Equipment and Practice for Hockey Players

Those who wish to play professional ice hockey would need to have an abundance of courage, skill and stamina combined with great athleticism and sheer guts. A sound skating technique of course is a must and this goes for all levels of the game. If you think you have what it takes to enter the world of hockey, here's a brief introduction to warm-ups and skates.

Skating is essentially an alternating, one-legged balancing manoeuvre. Considering that your whole balance depends on it, getting a right pair of skates is of paramount importance. If your feet are still growing, you may want to consider a second-hand pair that is a good fit rather than spending top dollar for a designer pair of shoes that is one size big to accommodate your growing feet. The heel needs to rest flat on the back of each skate, and the big toe must barely touch toe cap although, extra room is not beneficial.

For younger skaters, ankle support is important, and whether it is leather or of a synthetic material it's okay. It all depends on the comfort level of the skater. Good high-grade steel blades are preferred and they need to be dried after each use. You should use skate guards if you walk across anything else besides ice with your skates. Always have a stone in your bag to sharpen your blades; you never know when you'll get a nick in the blade that needs to be smoothened out.

With regards to skating posture, the best one would vary from person to person, although what it is universally acknowledged is that everyone should try to maintain bent knees and ankles with their weight properly distributed over the balls of their feet. The alignment should be proper with the head looking forward and not down. A frontal view should show the chin, knee and toe in a straight line whereas from the side view the head, shoulder, hip and ankle should be aligned. Paul Coffey was noted for his fluid style of skating, but he achieved it after years and years of dedicated practice at honing this style.

And of course, practice is essential. But before you start practice, you need to make sure that you do warm-up exercises, in full gear, to help improve balance, posture, and help stretch out muscles. First, you need to work on the upper body, than the leg lunges and groin stretches. You should stretch out your upper body and your shoulders with shoulder rolls and dips. You should hold your stick across your shoulders at the upper back, and turn at the waist for shoulder rolls, dip to touch, with your right hand to your right knee, and left hand, to your left knee. You also need to stretch your lower back, which gets a lot of strain in a regular hockey game.

Groin stretches, which include various sitting exercises and leg lunges and hamstring stretches complete your warm up in preparation for your ice hockey game. It is always advisable to take your coach's advice on correct techniques and proper procedures.