Hockey players should train their core, not their abs!

When I talk about being fit for hockey, unlike a lot of hockey players I don’t just mean the ability to run for 70 minutes. Hockey fitness is also about being strong, fast, agile, powerful, core strength, having mobility & flexibility, recovering quickly in order to dominate physically on the field.

In hockey, one of the most fundamental aspects of being a physically dominant player is to have a strong core, which is often considered the base of athleticism. Not only that but a strong core can help to prevent injuries and reduce excess strain on other muscle groups.

 

What is your core?

 

The first thing to understand about the core is that it is made up of more than just the abdominals muscles that we see and what is often referred to as the ‘sixpack’

The core consists of all the major muscles groups which basically connect your upper body to your lower body including: the obliques, spinal erectors, hip flexors, glutes, etc.

Why you shouldn’t do situps
Exercises like situps would be considered training your abs (not your core) and is not really suitable for hockey players because it can actually cause more harm than good.

This is because you can hurt your back doing situps, plus hockey players tend to have shortened hip flexors (from the position we play in) and situps require further shortening of the hip flexors. Too much shortening or tightness in a muscle and what do you get? Injury.

Not just that, but exercises like situps don’t have a great carry onto the hockey field, which means it is not as productive as many of the other exercises which you could do instead which would be much more effective and more relative to hockey. Even holding a plank is not effective as most people think, however adding in some movement and trying to be stable and resist that movement would be better.

Core versus abs
Ab training generally targets specific isolated muscles using body builder style training whereas improving your core for sports performance trains movements by both restricting force and transferring power which has a much better carry over onto the field.

You could compare training your abs to a ferrari exterior with a VW engine. The core is like the engine of a car which powers everything you do and what makes everything look and feel smooth and easy.

Some examples of movements in hockey which require core power are:
– Hit
– Tomahawk
– Slap shot
– Overhead
– Dragflick
– Leading
– Change of direction
– Getting in front of your player to receive a ball

Importance of the core in sport
Core stability is crucial in sport not only in being strong on the ball but also in preventing injury. If you have a weak core, you are at a much higher risk of getting injured. You want to not only improve your core strength but also your stability, which are two different things.

Rotational power is important in hockey as that is your ability to re-direct or transfer force and power from your lower body while rotating at the shoulders – think of a slap shot for example. A lot of players lose power through low efficiency or because they don’t use or train their core effectively.

The video below shows just one of many effective core exercises to build a strong and stable core for hockey.

– See more articles like this at the Hockey Performance Academy