A warm-up is an important aspect of preparation for a game, especially a dynamic one.

Warming up before a game is important because it can improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. A proper warm-up should consist of movement rather than just static stretching. A warm-up consisting of general, and hockey specific, exercises should be done 15 – 30 minutes before going on the ice.

What does a warm do for hockey players?

A proper warm-up will increase the player’s core body temperature, muscle temperature, blood flow, and get the muscles and tendons ready for fast, high intensity, contractions. A good indicator that players are warmed up is they will start to sweat, or they will “feel” warm. A proper warm-up can improve performance and reduced the risk of injuries to muscles and tendons.

When a warm-up has movements such as push-ups, crunches, and squats (among other exercises) it can also increase the speed of a contraction. This is because a warm-up, with movement and exercises, “primes” or “awakens” the nervous system. This, in and of itself, is an important aspect of warming up before a game.

There is also a psychological component to warming up. Many players will use a warm-up as a pre-game ritual to get ready to play and to improve mental focus for the game. The warm-up can give players a sense of confidence knowing they have done what is needed to prepare for the game. The warm-up is important for players so they “feel” ready for the game. A warm-up with the entire team can also help with team bonding and cohesiveness. Some teams will have the captains lead the warm-up, other teams will have a pre-set series of exercises the team knows and follows, and some teams will have each player demonstrate an exercise while the rest of the team follows along.

The age of players can also affect the duration, intensity, and type of exercises used for the warm-up. For very young players it is debatable if a specific warm-up is necessary because of the relatively low intensity of play during youth hockey. However, as players get older, more mature, and the intensity at which they play increases, a warm-up becomes more important.   

Is stretching a good warm-up?

Most athletes love to stretch because it feels good, decreases muscle stiffness, and makes players feel loose. But stretching in and of itself does not warm up the muscles. Static stretching (holding a stretch for 10 – 30 seconds) temporarily decreases blood flow which is the opposite of what a warm-up is supposed to do. There is also a lot of research showing if a stretch is held for 30-seconds or more, it decreases muscle strength and power for approximately 10 – 15 minutes after the stretch. This is called the “stretch lag period.” Therefore, if players want to perform static stretching, it is best to do the stretching first followed by dynamic movements to off-set the effects of the stretch lag period. For this reason, it is debatable if players should be performing static stretching during the pre-game warm-up on the ice using the “classic hockey stretches,” such as the “Frog stretch,” (for the groins/hip adductors) “Hamstring stretch” (balancing on one knee and the other leg extended and being stretched), and the “Crossed knee” stretch where the player has one knee “tucked” under the body to stretch the outside of the leg.

Typical warm-ups before games

Many teams, and players, perform a warm-up 20 – 30 minutes before getting dressed for a game (which would be approximately 40 – 60-minutes before the game). It is common to see teams running in the halls of the rink or outside, and/or doing movements and stretching well before they start to get dressed for a game. Many Pro, Jr, and college teams will kick a soccer ball around or stickhandle a hockey ball before getting dressed. This means the players are warming up 30 – 45 minutes before they go on the ice. It is arguable if the specific effects of a warm-up last that long. Having said that, sometimes the “warm-up” is used more to release nervous energy before the game, and less about actually warming up. In this situation, it would be advisable to do another hockey specific warm-up before going on the ice.

In a recently published research study, a 30-minute delay after the warm-up was long enough to adversely affect running and rowing race performance. The researchers tested runners and rowers who warmed up before completing either a 2.4-kilometer running or 2-kilometer rowing time trial. When the runners and rowers waited 30 minutes in the cold (5° C) after their warm-up, performance on the race time trial dropped by 4% (approximately 20-seconds) compared to a race time trail they performed right after their warm-up. The only thing that would be different for hockey players is that they are not waiting in the cold rather, they are relatively active putting their equipment on.

Proper warm-up for hockey players

In an ideal situation, a dynamic/moving warm-up could be done just before going on the ice, with the players in their equipment, with or without wearing skates. Research has found that dynamic warm-ups can significantly improve power, agility, sprint performance (same as on-ice acceleration and top speed), and vertical and horizontal jumps, when compared with a warm-up using only static stretching.

There can be two phases to the warm-up: 1) a general phase which can include exercises such as jogging, dynamic stretching, calisthenics, and light resistance exercises (push-ups, squats, crunches), and 2) a hockey specific phase which includes dynamic stretches and exercises that mimic movements done in a game.

Considering the size of many dressing rooms and/or arena hallways, it may be difficult to do certain exercises such as dry skating (hopping side-to-side from one leg to the other), but there are many exercises that can be done with a small “foot print.”

The following is a relatively short list of exercises that can be done in a dressing room or the hallway of an arena before going on the ice:

1. Push-ups: 10 – 20 repetitions
2. Squats: 10 – 20 repetitions
3. Forward-backward leg swings: 10 – 20 repetitions
4. Side-to-side leg swings: 10 – 20 repetitions
5. Dry skating (if there is enough room): 10 – 20 repetitions
6. Crunches: 10 – 20 repetitions
7. Arm circles: 10 in each direction
8. Side-to-side torso lateral bends: 10 – 20 repetitions
9. Big Hip circles: 10 in each direction
10. All 4’s Cat-Camel (arch the back up and down): 10 reps up and down
11. Repeat all exercises 2 times

If players want to do static stretching, it could be done before they get dressed.

Conclusion

A warm-up is an important aspect of preparation for a game.  A warm-up for hockey can use general exercises and/or hockey specific exercises. A dynamic warm-up is better than doing just static stretching.