There are 10 minutes left in practice.  You want to instill a strong work ethic in your players and develop their conditioning levels.   So you line the players up on boards or across the blue-line and have them skate widths, lengths, circles or laps until they can barely move - for what is commonly known as “bag skating” in the hockey world.

The truth is that “bag skating” isn’t going to cut it if you want to ensure that your players are as energetic and explosive in the 2nd overtime period as they were in the 2nd period and they are ready to peak in time for the playoffs.  It is important for players to learn to push themselves when they are already fatigued, but their needs to be a plan. Your on-ice conditioning sessions must be as well planned as your skill sessions if you want your players to perform their best.

The last 10 minutes of each practice session present a perfect opportunity for coaches to focus on improving the conditioning levels of their players as long as they adhere to the most fundamental principle of hockey-specific conditioning - interval training.

Interval Training:  The Key To Developing Game-Winning Conditioning
Interval training is the key to developing game-winning conditioning and understanding the concept of the work-to-rest ratio is critical to developing a proper program. 

The game of hockey is characterized by high-intensity efforts (“work”) interspersed with periods of sitting or standing on the bench (“rest”).  For example, if a shift is 45 seconds in length, and the player rests for 1 minute and 30 seconds between shifts, the work-to-rest interval is 1:2 - the rest period is twice as long as the work period.  The interval-based conditioning relies on using the appropriate work-to-rest ratios at the appropriate times.  To design a proper conditioning programs for hockey, coaches must use work-to-rest intervals that mimic the ratios commonly seen in the game. 

The problem with traditional “bag skating” is that this type of conditioning workout rarely resembles the work-to-rest ratios players encounter on the ice.  Two groups of players typically alternate ‘working’ and ‘resting’ until the coach stops the drill - which means that the work-to-rest interval is 1:1.  These rest intervals are too short - especially when used at the beginning of the season. 

Most minor hockey teams have very little time on the ice prior to playing their first games.  As a result, coaches try to “whip” their players into shape by using high-intensity conditioning sessions.  By doing too much too soon, players don’t develop a solid base of conditioning and are at risk for injury. 

You start your season-long conditioning program with the ‘higher’ ratios (such as 1:3) and work your way back to the ‘lower’ ratios (1:1) as the season progresses.  This ‘top-down’ approach allows players to develop their conditioning in a safe and effective way and helps the team to peak in time for crucial late-season games.

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.