Groin “pulls” are extremely common in young hockey players, especially at the beginning of the season. I spent 2 hours doing off-ice training at my friend Dave’s hockey school yesterday, and 4 players complained that they had “pulled” their groin on the first day of training camp.

The truth is that what players think is a “pull” is usually just a case of their groin muscles being sore and tired.

With each and every stride a player takes, the groin muscles get stretched. But those same muscles are also partially responsible for stopping the leg at the end of the stride, so that the groin doesn’t stretch too far.

So when players start skating after a long summer layoff, with the high frequency and intensity demanded during the pre-season, it makes sense that they might experience both soreness and tightness in their groin.

It takes time for a player’s “hockey muscles” to get used to the high workload, and during the adaptation period, the soreness and tightness might persist.

So what can a player do to prevent the dreaded pre-season groin “pull”?

A Simple Groin Stretch

Here is a simple stretch that players can use to alleviate soreness and tightness in their groin muscles throughout the pre-season.

Start out on your hands and knees. Slowly move your knees as wide apart as possible while keeping your toes pointing out to the side. Use your hands to support yourself in this position and then push your body back towards your feet slightly to increase the stretch. If this bothers your knees, bring your feet closer together. Hold for 1 minute.

Remember – Stretching is NOT a competitive sport. You aren’t trying out for Cirque du Soleil. The goal is to get the best stretch you can on that given day, not to stretch further than you’ve ever gone before. Go to the point where you feel a comfortable stretch and hold it for between 1-2 minutes. If you find yourself breathing heavily, turning red in the face or straining after only 10 seconds, you need to back it off a little bit!

Hockey-specific stretches, like the one shown above, can go a long way towards preventing players from sustaining an actual groin “pull” and help them to alleviate the soreness and tightness that comes from using those muscles at a high intensity and frequency in the pre-season.

Don’t forget to stretch if you want to feel and perform your best this season.

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

Your friend and coach,

Kim