Hip Mobility Exercises for Ice Hockey Players

Three Hockey Training Exercises for Improve Hip Range of Motion

Nov 13, 2009

Groin strains. Hip flexor strains. Sports hernias. Decreased skating speed. Decreased shot power. Back pain.

These are some of the injury- and performance-related issues that arise in ice hockey players that lack proper hip mobility.

What Is Hip Mobility?

Hip mobility refers to range of motion in all planes of movement (think forward, backward, side-to-side, and rotational). Every joint must maintain a proper balance of mobility and stability. This simply means that the muscles surrounding the joint should be able to control the bones throughout the full range of motion.

Why Hip Mobility is Essential for Hockey Players

What happens if you lack hip mobility? As alluded to above, a lack of hip mobility can lead to a host of performance limitations and injuries. Ice hockey requires certain ranges of motion. If the necessary mobility isn’t available at the hips, the body will “steal” it from the joints above and below. A common example is that hockey players lacking hip rotation range of motion will rotate more at the lumbar spine (the lower back-the joint directly above the hips), which eventually leads to back pain.

Three Hip Mobility Exercises

1. Lying Knee-to-Knee Mobilization: Lie on your back with your feet flat on the ground with your heels an inch or so in front of your ankles. Spread your feet out as wide as possible. Pull your knees in toward each other until you feel a slight stretch deep in your hips. Hold this end range for a second then pull your knees back out as wide as possible. Repeat for 8 repetitions.

2. Rectus Femoris Mobilization: Set up in a lunge position with your front knee directly on top of your ankle, your front hip flexed 90°, your back hip fully extended, and both knees flexed 90°. Get up as tall as possible, brace your core and squeeze your butt on the back leg. Reach back with the arm on the side of the back leg and grab the ankle of your back leg, pulling your heel toward your butt into a “quad stretch.” While keeping your heel as close to your butt as possible while keeping your hip fully extended, slowly rock forward so that your back side hip extends slightly further. Hold the end range for a second, then return to the starting position. Repeat for 8 repetitions on each side. You should feel a big stretch in one of your quad muscles (the rectus femoris) on the back leg.

3. Wide Kneeling Adductor Mobilization: Set up in a quadruped position (on all fours) with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. While maintaining a flat lower back, spread your knees out as wide as possible until you feel a big stretch on your “groin” or adductor muscles. From here, use your hands to push your hips back toward your heels as far as possible while keeping your back flat. Hold the end position for a second then return to the starting position. Repeat for 8 repetitions.

These three exercises will help improve hip range of motion in the areas that most hockey players are restricted in. In addition to these mobilizations, hockey players should also stretch their glutes on a daily basis as these muscles are also “locked up” in most players. Add these mobilizations into your dynamic warm-up before every hockey practice, game and training session and you’ll start to notice improved hip range of motion within a couple weeks.

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