Randy Rhoads asked:




Hockey dryland training is one of the most often overlooked aspects of hockey training, yet it is also one of the most important. Off-season is the best time for dry-land, but it can be done all season long, and all it requires is somewhere to run and jump. Here are three simple exercises you can do off-ice to help bring your on-ice game to the next level.

1)????? Shift-approximation intervals
This can be done on a stationary bike, a treadmill, a running track, rollerblades, or just about any type of cardio you want. The key here is to do intervals that will approximate the shifts in a game. In a hockey game you exert yourself at a high capacity for a minute or so, and then hit the bench to rest up for a couple minutes. Focus your intervals on a pace of one minute hard, two minutes easy, and your endurance throughout the game will benefit.

2)????? Ladder drills

Ladder drills are a type of interval training that instead of doing consistent intervals, change as you go along. A common ladder drill would be 10 seconds work, 20 seconds rest, then 20 seconds work, 30 seconds rest, then 20 seconds work and 20 seconds rest, then work for 20 seconds rest for 10 seconds, followed by a long rest. These types of drills will increase your endurance, and also provide great benefits for your speed.

3)????? Football lines

Running the lines on a football field is a lot like skating the lines on a hockey rink, and will give you very similar benefits for improving speed. Set your target lines for your starts and stops (i.e. goal line to the 20, 20 to the 10, 10 to the 30, 30 to the 20, etc.). Make the total run around 45 seconds to a minute, and go all out for that time. Time yourself, and always try and beat your best time.