Drills to Improve Your Speed on the Ice in Hockey

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Cortellessa]Anthony Cortellessa
There are various drills to improve your speed on the ice in hockey. Be sure to put in the time and effort in order for you to improve your game.
Believe it or not, the most successful drills to improve your speed on the ice are done off the ice. Off ice hockey training is a huge factor in today's competitive game. The game is all about speed and doing the proper drills will make you faster and an overall better player.
By targeting muscle groups that are used while skating through off ice training, you can develop more power in your legs. This power will translate to your stride, and allow you to skate significantly faster. These drills are done by numerous NHL players because they want to improve their game... and it works!
Front squat - this targets your hamstrings, glutes and quadriceps, all of which are used while skating.
Dead lift - targets your hamstrings, glutes and lower back.
Sled pushes - Often overlooked in off ice hockey training, it is one of the most important exercises you can do. This works your hamstrings, glutes and quadriceps at a very high and powerful intensity. Do sets of 25 yard pushes.
Sled pulls - similar to sled pushes, it works all of your leg muscles very well. Also increases your speed on the ice. Do sets of 25 yard pulls.
Do 3 sets of 6 reps for weightlifting exercises. This develops the most power in your muscles. This is exactly what is going to increase your speed on the ice!
Plyometrics are also very important to develop power. Do 3 sets of 10 reps for maximum results:
Squat Jumps
Lunge Jumps
One legged squat jumps
Later jumps
Box jumps
Tuck Jumps
Lastly, agility is crucial when it comes to speed on the ice. The number one thing you can do to increase your speed, is use an agility ladder. You can use it before practices or games to warmup as well. It greatly improves your foot speed and coordination. This increased foot speed will greatly increase your speed on the ice. I
Every NHL team uses an agility ladder for this reason, you should to!
You should not do every exercise I have listed above in one workout. You can always use the agility ladder at the beginning of your workout to warmup. Then focus on different exercises every time:
Monday: Agility ladder, front squat, dead lift, 4 plyometric exercises
Wednesday: Agility ladder, sled pushes, sled pulls, 3 plyometric exercises
Obviously, it is important that you have the proper training equipment to improve your skating speed on the ice in hockey. You will need a barbell and weights, agility ladder and a training sled.
I highly recommend the agility ladder and training sleds. The agility ladder improves your foot speed immensely. The training sleds target the muscle groups in your legs that are used to skate. The power you will generate by doing sled pulls and sled pushes will be crucial to improving your speed on the ice. That is why they are used by so many NHL players!
At http://www.bestofficehockeytraining.com there is much more information regarding products and everything you need for your off ice hockey training program.
Be sure to put in the required time and effort by doing the proper off ice hockey training exercises to skate faster on the ice! You will not be disappointed with your results. Take your game to the next level with off ice hockey training!
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Drills-to-Improve-Your-Speed-on-the-Ice-in-Hockey&id=6622605] Drills to Improve Your Speed on the Ice in Hockey