Hockey Hut How To: Warm Up

Warming up before a game or practice is one of the most important things you can do in order to be ready when your skates hit the ice. Here is a how to video talking about different ways that you can warm up and be ready for the game or practice!

The body needs to be ready for your game or practice. Having a warm up routine will allow your body to be physically ready. This is also a great way to get you mentally focused on the competition and ready to go.

Here are some tips to help you warm up:

Dynamic Movement

  1. Start with a jog and progressively move into A-Skips. It is important when doing the A-Skips that you are getting you knees up and arms moving.
  2. Next, you will want to work on your rotation by jogging to the cone, turning and doing the A-Skips backwards.
  3. After the A-skips, you want to get moving laterally. Start with a jog to the cone and turn sideways for a lateral shuffle. From there, we will incorporate a karaoke shuffle with a crossover. This move is really helping the hips loosen up.
  4. Now the body is warming up, you are going to do a 70% run. Once you hit the cone, you are going to run at 70% of your max speed.
  5. After the run, you are going to do some walking lunges. Really emphasize the arm movement in this exercise.

Ballistic Stretching

  1. It is important to start with the dynamic movements before ballistic stretching because you don’t want to tear a muscle. You are going to want to start with a Frankenstein stretch. Swing your leg straight up and tough the toe with your opposite hand. (Left leg, right hand)
  2. The next stretch is the inchworm followed by the scarecrow. Start by keeping your legs straight as possible and bring your hands down and slowly walk your hands out and come to a plank position. Once you are in the plank position, you are going to walk your hands back towards your feet and slowly reach up to the sky. Bring your arms to a 90 degree angle and bring the back so you are opening up your chest.
  3. The next stretch is all about opening up the hips. Start in a push up position and bring one leg up and outside of your hands. From here, you want to take your inside hand, tuck under your other arm, and then bring it back through and reach for the sky. Do this a few times each side.
  4. Lastly, you are going to want to do a walking knee pull. Bring your leg back and grab it at the ankle. Pull the leg back and lean forward, reaching out your opposite arm. You should feel this in you quads