Ready to take your hockey game to the next level? In this article, I’m sharing 21 proven strategies to boost your performance on the ice and help you play your best every game.
To get the most out of this article, I recommend reading it from top to bottom and then selecting the top three areas where you’re weakest to work on improving those.
You are only as strong as your weakest link. By focusing on your weaknesses, your entire game will elevate, as you will no longer have any significant “performance anchors” holding you back.
Let’s get into how you can get better on the ice…
#1: Hockey-Specific Weight Training
You’re in the gym to become a better hockey player, not a better weight lifter. Unless you’re on a hockey-specific training program, don’t expect hockey-specific results! Proper weight training will:
- Make you a faster skater
- Make you harder to knock off the puck
- Improve your balance
- Give you a harder shot
- Increase your conditioning and energy
- Help prevent injuries
If you’re not on a hockey weight training program, you’re missing one of the best forms of dryland training. Don’t follow a bodybuilding or powerlifting program; focus on a hockey-specific weight training program. You don’t just want to get “strong”; you want to get hockey strong—which means balanced and powerful.
#2: Hockey-Specific Speed Training
Speed training is one of the most poorly executed aspects of hockey training. Almost nobody does it correctly, which is why I wrote an entire free guide for you to check out here. Speed allows you to skate faster; conditioning allows you to skate longer. These are two very different workouts and should be treated as such.
To achieve maximum effect on your speed, a perfect balance of explosive speed, acceleration, and top-speed training with vertical, horizontal, and lateral power-based exercises is essential. Bookmark the speed guide and work through it; it will make you a faster hockey player.
#3: Hockey-Specific Conditioning Training
Because speed and conditioning are misunderstood in proper hockey training, I wrote a free guide on conditioning, found here. Many people conflate “being in shape” with “being conditioned,” but it’s all about meeting the energy demands of hockey specifically.
Hockey requires a combination of power, strength, and endurance. To maximize performance, you need to analyze the demands of hockey and adjust your programming accordingly. Take advantage of the research in this area and get your exact blueprint for hockey conditioning here.
#4: Hockey-Specific Agility Training
Agility training for hockey players often gets lumped into fancy “Speed-Agility-Quickness” workouts that are more about getting likes on social media than improving your skills. Hockey agility breaks down into two categories:
Perceptual-Cognitive: Visual scanning, anticipation, pattern recognition, situational knowledge, reaction time
Change of Direction Speed (CODS): Body position, sprint speed, leg quality specific to COD steps
If quickness and reaction time are what you need to improve, read the free hockey agility guide here and try the workouts.
#5: Eat a Pre-Game Meal
Just like a high-performance car requires premium fuel, your body needs high-quality fuel. Eating a junk meal will lead to poor performance, while a well-structured, hockey-specific pre-game meal will have you feeling like a beast on the ice. If you want to know how to structure a perfect pre-game meal, check out the formula here.
#6: Don’t Rely on Just Water During Games
Many hockey athletes consume only water during games, which is a mistake. An intra-game shake with fast-acting carbs, electrolytes, and essential amino acids is ideal. To create your own intra-game shake, check out the formula here.
#7: Eat a Post-Game Meal
Recovery is essential to achieving your hockey dreams. After games or training, implement the hockey nutrition formula to create the perfect post-game recovery meal. More on that here.
#8: Utilize Active Recovery Methods
Research shows that active recovery methods are superior to doing nothing on off-days. Low-intensity activity on rest days promotes faster recovery and benefits hockey performance. Hockey Yoga is an excellent option, but light swimming or a gentle hike also works well.
#9: Do Hockey-Specific Mobility Routines
Mobility allows you to move in the most athletic way possible. Proper mobility enhances edge work, prevents injuries, and improves movement efficiency. For a free hockey mobility guide, check here.
#10: Strengthen Your Ankles for Better Edge Work
Your ankles and feet are the first point of contact with the ice, bearing loads and maintaining balance. Strong, flexible, stable, and responsive ankles are essential for optimal performance. Don’t miss out on training them. In our training programs we use plyometrics, squat jump variations, lateral jumps, step ups, and more.
#11: Unlock Your Hips for Better Mohawk Turns
Hip mobility impacts speed, agility, and conditioning, affecting skating technique. Tight hips lead to movement restrictions, so include mobility routines within your warm-ups to alleviate this.
#12: Get Leaner
Leaning out will make you faster, as body fat only adds to the weight you carry on the ice. Leaner players experience improved conditioning, agility, and speed. For a full guide on nutrition, check out here.
#13: Periodize Your Hockey Training Year
Periodization is the science of structuring your training year into four cycles—In-Season, Post-Season, Off-Season, and Pre-Season—each with different goals and training focuses. For more on periodization, start here.
#14: Get 7-9 Hours of Sleep
Quality sleep improves reaction time, reduces stress, and boosts recovery. Think of it as one of four essential “legs” in hockey performance, alongside lifestyle, training, and nutrition. Check out more on sleep in this video and article.
#15: Eat High-Quality Food
Counting calories isn’t enough—hockey players need nutrient-dense foods to optimize performance. Get the full guide here.
#16: Meditate
Meditation can help reduce stress, improve recovery, and strengthen mental resilience. Discover six science-based reasons to meditate here.
#17: Hockey Reaction Time Training
Train your mind along with your body. High-speed decision-making and quick reactions put you one step ahead. Try to play small area games on the ice, more pick up and pond hockey, or other sports—all will help with your brains ability to react to what it sees.
#18: Hockey Coordination Training
Coordination includes stability, spatial orientation, speed of reaction, and kinesthetic differentiation. Improve each component with specific drills to become a more coordinated player. Start with this article.
#19: Perform At-Home Skills Drills
At-home skills drills boost shot accuracy, power, and stickhandling. Explore free skills drills here.
#20: Write Out Your Goals
Goal setting is powerful. Set deadlines and track your progress. Check out two goal-setting videos here and here.
#21: Build a Hockey Performance Mindset
Habits of excellence fuel success. Building a mindset of calm and resilience leads to better performance. Start with articles on hockey mindset here and here.
Taking your hockey performance to the next level isn’t just about working harder—it’s about working smarter. By focusing on the right combination of strength, speed, agility, and recovery, you’ll see noticeable improvements in your game. From the mental edge to the physical skills, each of these 21 strategies can help you build a stronger, faster, and more resilient hockey player within yourself. Remember, consistent effort in the right areas makes all the difference. So get out there, put these steps into action, and watch your game reach new heights!
