Most hockey players look relaxed and natural when they are jogging. But as soon as they have to break into a full-out sprint, the “true hockey player” inside of them comes out.

All of a sudden, their arms are swinging across the body and their stride is a mess. The tightness in their “hockey muscles” (specifically in their chest and hip flexors) is preventing them from sprinting properly.

Being able to sprint properly is a fundamental athletic skill. That doesn’t mean that you need to run out and join the track team, but running more efficiently will make you a better athlete and a better player.

Here are 2 simple “quick fixes” that players can keep in mind when running this summer:

(Warning: These 2 pointers are a little quirky – but trust me, players won’t forget them!)

1) Elbow Someone Behind You
To make sure my athletes are moving their arms forwards and backwards while sprinting (instead of across their body), I tell them to imagine that they are trying to elbow someone behind them as they run. It’s silly, simple and it works.

2) Squeeze Your Butt
Stay with me on this one.

The reason that most players have inefficient running strides is that their super-tight hip flexors prevent them from being able to fire their glute (butt) muscles. So instead of using their glutes to extend their leg behind their body, they arch their lower back. This causes a lot of stress to the lower back and is a major cause of back pain in young players.

The solution? Squeeze your butt. In addition to strengthening the legs and hips through training and lengthening the hip flexors through hockey-specific stretching, players must also consciously think about squeezing their butt in order to bring their leg behind their body when sprinting. This will take some getting used to – but it definitely works.

Hockey players may not be sprinters (in the true sense of the word), but they must be able to run efficiently in order to take their off-season training and on-ice performance to the next level.

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

Your friend and coach,

Kim