Rarely, if ever, are hockey players found skating on both legs at once. Players almost never have their weight equally distributed across both feet. Yet, we train our bodies with squats and dead-lifts that use both legs together. Each skating stride starts on one leg and finishes on one leg. During cross-overs, many times we’re mid-air with no feet on the ground. Each shot requires the transfer of weight from one leg to the other. Even goalies use single-leg movements in transitions to make saves. Every aspect of the game of hockey requires players to generate, transfer, and control momentum from a single leg. Having excellent single-leg balance is critical for the development of all players and athletes. Hockey Training and Development should reflect this.
No More Straight-Legged flamingos
When hockey players are asked to hold a balanced position on one foot, they have a tendency to stand straight up, relying on the small muscles in their foot and ankle to hold them up. In this ‘high’ position, the small muscles of the foot and ankle must do the majority of the work to sustain balance and are going to fatigue relatively quickly, leading to a loss of balance.
Get Low
However, when proper leg strength has been built, players may get low by bending at the knee and sitting their hips back slightly. This allows players to use their larger muscles in their upper thigh (quad, hams, gluts). These larger muscles also do not tire as fast, meaning the athlete will be able to keep their balance for longer.
Getting low allows players to generate more power, control their power for quick changes of direction, and transfer their power from leg to leg.
If the hockey player is unable to assume a low, balanced position while standing on flat ground, how will they be able to do so once they are standing on a thin metal blade? Furthermore, if they can’t sustain their balance when stationary, how will they be able to do so when they need to change direction, deliver a hit or shoot the puck?
Begin Off the Ice
Not only is single leg balance fundamental to all components of athletic movement, it is also easiest to teach and train off the ice. The concept of ‘getting low’ can be a difficult one to grasp for hockey players when they are on the ice as it is much more difficult to assume a low balanced position while in skates than standing on the ground.
While standing on level ground, with one foot raised, players should focus on 4 key points: knees bent, hips back, chest up, abdominals tight.
Initially, players will fatigue quickly trying to maintain this position. Start off having players hold the balanced position for 10 seconds on each leg. Gradually build up until they are able to maintain a rock-solid low balanced position for 30 seconds.
The ability to balance on one leg is critical to the development, transfer and control of power and should therefore be trained as often as possible.
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