Hockey Skills

Hockey is one of the most physically demanding sports around. It takes speed, endurance, strength and toughness.

That's what inspired you to put on your skates and grab a stick that very first game. You are one of the best skaters and shooters around, but you want to raise your game to be a better all-around player. And you play with the intensity of "The Great One."

Sharpen Your Slapshot

Developing the right swing for a strong, controlled slapshot breaks down into five key phases: Preparation, Wind-Up, Down-Swing, Impact and Follow-Through. By working on the muscles that are most crucial in these five steps, you can help improve your swing. It will also help protect you from injury; so you can keep on playing at your highest level every period, every game, every season.

Become a threat on the ice by honing your slapshot accuracy and power with these easy to follow instructions and downlodable illustrated exercises.

Preparation

You need to keep your body as balanced as possible. Strong abs and back muscles will help your stability. So perform a balance ball rollout routine with a ZoN Balance Ball. A multi-directional lunge with a ZoN Strength Training Ball will provide better balance to the lower body.

» BALANCE BALL ROLLOUT
» ALTERNATING LUNGE

A firm grip on the stick and holding it straight to the puck is your first step. That takes strong forearms and triceps. Those muscles can be developed by performing wrist curls and reverse wrist curls with ZoN Weighted Exercise Balls.

» WRIST CURLS
» REVERSE WRIST CURLS

Wind-Up

Keep your wrists cocked and be sure to stabilize your shoulder. You can achieve strong pectorals and triceps by performing chest presses with the help of a ZoN Balance Ball and ZoN Dumbbells. Another good exercise for your shoulder stability is a bent-over upright row with a ZoN Resistance Tube.

» CHEST PRESS
» BENT-OVER UPRIGHT ROW

A smooth, controlled movement of your mid-section is essential. So build up those abdominal and lower back muscles with a series of ab crunches using a ZoN Balance Ball.

» AB CRUNCHES

To help keep your balance and posture, work on your lower body muscles. Performing squats with a ZoN Strength Training Ball will not only help your balance not only when shooting, but when skating and checking as well.

» SQUATS

Down Swing

To help with the internal rotation of the back arm and shoulder, a well-developed upper body is a necessity. A seated overhead press using ZoN Weighted Exercise Balls is a simple but effective exerciseas well as performing internal and external rotation exercises.

» OVERHEAD PRESS
» INTERNAL/EXTERNAL SHOULDER ROTATIONS

As your weight is shifted during the swing, keeping the body stable as you push off the ice takes strong calf muscles. A heel raise using ZoN Weighted Exercise Balls can make a huge difference.

» HEEL RAISE

Impact

A side lateral raise with ZoN Weighted Exercise Balls will add control and velocity to your shot. Since you're not just shooting with your arms, but all of your entire upper body, be sure your abs are toned to help give you puck-striking power. Repeated crunches with a ZoN Balance Ball will help you out there.

» SIDE LATERAL RAISE
» AB CRUNCHES

You can gain additional strength by performing chest presses with a ZoN Balance Ball and ZoN Weighted Exercise Balls. A Russian Twist with a ZoN Balance Ball will help with your torso rotation at the moment of impact.

» CHEST PRESS
» RUSSIAN TWIST

Overall body stability can be increased by performing squats with a ZoN Strength Training Ball. This will also help with the push-off that occurs during weight shift.

» SQUATS

Follow-Through

Maintaining your grip and control of the stick begins with your wrists. So be sure to incorporate wrist curls and reverse wrist curls with a ZoN Weighted Exercise Ball into your workout routine.

» WRIST CURLS
» REVERSE WRIST CURLS

To protect your back and help with your stability on the ice, build up those muscles with a ZoN Balance Ball rollout routine. This will also help you maintain body control as you complete your follow-through.

» BALANCE BALL ROLLOUT