It’s about that time of the off-season where the focus starts shifting.
Earlier phases of training should help you build the strength, movement capacity and physical foundation you need.
But as the season gets closer, you need to start teaching your body to express that strength faster. That is where properly programmed speed and power training comes in.
Being strong is valuable—but hockey rarely gives you unlimited time to produce force.
You need to create force quickly when you:
⚡ Accelerate out of a stop
⚡ Win the first few strides
⚡ Push laterally through your edges
⚡ Change direction
⚡ Absorb contact and immediately reaccelerate
⚡ React to unpredictable situations
This is why explosive training needs to be more than randomly adding box jumps and sprints to the end of a workout.
A complete speed and power phase should include:
âś… Acceleration and sprint mechanics
âś… Lateral force production
âś… Plyometrics and reactive jumping
âś… Explosive strength exercises
âś… Deceleration and landing control
âś… Adequate rest so every rep stays fast
One of the biggest mistakes athletes make is turning power training into conditioning.
Once your speed drops significantly, you are no longer training maximum speed or power—you are training fatigue.
Keep the reps explosive, allow enough recovery and prioritize quality over quantity.
Our 8-Week Hockey Speed & Power Program gives you the complete structure to develop acceleration, lateral explosiveness, stride power and more transferable athleticism before the season begins.
Comment SPEED and we’ll send you the full program details. Make sure you’re following us to get it right to your inbox! 🤝
And as always, you can find all of our đź”—s in our bio!
Hood Athletic Edge
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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Hood Athletic Edge, Sports & Fitness Instruction, Kelowna, BC.
Strength & Mobility Specialist: FRCms, FRAs, FRSC
15 Year Pro Hockey Player: Dylan Hood
Located for in-person training in Kelowna, BC 🇨🇦
Online Training Programs & FREE Hip Mobility Warmup in our links ⬇️
07/02/2026
The goal of plyometric training isn’t just to jump high. It’s to teach your body to produce force faster.
In hockey, you rarely have time to build force slowly. Every stride, crossover, first step, and change of direction depends on how quickly you can generate force and transfer it into the ice.
That’s where plyometrics become such a powerful tool.
When programmed properly, they can help improve:
âś” Rate of force development (how fast you produce force)
âś” Elasticity and stiffness through the ankle and lower body
âś” Reactive strength
âś” First-step quickness
âś” Acceleration and skating power
But it’s important to remember that not all plyometrics are created equal.
The exercise selection, volume, intensity, progression, and when they’re introduced into your training all matter if you want them to actually transfer to your skating.
Inside our 8-Week Speed & Power Program, every phase is built with that progression in mind—starting with the foundation, then building explosive power and ultimately helping you move faster where it counts: on the ice.
Comment SPEED and we’ll send you the details on our training programs. Make sure you’re following us to get it right to your inbox! 🤝
And as always, you can find all of our đź”—s in our bio!
06/25/2026
If your hip flexors constantly feel tight, there’s a good chance they aren’t actually too short—they’re too weak.
Your nervous system is constantly deciding whether it trusts you in every range of motion.
If you don’t have enough strength or control in a position, your body often responds by guarding that range. That’s the “tightness” many players feel.
Endless stretching rarely fixes the problem. Instead, you need to build strength throughout the entire range.
Inside our programs we focus on:
✅ End-range isometrics to build strength where you’re weakest
âś… Shortened-range training to improve active contraction
âś… Progressive loading to strengthen the entire range of motion
To many people, end-range isometrics look like stretching, but they’re actually strength training.
The goal isn’t simply to become more flexible.bThe goal is to earn range of motion your body trusts and can actually use on the ice.
🏒 Stronger hips lead to:
More efficient skating.
Better stride mechanics.
Healthier hip flexors.
Less stiffness after skating and training.
Comment HIPS below and we’ll send you our FREE Hip Mobility Warm-Up to help you start getting those hips moving the way they should. Make sure you’re following us to get it right to your inbox! 🤝
And as always, you can find all of our đź”—s in our bio!
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