New and more efficient hockey training equipment
Success in any crowded field (with reference to sports) often comes by aiming to do things differently or with the help of better resources. The sentiments are quite true in the case of ice hockey; using the same old hockey training equipment will not get you very far in terms of developing new skills or achieving improved results. Luckily, ongoing research that involves manufacturers working in conjunction with players to develop new and better equipment has yielded some credible results. Let us examine a few of them.
The puck has for years been the centre of interest with researchers looking to develop designs that will enable players to push it faster, and handle and strike it better. This initiative has seen people practice with heavier pucks and even golf balls. However, the best ball with regards to developing versatile and quick hands is the Swedish Stickhandling ball, a wooden ball that is mostly used in dryland training environments. It is ideal for pre warm up sessions whereby it helps to stimulate the neurological motors in the hands thus developing quicker responsive patterns. This is possible because the ball basically is lighter and as such it moves faster on ice as compared to the puck. Heavier balls cannot develop quick hands as they offer more friction and therefore players can instead use them for resistance training which is geared at developing strength. Unlike the golf ball, the Swedish ball does not bounce and hence it fully mimics the motions of the puck.
The shooting bungie (bungee) cord is another addition to the modern hockey training equipment. This cord is used to improve a player’s shooting strength and speed. It is basically an elasticized rope with two O-rings, one at either end and with one bigger than the other. One end is attached to a non-movable wall fixture while the other is attached to the hockey stick. The elastic cord provides some resistance to the stick’s motion and hence you develop greater strength as you practice snap shots, backhand shots and wrist shots. Following a training regimen based on 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30 reps for two months, players have reported speed increments of up to 10mph. This piece of equipment fully mimics the shot motion under pressure thus helping the player to develop the right range of motion.
Yet another product aimed at improving shot power is the SkinnerShooter. This equipment brings to shooting a unique tracking concept – a quality that sets it apart from other tubing products in the market. This is so because it is made of resistance bands and a pulley system that allows for the tracking of the travel of the stick while keeping the load on the blade of the stick constant. In shooting motions the wrists must make a turn in what is referred to as “Lock and Load”, and as the shot is taken the wrists must turn again, implying that the hands work in opposites. The essence of this hockey training equipment is therefore to strengthen the muscles involved in the shooting action so as to improve the power of the shot.
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For more information about hockey training equipment please visit to http://www.skinnerhockey.com/
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