Randy Rhoads asked:




Training for hockey can be more difficult than some other sports. Hockey is a game played on a surface unlike any other. And accessing ice for hockey training can be difficult, with ice rental often costing at least $100 an hour. This means it’s extremely important that hockey players be diligent in their off-ice training, and look for ways to maximize their improvements to help ensure their on-ice game is at its peak. Here are three great training aids to help you reach that goal.

1) The Swiss ball – If you don’t have one yet, run to the store as fast as you can.

This is such a simple aid, but so many players either don’t have one at home, or don’t utilize one when they go to the gym. There are so many advantages to incorporating Swiss balls into your workouts that is isn’t even funny. You should be using one anywhere you can. Do your crunches on one; sit on one when you do your curls. Lie on one for your chest press. The instability provided by the ball will force huge improvements in your core strength, and activate your stabilizer muscles in a much greater way.
2) Parachutes – Build speed and power through air resistance.

Parachutes are a great aid for generating speed and power because they artificially limit your motion. Strapping on a chute and running at full capacity will force you to deal with the added drag, which will make it much more difficult to run. This will not only give your legs a hell of a workout, increasing your speed and power, but when you take the chute off, running will feel much easier.

3) Wrist weights – Shooting never seemed so easy.

I like wrist weights for shooting practice at home (it’s hard to wear them on the ice with your gloves on), for much the same reason as I like parachutes. They force you to overcome extra weight you don’t normally carry around, which will increase the speed and power of your movements when you take them off. There is one big caveat though with this one. If you can’t maintain proper shooting form with the wrist weights on, don’t use them. Anything that forces you into bad form and reinforces bad habits is not worth using.

These are all great tools that can really help your game, but they aren’t a complete solution to off-ice training. For a full workout designed to meet your hockey goals, consult a hockey specific trainer, or pick up a good book on hockey specific fitness programs.