Whether you're about to play for the Stanley Cup, or a once per week beer leaguer, it's important to get your body prepared for the activity you're going to partake in. There are tons of exercises you can choose to help get the body loose, but one of my favorites would have to be the Archer Squat. It's a wide stance movement in which you squat but shift your weight specifically to the left and right legs individually. This is great for opening up the hips, groin, back, knees, and ankles. Plus the wide stance and weight shift is a perfect parallel to powerful strides on the ice to help boost your speed and confidence in a foot race. Try doing 2 rounds of 15-20 reps on each leg before you gear up or before stepping on the ice and let me know how great you feel flying around the rink!

It’s absolutely BONKERS to me that 93% of youth hockey players have some sort of labrum injury by the time they’re 19!!! For those who don’t know, the labrum is the tissue in the shoulder and hip joints that help the ball move in the socket and stay in place — kind of important! Typical reason for injury/tear is overuse or impact trauma… both very common for youth athletes. This can also occur in adult rec players if not taking proper care of their physical health. Take care of your kids; take care of your selves; and do your best to keep your body injury free! [shared from IG: @coacherichinrichsen https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8Fxq74RYbv/?igsh=MW9sdnJ5dHg4NHpnOA==

This community is for hockey players of all ages who are looking to level up their off-ice training to improve all facets of their game. Along with the information I plan to post, communities like this grow best through participation. Though it's not mandatory, I encourage you to join the conversation... -Ask questions -Share articles, news, highlights -Respond to others posts -Send out challenges -Encourage others -Have fun! Community Rules: 1. Be kind and courteous -- We may battle each other on the ice, but we're all on the same team in here. Let's treat everyone with respect. Healthy debates are natural and encouraged, but kindness is required! 2. No hate speech or bullying -- Make sure everyone feels safe. Bullying of any kind isn't allowed, and degrading comments about things like race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender or identity will not be tolerated. 3. No promotions or spam -- Give more than you take in this group. Self-promotion, spam, and irrelevant links aren't allowed. 4. Respected everyone's privacy -- Being part of this group requires mutual trust. Authentic, expressive discussions make groups great, but may also be sensitive and private. What's shared in the group should stay in the group. At the end of the day, we all just love the best sport on earth and maintaining the ability to play for as long as we can is the top most priority. Now enough talk - let's have some fun! See you soon! Your coach, Eric H