Back

Slow Feet? How to increase Acceleration

Hockey, Acceleration, How to Increase Acceleration, First 3 steps, speed

How to Increase Acceleration

How to Increase Acceleration? Improving first 3 steps:

What is acceleration? Acceleration is being able to “change direction in a high velocity” or often referred to in hockey as “first 3 steps”. Within the first 3 strides, you will know who’s going to win the “race to the puck”.  Overlooked with acceleration is stability, if you are not stable enough in your stance leg and your stride leg, you will waste more energy, rather than being able to accelerate at Top Speed. Acceleration and Speed are NOT the same. 

Why Stability Matters w/ Acceleration:

You want to maintain Triple Extension in your stride (glide) leg and Triple Flexion on your stance leg, this will help to make sure this is no wasted movement. Wasted movement causes you, as a player, to waste more energy having to work on taking more strides, as opposed to having a strong, powerful stride. The quicker you can switch legs with proper stability, the more force production you have to produce power to get to the puck. 

Want to Increase Foot Speed?

You need to minimize how long it takes you to extend your stride and bring back in. The longer it takes for your leg to extend, touch the ice, and reload the more “wasted energy” you are using. If the knee is not fully extended, the power is not being fully used to its full potential, which results in less speed.  Exercises and progressions we use to help, Loop Band Strides for feet, Monster Band around knee for stability, and both monster band w/ loop band to reinforce the stability and power. Can also add a weight or Band for resistance.

Try to do drill bodyweight or with sliders (slider skater strides) to see if the knee of the stance leg could be causing you to lose acceleration (not being stable enough to hold all the force being inserted on the hip that causes the knee to collapse. If having trouble with bodyweight, then use bands and weight to help reinforce the movement. Put it all together to help acceleration.

#unleashthepotential

Written by:

Darrid Watson, CSCS, NSCA-CPT

Take action… Now!

Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Training Aspects Personal Training and Sports Performance:

Visit us:
Inside of the Flyers Training Center
601 Laurel Oak Rd.
Voorhees, NJ 08043

Recent posts
  • Unlocking Performance from the Ground Up Pt. 2: Hips
    Fit and healthy, Fitness, Personal trainer tips, Sports performance, Stretches, Tight Hips
    Unlocking Performance from the Ground Up Pt. 2: Hips

    At Training Aspects, we see it all the time. Clients with tight hip flexors, weak glutes, poor hip rotational control, all ailments that lead to further inefficient movement, compensation, and if not taken care of, injury. The hips are a central hub in the kinetic chain, connecting your lower body to your core. When they’re…

  • What Boxing Means to Me – The Finale: The Birth of TA Boxing
    Boxing Performance, Fitness, South Jersey, South Jersey, Testimonials
    What Boxing Means to Me – The Finale: The Birth of TA Boxing

    Part 6: The Birth of TA Boxing If you asked me a few years ago where I’d be today, living out a childhood dream, something I wrote a paper on in college… actually having a boxing program built on brotherhood, mindset, and purpose… I probably would’ve laughed. But life has a funny way of bringing…

  • Top 3 Supplements to Increase Your Sports Performance
    Assess Your Goals, Cherry Hill sports performance, Fitness, Fitness, Hockey Performance, Personal trainer tips, South Jersey, South Jersey, Sports performance
    Top 3 Supplements to Increase Your Sports Performance

    Top 3 Supplements to Increase Your Sports Performance Supplements! Everyone’s favorite go-to when it comes to increasing sports performance. Let’s be clear right off the bat, supplements will get you 1% better. Your daily recovery habits like proper diet, optimal sleep, water intake, etc. will make up the other 99%! So only focus on adding…

Subscribe to our newsletter
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.