The core is important in every movement in hockey. Greater core stability provides a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

In hockey, the core aids in balance, acceleration, deceleration, stability, and stabilizes during body contact. Sport specific training done primarily with a neutral spine (a straight back) is recognized as the best way to train the core. The core is made up of all the muscles that surround and support the spine. All movement is initiated by the core and hips, and radiates out to the extremities.

True Core Stability

Stuart McGill, Ph.D., University of Waterloo (Spinal Biomechanist), indicates that true spine stability is achieved with a strengthening of all the muscles that surround and support the spine. The stability of the core/spine is crucial in hockey:

• Provides a foundation for movement of upper and lower extremities
• Protects the spinal cord and nerve roots
• Provides proximal stability for distal mobility
• Provides proximal to distal generation of force
• Helps in moving and protecting distal joints

How the core works in hockey

The core is important in every movement in hockey. When skating and puckhandling, the core maintains balance, momentum, and prevents unwanted movements that cause poor biomechanics. When shooting and passing, the movement of the arms and stick is generated by the hips through the core. The core is extremely important in body contact and hitting. When initiating a hit, the core must contract to prevent falling down, same as when getting hit. From a sports performance perspective, greater core stability provides a foundation for greater force production in the upper and lower extremities.

It is the experience of the author, having worked with many players, that the ones who lack core strength are unable to maintain an “athletic” position rather, their upper body will “fall” forward.

Training the core and training on unstable surfaces

Some people believe that repeated spine flexion (sit-ups and curls) is a good method to train the abdominal wall. However, these muscles are rarely used in this way – trunk flexion. More often the core acts as a stabilizer rather than a flexor. In other words, during a game, hockey players rarely, if ever, do forceful trunk flexion.

Some people also believe the most effective way to recruit the core stabilizing muscles is to execute traditional exercise movements on unstable surfaces. Core stability has little to do with the ability to balance on a gym ball. However, movement in hockey is not on an unstable surface rather, a slippery surface. The ice surface is stable, but the external resistance (other players) are not.

Rational for Neutral Spine Loading

This therefore makes a strong case for neutral spine loading. Training a neutral spine means exercises where the back is basically straight, or maintaining the natural curves of the spine. Hockey players require stabilizing core muscles for acceleration – deceleration and maintaining a strong “athletic” posture for all the skills used in hockey.

Neutral Spine Exercises

Horizontal Core Exercises

1. Front Plank – Bent elbows under shoulders, balancing on toes, with body straight, abs contracted to maintain neutral spine. Head in a neutral position. Modified plank – same exercise done on the knees. Advanced plank exercises: 1) move elbows forward, 2) lift one arm forward in the air, or 3) balance on opposite elbow and leg. Hold for 30-counts and do 2 – 3 sets.

2. Side Plank Left and Right – Bent elbow under shoulder, balance on stacked feet, abs and obliques contracted to maintain neutral spine. Modified side plank – leaning on bent knees. Advanced – move elbow forward, so that it’s under the head or hold a hand weight with top hand. Hold for 30-counts and do 2 – 3 sets.

3. Bird Dog – exercise for the muscles of the back. Start on all fours, maintain neutral spine, extend right arm out in front of body and left leg backward. Lift R-arm and L-leg, with pointed toe, at same time keeping elbow and knee straight. Lift as high as comfortable, finger tips and toes touching ground each rep. Perform reps of R-arm/L-leg, and then switch to L-arm/R-leg.  Modified bird dog – lift only arm or leg. Advanced bird dog – move arm in 3 positions – start with reps of the arm in front of the body, then move arm to the side, then move arm straight back beside the body. Do 10 – 20 repetitions with each arm/leg, 2 – 3 sets. To make it harder, hold a weight in your hand.

4. Stir the Pot – advanced exercise using a stability ball. Elbows on the ball, toes on the ground, stabilize with strong abs maintaining neutral spine, perform reps by moving elbows in a circle to the left, then reps by moving to the right. Hold plank position on the ball and move arms in a circle five times to the left, then five times to the right. Or 10 in each direction depending on your strength and endurance.

To get a great core work-out, perform 2 – 3 sets of the above five exercises. Front plank and side plank, hold the position for 20 – 30 counts. Bird dog, perform 10 – 20 reps – up and down with arm and leg. Stir the Pot, perform 5 – 10 reps in each direction.

Vertical Core Exercises 

1. Standing Med Ball Chops – feet slightly wider than shoulder width, knees bent in an “athletic position,” holding a med ball or any kind of weighted ball, elbows bent to approximately 45 degrees – perform reps by moving arms up and down as fast as possible. Advanced exercise – same movements with elbows straight. Do 10 – 50 reps, depending on fitness level.

3. Standing Med Ball Rotation – same body position as above, perform reps of moving arms side-to-side with little trunk rotation and a lot of arm/shoulder movement (so that the core has to accelerate – decelerate the arm movement). Do 10 – 50 reps.
4. Pelvic Stability Run – standing/balancing on one leg, with opposite knee flexed at 90 degrees and raised to hip height. Maintain pelvis parallel with floor. Lean forward (maintain a neutral spine, rather than flexing forward) flexing balance leg and extend opposite leg backward while maintaining balance and pelvic stability and mimic running by moving arms forward – backward. Perform reps balancing on the right leg, then reps balancing on the left leg. Start with 5 – 10 reps with each leg and progress as strength and balance improve.

Conclusion

A strong core is important for success in hockey. Most movements are initiated by the core. Most skills in hockey are reliant on having a strong core. “Traditional” core training such as sit-ups and curls are not the sport specific. Therefore, training the core with a neutral spine is the best way to improve the strength and endurance of the muscles that make up the core.