Time on the ice is limited. To become a better hockey player, you must add exercise routines outside the rink. Below are my top 10 selection of off-ice hockey training equipment to help you improve your performance in terms of balance, power, hand-eye coordination, reflexes...
This article does not list the typical weights to list and home gym equipment, I guess you know all these already.
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Choose your figure skating off-ice training equipment
What must hockey player work on, when off the ice?
There are 9 types of training a hockey player should be focusing on, when working our off-ice:
- Speed
- Balance
- Explosiveness
- Endurance
- Strength
- Coordination
- Mental strength
- Strategy
- Flexibility
Learn more about each of them in my off-ice hockey training introduction article.
How to work on them?
All of them can be worked on without any equipment with exercises using only the weight of the body.
However, using specialized equipment can bring a lot to the off-ice training routine:
- Variety of exercises
- Types of exercises mimicking the hockey moves (not possible without any accessories) - spinning, sliding, gliding, mastering the puck...
- Increase the intensity of an exercise
Therefore, I have collected for you 10 of the best pieces of equipment to help you train off-ice. They can be great gifts for hockey players.
Note: always check out with a doctor or physiotherapist before practicing physical activities - and if you are a parent, always supervise off-ice training of the younger ones.
And if you want to take notes and see your progress, check out my specialized journal:
#1 Slide Board
What you work on
- Endurance - high intensity exercise low impact
- Balance - some exercises are focusing on balance and stability
- Explosiveness / power
How it helps your hockey skills
- Practicing on a sliding board is the closest to skating you can get, at home, to performing the skating stride
- It will improve your endurance with the lower body flexion, as if you are skating around the rink
- It will work your core muscles to improve balance - this is essential to all aspects of ice hockey: skating fast, avoiding the opponent,
How to choose
- First, check out the size of the slide - you need longer ones for taller players, otherwise it will get frustrating
- Check out the comments for the sliding factor - depending on materials some cheaper ones may not slide as well
- If you want more flexibility, check out the adjustable versions with tiles instead of single mat
- Learn more on my article about the best slide boards for hockey training
#2 Hockey Shooting Pads / Floor Tiles
What you work on
- Hand-eye coordination - as you master the glide of the puck
- Reflexes - especially if playing with someone else or with a pass master
- Stick handling techniques
How it helps your hockey skills
- Well, this is what mimics best the movement of the puck on the ice. It allows you to practice your techniques and drills on the ice, even if you can't be at the rink
- You can work on moving the stick around the puck - controlling its position and direction
- You can work on catching the puck
- And combined with the following equipment, you can practice shooting.
- Note - if playing on shooting pads with friends, don't forget your mouthguard (the puck can go fast and stick can go up!)
- And don't forget to wear your hockey gloves, to imitate on-ice practice!
How to choose
- Portability vs size - depending on what you want to work on and how (fixed in a room or moving to outside), you can choose what is best adapted
- Check reviews for the quality of the surface and how it slides
- Check reviews for durability
- Learn more on my article about the best hockey shooting pads and tiles
Looking for something even more advance to even skate off-ice?
Check out the Skate Anytime impressive synthetic ice:
Or you can read my article about the best synthetic ice tiles for for hockey.
#3 Pass Master / Rebounding trainer
What you work on
- Hand-eye coordination and
- Reflexes - as the pucks rebound and imitates having another player
- To practice passing the puck
How it helps your hockey skills
- This is to use in combination of the shooting pad or tiles (if not included in a kit)
- Training alone on the shooting pad has limits. The pass master or rebounding training equipment helps mimic having another player react to your moves.
- This type of equipment requires you to be precise in where you are shooting and reactive as it come back to you
How to choose
- Check on which surfaces you can use it and how well it holds
- Check reviews for durability
- Check size for your level
- See my article about the best passers rebounders of all shapes
#4 Stick Handling Training Aid
What you work on
- Hand-eye coordination - This is perfect to have the puck go in many directions as well as abruptly change direction... you get to react with your stick to catch it
- Reflexes - To master fast passing techniques
- Stickhandling techniques
How it helps your hockey skills
- In ice hockey, the puck can be coming from anywhere. The pace is very fast, and you must be ready to detect the puck and react very fast. As you are alone it can be difficult to practice. This tool helps mimic receiving passes from all directions.
- And you also use it to master your control of the puck as you move around it
- And you can also use them on the ice if you have a solid frozen pond nearby!
How to choose
- Check out its versatility - how can you combine the legs, what shapes you can create, so that you can vary your training and practice more potential moves
- Check reviews for durability
- Learn more on my article about the best hockeys stick handling tools and trainers
And don't forget to hydrate as you train:
#5 Goal & Goalie Shooter Tutor
What you work on
- Hand-eye coordination - You need to use your stick appropriately to pass the goalkeeper
- Endurance - if you work on them repetitively
- Shooting techniques
- Shooting accuracy
How it helps your hockey skills
- Well, the goal of hockey is to shoot the puck past the goalie... so when you don't have someone to play the goalie at home, this is the next best thing!
How to choose
- Good size for the size of your goal
- Waterproof if you want to use it outside
- Careful, most fake goalies should not be used with full weight pucks as they can destroyed them quickly
- Learn more on my article about the best targets, shooter tutors and shooting tarps
#6 Drill Set - trick hot kit
What you work on
- Hand-eye coordination - for accuracy shooting
- Plus, it is a wonderful game to play at a party with people from all levels (even beginners). It is often a big hit
How it helps your hockey skills
- It is more sold as a game, but you can really work on your accuracy with the small net
- You can vary your exercise by placing it in various locations: for example, up a staircase
- Plus, you can take it anywhere!
#7 Balance Board Trainer
What you work on
- Balance
- Coordination and agility
- To be able to move fast on the ice and react to the position of other hockey players
How it helps your hockey skills
- You will be building on core strength to improve balance on your ice skates
- You will have to coordinate all your muscles to keep balance and maybe do tricks
- This is needed to be able to move fast on the ice and avoid all the other players by changing your point of balance quickly
How to choose
- Good size for your feet
- The 2 best types of hockey players are Roller board or wobble board
- Check the weight limit
- Make sure it has a good grip surface
- Learn more on my article about the best balance boards for hockey training
#8 Jump Box
What you work on
- Explosiveness / power - as you push to reach the top of the cube
How it helps your hockey skills
- Pushing on the ice requires a lot of explosiveness to improve performance - you need to be able to accelerate and change direction very fast. Making your muscles able to power up very quickly is essential. Repetitive jumps on such a box helps.
How to choose
- Check the material - you want something of good quality with anti-slip system
- Choose a box that allows you to evolve and increase difficulty (different sizes on each side)
- Check reviews for durability and stability of the box
#9 Sliding Discs
What you work on
To increase core training
- Balance - these discs are good to increase the intensity of your core strength exercises.
- Reflexes - there is always a movement and your body must adjust quickly as soon as it slides.
How it helps your hockey skills
- It helps with all aspects of ice hockey as you will be increasing your workout on core strength and flexibility
- Better control of skating, turns, avoidance moves and body position for shooting
How to choose
- Check diameter is sufficient for your hand size
- Check out reviews for durability
#10 Book for Mental Strength
What you work on
- Mental strength
How it helps your hockey skills
It is often easier to work on the body than on the mind. But a strong mental state is also key for success as a hockey player.
The list is long. You can:
- Read about techniques and stories of great athletes - Read the many books focused on Athlete mentality
- Understand mindfulness
- Focus on positive thinking
- Enjoy visualization
- Practice meditation
- ...
- and check out my selection of 35 ice hockey quotes.
Take notes about the best plays:
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