Develop Athletic Movement, Speed, and Power in the Off-Season

Every off-season, hockey players hit the ice thinking that more skating is the answer to a breakout season. While it feels like “hockey-specific” work, the truth is if all you do is skate, you’re missing the fastest way to maximize your performance on the ice.

Athletic training is the foundation of hockey performance. Your speed, strength, agility, and endurance are built in the gym, not just on the ice. Your ability to win battles in the corners, increase movement power, explode out of turns, and keep your legs fresh in the third period depends on your athletic base. Without it, you’re simply repeating the same movements without improving the engine behind them.

The off-season is the perfect time to develop that engine. Off-ice athletic training builds:

• Strength to hold your ground against bigger players.

• Explosiveness for quicker first steps and faster transitions.

• Conditioning to keep your game sharp from the first shift to the last.

• Mobility to move efficiently and reduce injury risk.

By focusing on athletic development now, you’ll step onto the ice in the fall faster, stronger, and more confident. A more powerful, better conditioned body makes every skating drill, every shift, and every game more effective. Increasing your ability to move well directly boosts your ability to perform the movements your on-ice coach demands.

If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting the same results. The players who dominate in-season are the ones who use the off-season to train smarter, not just harder. Build the athlete first through structured athletic training, and you’ll not only improve your hockey skills you’ll change the way you play the game.

Written by:
Kirill Vaks
BA, CSCS

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Voorhees Flyers Training center.

The Hollydell ice arena, in the main building.