One of the most under trained parts of an athlete has to be the hips. Most athletic movements begin at the hips, so it only goes to figure that this should be a significant part to be worked on in a training program.
Hip action is an integral part of a hockey players ability to stabilize, skate, shoot and pass on the ice.
Hips should not only be strong, they should be flexible as well. There is some science and technical "stuff" to describe how the hip muscles fire, contract, etc., but you don't need to know the full physiology to train them and make them better.
Here are some basic pointers in helping you to have better hips:
- Keep them flexible with dynamic stretching such as scorpions and walking knee hugs
- Use variety in hip raise exercises working both unilaterally (one leg at a time) and bilaterally (2 legs at a time)
- Engage the hips when you perform other drills, such as med ball throws (initiating action with the hips coming from a slight bend in the knee, depending on the drill)
And remember, the hips tie together the upper and lower body. Making your hips stronger and more flexible helps make you a more athletic functioning player on the ice
