Want to build your skills for the upcoming hockey season? Try these drills with Coach Jeff Lovecchio to increase your on-ice speed and power.
Here’s What You’ll Need for this Drill
How to Set Up
First, you’ll want to set up your Reactor Skating Slide Board. Just unroll the board, add the stoppers, and tighten down each side. The board can be adjusted for different heights, and comes with 3 different size booties so no matter how old you are, you will always have booties that fit.
Here are a few drills that you can try to improve your strength and mobility, allowing you to become a more powerful skater.
Follow along with video instruction.
Skating Drill
Place the booties on your feet and hop onto the board. The slip on the board allows you to mimic skating actions and really engage those skating muscles including your adductors, abductors, hip flexors and core.
Get on the board and put your right foot against the right side. Stay low and glide over to the left side of the board. Stay nice and low to make sure you’re really engaging your skating muscles.
Tip: Keep your eyes up!
Progression: As you continue with the lateral skating motion, try to add some stick handling with your BAUER hockey stick and a Stick Handling Ball. Try to keep your eyes up as you stick handle, rather than looking at the ball.
More Moves to Improve Your Strength and Mobility
You can also use the board to strengthen your skating muscles and improve your hip mobility. This will help to lengthen your skating stride, making you faster.
- Lunge: Put a bootie on your left foot. Press your right heel against the outside edge of the right side of your board. Lunge back with your left foot, drop your hips as low as you can, and slide your left foot back in. Repeat on the right side.
- Mobility Side Lunge: Put a bootie on your left foot. Press the inside of your right foot against the outside edge of the right side of the board. Slide your left foot out on the board while extending your arms to the front. Pause at the bottom and push down into the board to pull your left foot in. Try not to bend your left leg.
- 90/90: Put the booties over your hands and sit to the right of the board in a 90/90 position. Slide your hands forward (you will need to use your abs a lot here!). Take a few deep breaths and see if you can get lower. See if you can move your hands back toward your hips. Repeat a few times.
- Pigeon: Remove one of the stoppers. Put a bootie on your right foot. Get into pigeon pose with your left foot bent, extending your right foot on the board. Exhale and use your left glute to pull yourself forward.
Want to improve your puck control in a game-like scenario? Try some more drills with Coach Jeff Lovecchio.
