Hockey Training Exercises to Improve Shot Power
Three Exercises Every Ice Hockey Player Should Do
Nov 13, 2009
Assuming accuracy, the quicker your release and the harder your shot, the more likely it is that you’ll score.
Where Most Hockey Players Go Wrong
At one point or another, every hockey player has been told that a hard shot comes from the legs and/or from the core. Why then do so many hockey players train to improve their shot power by doing wrist curls? I remember talking to Michael Boyle, who is internationally regarded as the world’s leading hockey training expert, about wrist curl exercises for hockey players. After he got done laughing he noted that most players’ legs are so weak that they’ll never win a race to a puck anyway. It is likely that you’re wrists will get as strong as they need to from puck handling and from other exercises (e.g. wrist/grip strength improves from chin-ups, dumbbell reverse lunges, and deadlifts which are staple exercises in most hockey training programs).
Hockey Training Exercises
The take home message is that your first training priority is to build a solid foundation of lower body and core strength. While this is far from an exhaustive list of hockey training exercises, there are three specific exercises that will improve your shot power:
1. Dumbbell Reverse Lunge: Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand with your chest up and shoulder blades back. Take a big step backward with one leg and drop your back knee toward the ground. At the bottom position your torso should be upright, your front knee should be slightly in front of your ankle, and both knees should be flexed about 90°. Return to the starting position by pulling through the heel of your front foot (this helps activate the hamstrings and glutes). This exercise will improve your grip strength, and acceleratory leg power.
2. Belly Press IsoHold: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart with your chest up and a slight knee bend next to a cable column (on one of your sides). You should stand so the cable is set up about shoulder height. Grab the cable by interlocking your fingers on both hands around the cable handle. Keeping your hips and shoulders “square” and pointed straight ahead, pull the cable handle out and bring it into your chest. Extend your arms fully so that the cable handle is directly centered with your chest. Hold this position for 15s. Switch sides and repeat. This exercise will improve your rotational core stability as you train your core to resist the rotational force of the cable. Your body will only accelerate what it can decelerate. By improving your ability to control/resist rotational force your body will be able to accelerate through rotation faster (e.g. harder shooting!). Click here to watch a video of this exercise.
3. Standing Rotational Cable Lift: Set up as you would for the “Belly Press IsoHold” except set the cable as low as possible (ankle height) and put a rope on it instead of a handle. Assuming the cable is on your right side, grab the end of the rope with your left hand and stand up fully. To begin the exercise, rotate your hips and shoulders toward the column as far as possible reaching down toward the cable with your left hand. Forcefully rotate your hips and shoulders away from the column, pulling the cable up to your left shoulder with your left hand. In one motion, grab the rope with your right hand and fully extend your right arm in an upward diagonal pattern. The idea is that you’re using power hip rotation and rotational core stability to move the rope as quickly as possible in an upward diagonal direction. This is the ultimate hockey training exercise to improve shot power. Click here to watch a video of this exercise.
These three exercises incorporate all training aspects of powerful shooting: leg drive and grip strength, rotational core stability, and rotation core power. The best part is that these exercises also improve other aspects of your game on the ice (e.g. skating speed, ability to take hits, etc.). Include these exercises into your hockey training programs and you’ll start to notice significant improvements in your shooting power on the ice.
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