Rotation the Key to Improve Lateral Movement

By

Peter Friesen

Head Trainer and Strength / Conditioning Coach Carolina Hurricanes

B.Sc.P.T./B.Sc.P.E./B.Ed./P.G.D.P.E.

A superior conditioning regimen is the proven formula in all of sports for gaining the proverbial winning edge.

Think of a Great coach – from football’s Vince Lombardi to basketball’s John Wooden to hockey’s Herb Brooks – and they all espoused the idea that the team in superior condition beats the team with better players.

As a sports therapist and strength coach with 25 years of experience, mostly in hockey, I have seen firsthand a dangerous downside to these increasingly rigorous training regimes: The rise of training-related injuries. Unfortunately, no group of athletes appears to be more at risk to sustain training related injuries than young hockey players.

Sports hernias, chronic high groin pulls, shoulder impingements, low back pain and knee problems are all on the increase. This trend may be attributed not to the game of hockey itself, but training methods that emphasize exercises such body building activities and power / Olympic-style weight lifting.

All of these activities may offer excellent training alternatives for other sports, but there is scant evidence that they offer enhanced performance among hockey players. A young player who adopts these methods is more likely to develop muscle imbalances which can lead to long-term chronic injuries and less likely to improve their hockey skills.

When evaluating hockey exercises it makes intuitive sense to base the selection on what actually is to be done on the ice. The biomechanics of the limbs and torso should be closely scrutinized. Hockey movements are not so much lateral displacement, but rather a combination of rotation and stabilization.

A good off-ice exercise for skating should work muscles groups in patterns that will closely mimic their function on the ice.

Core muscles, located in the lower abdominal and back areas, are responsible for stabilizing the spine and thereby assisting in the efficient transfer of energy and force from one side of the body to the other, and from the trunk to the upper and lower extremities and vice versa. The core muscles also prevent shear stresses through the spine.

The hip musculature has two responsibilities. The recovery phase of the hockey stride requires stabilization to keep the hips square. The push off phase requires the thighbone to extend and rotate outward. This combination of movement enhances stride length and power.

Similarly, the knee musculature has two responsibilities. During the recovery phase the knee must remain flexed and stable, fixed directly below the shoulder. During the push phase, the knee extends and externally rotates. This movement combination produces a fluent powerful stride.

At the end of the chain is the ankle. Once again, there are two critical phases. In the recovery phase, the ankle must stabilize and regain alignment directly under the shoulder and in front of the hip and knee. During the push phase the ankle must extend and rotate outward.

This rotational movement that must occur in the hip, knee and ankle produces a complete stride, enhances lateral movement, improves hockey skills, and lessens the likelihood of injury. This movement pattern is impossible to re-create with body building exercises or power and Olympic lifts.

The best way to improve the appropriate firing patterns of these muscles and train the simultaneous rotation /stabilization function required for hockey is to use them in a synergistic, or all together manner, and avoid isolating one joint from another. We must emphasize the entire movement in a functional dynamic exercise to make sure the athletes are stabilizing at the core with the shoulders high.

Simultaneously during the push phase the buttock muscles are firing to move the leg into extension and external rotation. The knee and foot extends and externally rotates. At the same time this is occurring, the groin is stabilizing the pelvis over the stance leg so the pelvis remains square to the movement. The knee of the stance leg is bent but is over its base of control, which is the foot directly in front of the hip and under the shoulder. The knee must be solid and not advance over the foot. The skater must consistently maintain a posture that is not bobbing up and down.

With this in mind I would suggest the slide board, simple plyometric jumps, speed skater’s duck walk, single leg squatting on a 2”by 4” and any other activities that replicate the hockey stride through a full range of motion. These kinds of movements will enhance the hockey player for the sport. Athletes should start training the above movements slowly and correctly. Feedback from a coach, a mirror or video can help build success.

In the world of sports training “new” should not automatically be perceived as “improved”. For example, I believe The Hockey Handbook, written by Lloyd Percival and first published in 1951, remains the authoritative source for hockey fundamentals. It is my view that the training regimes that Percival developed based on those fundamentals have stood the test of time.