| Physical fitness is the capacity of a person to perform physical activities (such as hockey) without feeling drained or fatigued.
Physical conditioning is the enhancement of physical fitness and capabilities by exercising properly and regularly.
Warm-Ups
It is important to warm up the body to allow for better movement and greater range of motion. This helps to maximize outputs. The body increases temperature because of the increased movement of the fluids in the body. Rubbing your hands together causes friction. This friction means that the molecules in your body are moving quicker. The quicker they move, the higher the temperature grows. The higher the temperature grows, the easier the flow of fluids. This flow of fluids makes your muscles move easily and allows you to push to a maximum. Can you move your fingers when they are cold?
Always warm up your body by jogging, skipping or biking for 5 minutes before stretching. This is a proven method to increase your flexibility by up to 20%.
Here is a test for you to try:
- Stand tall with your arms by your side. Bend over and touch your toes. Notice where your fingertips touch or how far they are from the floor.
- Skip, jog or bike for 5 minutes or until you get a sweat on your forehead.
- Stand tall again with your arms by your side and bend over to touch your toes. How far were you this time? Did you go farther?
To become more flexible, all you have to do is work up a sweat on your brow.
Components of Physical Conditioning
The following components of physical conditioning are important for hockey players:
Anaerobic
Anaerobic exercise involves short bursts of exertion followed by periods of rest. This results in the body building stronger muscles and getting more powerful. Push-ups, stomach crunches and weight lifting are examples of anaerobic exercise.
Strength and Power
Strength in the body is crucial to movement. Strength comes after power because you do not have to be super strong to be a powerful player. Skating, shooting and passing require technique and timing. As a player, you may be small, yet still be faster than someone who is taller and stronger. The game is so fast that you must move with it. You build your strength once you have developed the power. The two work in tandem.
Flexibility
Flexibility in the body will improve your results on and off the ice. Muscles expand and contract, meaning they get bigger and smaller with motion. Muscles are elastic. You must condition the body to become more elastic and have a greater range of motion. The older we get, the more we need to work on flexibility to keep it. This is a simple law. USE IT OR LOSE IT!
Agility and Balance
To be a good skater in hockey, you need to have agility and balance. When a player is skating at a good speed and is about to be checked by another player, he needs the ability to move and get out of the way. It may require turning the ankle, twisting the hips or even jumping. Any way he moves or gets out of the way is going to require some agility and balance.
Aerobic
Aerobic, which means air, is the system in the body that works while exerting forces or moving in a consistent manner over a long period. Moving around for more than a two-minute interval is considered consistent. Endurance is the ability to last longer during a rhythmic motion. Biking, running and swimming are excellent examples of exercises that will increase endurance.
Who Should When?
All players need to work out regardless of their age. How they work out will differ for the various age groups.
Players need to start exercising from a young age, even as young as 4 or 5. However, the important thing is to keep them off the weights and make the exercises stimulating and fun. Until the age of 14, players should NOT work out with weights because they are still growing and forming. The important point about physical conditioning is working on balance, agility and technique. Instead of weights, players should use the resistance bands and forces applied from another player.
By 15 years old, players can start to work with weights. The muscles, ligaments and bones in the body are now strong enough to handle free weights. The player has solid balance and understands the importance of technique.
Planning For Your Physical Fitness
Planning means scheduling what you want to achieve by a certain date and having a written step-by-step plan of how it is going to happen. What you condition your body for is up to you. Some players may set goals to be the fastest skater or to score the most points. As long as you know what you want, you can prepare your body to help you get it.
P.O.W.E.R. Technology
P.O.W.E.R. technology is a system created by Kevin Huhn to help maximize energy output. It is a 5-step process designed for players and coaches to help get the most out of the body when preparing to play the game. P.O.W.E.R. is:
Planning
There are three elements to remember in planning:
1. Taking inventory:
Inventory means listing your current assets - no, not the bicycle, computer or furniture you own! Your assets are those skills that you possess or have developed. What are you good at? This will be your starting point. Let's take sprinting as an example. This is a power exercise because we exert a maximum output by moving our legs quickly over a certain distance in a certain amount of time. A specific exercise or test would be to run as fast as you can across a 40-foot distance. This will give you an understanding of where you are now and allow you to take inventory on your sprint time.
2. Setting goals:
Setting a goal means having a dream with a date attached to it. In our example of sprinting, let's say that you ran the 40-yard distance in 6 seconds. Your goal might be to run the same distance in 5 seconds by the end of 2 months. Remember to make your goals specific, measurable and time related.
3. Developing a strategy:
Laying out the steps or developing your strategy is the last piece to planning. In order to achieve the goal of sprinting in 5 seconds, you will need to increase the amount of speed you currently have. This will happen when you increase the strength in your legs. One way to increase the strength in your legs is to add resistance (weights) to your exercises. This will work the quadriceps (upper thigh muscles) by forcing them to exert more power since there is added weight. The results are rewarding because as you add weight, your muscles will work harder and become stronger. As you become stronger, you are able to exert more force. As you exert more force, you will run faster. This is your strategy to achieve your goal. Effective planning is imperative in making sure that you reach your maximum power.
You now have a great plan! So what? Set yourself up to achieve.
Organizing
Let's continue with our example of sprinting. You will need leg power.
1. WHAT you will do:
The exercises you want to use should revolve around the same type of leg motion as sprinting. For example, take the thigh muscle from extension to contraction quickly. Leg presses, squats and lifts are excellent ways to strengthen the leg muscle group since power is defined as a maximum amount of force exerted over a short amount of time.
2. WHEN you will do it:
Know when it is a good time for you to do these exercises to attain your set goals. A rule of thumb is a 48-hour rest period. This may grow as the force you exert grows. Listen to your body.
3. WHERE you will do it:
Determine the location or type of environment that you need. It is always best to be where someone can be of assistance in case of injury. That could be in a gym, training facility or fitness center. That may include your home or a friend's home as long as there is someone to assist you when needed and provide encouragement.
Weights
Increasing your power requires more than planning and organization. It requires the proper amount of weights and frequencies. The greater the force against you, the greater the amount of force you need to exert. When starting out, make sure that you find your maximum. If you are under the age of 15, the weight can be your own body weight or the weight of a team mate or partner. If you are 15 and older, then you can add weight machines and free weights.
Remember that power is the maximum amount of force exerted over a short period. To determine your maximum, apply a weight or resistance to an exercise and see if you can hold it for 5 to 10 seconds. If you can hold it longer, then it is not your maximum. Do it again with a stronger force or more weight. Once you know your maximum, make a note of it by writing it down and then work with 80% of that amount in your chosen exercise. After a few workouts, your maximum will increase. This is how you grow. Always work towards progress. Progress means increasing the weight, not lowering the weight. In this example, remember that we are working power, not endurance. After you have found your maximal weight, you will be ready to do your exercises.
Explode
At each exercise, you only work that muscle once with the maximum weight you determined. Push yourself to go from rest to the maximum extension in the shortest amount of time. For example, if you were to do a leg press, your legs would be at a 90 ° angle and you would explode them out to full extension without locking your knees. Exhale as you apply the force. Holding your breath can cause problems. Once you exerted the force and extended your legs, you have exhausted that muscle group. If you were to try it again, you would not be able to do it. In order to be able to redo it and be at the level of strength you started with, you need to rest. This is key to power training.
Rest
This is the last element in the P.O.W.E.R. technology. It is usually the one that can cause poor results or no improvement in athletes if it is not done. You must allow your body to recover. Use the 48-hour rule as a guideline. Once you have exerted a muscle group, let it rest before you do it again. The next time you do this exercise, increase the weight by a small percentage.
P lan - O rganize - W eights - E xplode - R est
Now you are P.O.W.E.R. training!
Monitor Your Progress
Progress can only happen if you know your starting point. If you want results, then you monitor what you do. In order to track your results, you can write it down or videotape yourself. How will you know if you are stronger or faster if your only frame of reference is your thoughts or memory? Your mind is a powerful tool. It can make anything seem more or less than it is. By writing down what you do, you can see your results and measure your progress.
Learn more about PHYSICAL CONDITIONING |
www.arthritis.ca/programs%20and%20resources/sport%20body%20basics
/Warm%20Up/default.asp?s=1
A 20-minute set of warm-up exercises.
www.lifetimehockey.com/Conditioning.htm
Information on conditioning and fitness for hockey players.
www.sportandspine.mb.ca/stret c h/str_1.shtml
Stretching and warm-up exercises for hockey players.
www.acc.co.nz/injury-prevention/safe-in-sport-and-recreation/acc-sportsmart/physical-conditioning/
This page explains the conditioning process for sports and offers guidelines for fitness.
(Here is Kevin's P.O.I.N.T. technology being put to practical use!)
The Hockey Source does not necessarily endorse all the information on the linked pages it provides.
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