Exercise Techniques

All exercises should be carried out in risk free environments, wearing appropriate footwear, clothing and completing a warm up set for each exercise to reduce the chances of injury.

As previously stated, athletes with little resistance training should start by gaining knowledge and neuromuscular feedback for the correct techniques and maintaining form through the duration of each or the exercises (Cormie, 2011). Athletes should start by attempting to use their own body weight as an indicator of their initial strength, adding weighted medicine balls as a progression, then moving onto barbell exercises (Hedrick et al, 2008; Whaley et al, 2006)

Specificity is vital when prescribing athletes exercises, making them sport or movement related to gain to best training effects (Ronnestad and Hansen, 2011; Spinks et al, 2007). To focus on strength with benefit to hockey, exercises need to involve similar triple extension actions to that of sprinting, extending the hip, knee and ankle from flexed positions to apply force to the ground (Spinks et al, 2007). 

Image 2,Triple Extension, from sprint start.

The Front Squat

Image 3, Medicine ball front
squat set position.

The front squat is one of the most common lower body exercises, that can directly relate with sporting movement for hockey. The athlete starts either with just body weight, or a medicine ball held and chest height directly out in front of them with extended arms.


The athlete should keep their weight on their heels through the duration of the squat, pointing their toes up.


The athletes back should be straight and strong, NOT allowing their shoulders to roll or hips to tuck under.

Image 4, Medicine ball front
 squat down phase

The athlete should then attempt to lower themselves, as if sitting down on a chair.

During the down phase the back should stay strong, and the hips, knees and ankles should all flex.

The motion should be slow and controlled, with both knees staying constantly stable.

To progress the front squat and add load, introduce the barbell when the athlete is comfortable with medicine balls.

Do not add weight initially, just use the bar.


The technique is the same with the medicine ball, although elbows should be facing forwards and pointing as high as possible, resting the bar on the chest, this becomes more vital with heavier load.

Image 5, Barbell front squat set position.


The front squat boasts triple extension, and is an easy way of  keeping track of an athletes lower body strength. If the technique of a body weight squat is initially assessed, a coach may be able to diagnose problems such as less flexible muscle groups, or weaker areas of the muscular system, and put methods in place to overcome them (Hedrick, 2008)

Image 6, Barbell  back squat
 down phase.

To increase the load further, a back squat can be introduced as weight is more comfortable to bare on the top of the back, allowing greater resistance, thus more force needed to be produced.

The Split Squat

Image 7, Medicine ball split
 squat set position.

The split squat is still a double leg triple extension exercise, however the rear leg is behind the center of mass, replicating more of a acceleration drive phase action.


The athlete can imagine their body is on a vertical axis, moving the load straight up and down, NOT allowing their leading knee to move over the foot and hyper extend the ankle.

Image 8, Medicine ball split
 squat down phase.

The down phase is done under control, and the load must be kept stable by the core muscles, NOT allowing the exercise to become unbalanced.

Image 9, Barbell split squat
 down phase.

To progress the split squat a barbell can be added, carried on the back, with all the same principles and techniques as above. Emphasis must be kept on keeping stable and controlled when load is increased.

The Deadlift

Again the deadlift is a lower body exercise containing triple extension, relating directly to sporting movements such as sprinting a jumping (Classman, 2003). The techniques required with deadlift are very important to prevent lower back strain.

Image 10, Barbell deadlift
 set position.

Natural stance with feet under hips, shoulder width apart. Symmetrical grip on the bar with hands placed where arms won’t interfere with legs while pulling from the ground. The bar should be above the juncture of little toe and foot, with shoulders slightly forward of bar. Core muscles should be tight with arms locked and not pulling on the bar, shoulders must be pinned back and down with latismuss dorsi and triceps contracted and pressing against one another.

Image 11, Barbell deadlift
 lock out phase.

Weight should be kept on the heels of the athlete, keeping the bar close to the legs, essentially the load moves on a vertical axis. The head needs to be looking straight ahead ensuring shoulders and hips rise at same rate when bar is below the knee. Arms remain perpendicular to ground until lockout.

A progression from deadlift is the straight leg deadlift, which focuses on hamstring resistance, cutting out the flexion and extension of the knee and ankle joints.

Image 12, Barbell straight leg
 deadlift down phase

In straight leg deadlift the inital pick up and lockout are the same, however the down phase consists of lowering the bar down, with a locked straight back and pulled back shoulders, to as far down as possible without putting the hamstrings under too much strain, then lifting the weight back up by extending the hips.