At a very young age, hockey players establish routines and rituals prior to playing the game. These routines evolve and play a very important role in preparing for the game, as players progress up the hockey ladder.
The purpose of doing hockey warm-up drills is to wake up both the mind and body. One of the most popular warm-ups for teams is playing a variety of games using a soccer ball. Most are elimination games. Unless you get deep into the game, you may only have a few seconds of action, then waiting 5-10 minutes before the next game starts.
I love seeing these methods used for warm-ups, as it can be a team building activity bringing players together. This however, can’t be the only thing you do prior to hitting the ice.
Additional warm up hockey drills are required to get the body optimized before the puck is dropped. Over a decade ago, dynamic warm-ups started gaining popularity in the sporting world. They are now a standard routine from youth athletes up through the professional ranks.
Dynamic warm-ups activate muscles used during practices and games. The difference between these exercises and static stretching is that you are moving while doing these stretches. For example, stepping forward into a lunge with a twist, activates the hips, legs, and core muscles. Another popular warm-up is walking while bringing one knee at a time to the chest or doing alternating high kicks.
Adding movement to stretches also works on balance and coordination. This action helps prepare the body for peak performance.
If you currently don’t do any type of dynamic warm-up before your on-ice events, you should give it a try. The benefits are huge in preparing your body to play the game, as well as helping with injury prevention.
