Are you a young hockey player that aimlessly does random dynamic warm-up or ladder drills to warm-up for practice or games? Are you the parent of a young hockey player that is interested in helping them warm-up their bodies for hockey to help them perform better? Then read on, this is the article for you.  

For hockey players ages 10-15 we recommend a very simple structure to base your warm-ups around. Below you will find 2x different pre-ice warm-ups to both prepare your body to perform at a high level and improve your mobility, stability and strength in-season!  

The way to structure your warm-ups can be broken into four sections:

  • Mobility
  • Stability
  • Strength
  • Readiness

This structure is ideal for hockey players in this age range as it prioritizes physical qualities such as stability & strength which are qualities that we prioritize off-ice in our training programs in the gym. We prioritize stability & strength as they are foundational training qualities that we believe set young hockey players up for long-term success, health, and positive training outcomes.

Diving back into the actual warm-up structure, here are some reasons why incorporating these capacities into your warm-up is beneficial and why everything is ordered in the way that it is.

  • Mobility = increase active range of motion and prepare tissues for higher intensity stress. 
  • Stability = increased proximal stability in aims of enhancing distal mobility. The concept behind this is that the more stable your core/hips/spine are, the more “willing” your neuromuscular system will be to give your arms & legs more range of motion which translates to greater opportunities to showcase different forms of athleticism on-ice.
  • Strength = using multiple joints, move through a large range of motion to enhance overall strength & stability and further prepare the body for higher intensity stress. 
  • Readiness = get your nervous system fired up and ready to get your muscles to fire fast and compete on the ice!

Here are the 2x pre-ice warm-ups we recommend you incorporate into your routine:

Warm-Up Series 1: 2-3 sets, rest 1min after all exercises are complete, then repeat! 
  • Mobility: World Greatest Stretch Alternating x5ea 
  • Stability: Deadbug w Thigh Push x5ea 
  • Strength: Split Squat ISO x 0:30ea 
  • Readiness: Jump Squat x 3 + Sprint x 20m (9/10 effort)  
Warm-Up Series 2: 2-3 sets, rest 1min after all exercises are complete, then repeat! 
  • Mobility: Adductor Rockback w Rotation x5ea 
  • Stability: Side Plank w Knee Drive x5ea 
  • Strength: Lateral Lunge ISO x 0:30ea 
  • Readiness: Lateral Shuffle x10m + Drop Squat x3 (there & back) 

This structure is great because there are almost limitless variations to keep your warm-ups fresh but still serving a purpose. To summarize; 

  • Do a mobility drill to increase range of motion, ideally in your hips/lower body. 
  • Do a stability drill to increase stability of your core/lower back/hips which will help solidify the enhanced mobility from the previous drill. 
  • Do a multi-joint strength movement to prepare your tissues for upcoming higher stress & higher speed work to come. 
  • Do a dynamic jump, sprint, skip or bound for a short burst of intensity to get your body ready to compete and move at high speeds. 
  • Repeat for 2-3 sets.