to engage them more effectively out on the ice.  

Specific
This final stage of the off-ice warm-up is extremely important - and often neglected.  Although players will have ‘warmed-up’ the muscles and movements involved in playing the game through the previous two stages, they still need to address a critical need prior to stepping onto the ice - unpredictability.

Hockey is unpredictable - players are always “reading and reacting” to a game that changes constantly and this requires players to be both physically and mentally agile.  By participating in small group games, such as variations of tag, players get used to the unpredictability of the game and this ensures that they are physically and mentally ready to hit the ice.

Properly progressing through these three stages of the off-ice warm-up will ensure that players are physically and mentally prepared perform their best on the ice.

About The Author
Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS is an Athletic Development Specialist and founder of Total Female Hockey.  In addition to training and coaching girls at all levels of hockey, from novice to the National team, Kim has also played at the highest level of women's hockey in the world for the last decade.