This post is a follow up from our Lakers Day presentation on mobility
for hockey players. The Huron Perth Lakers are a AAA hockey organization and we
were asked to talk about the importance of stretching, as well as injury
prevention with their players. This was a great experience, as we were
able to assess and observe players from the Atom age group to Midget. It didn't
take too long to see a pattern emerging; as the players got older their
mobility decreased, which leads to the topic of today’s post. Lack of mobility
in hockey players: What causes it? Why does it matter? And, what can be done
about it? I will also talk about anterior pelvic tilt, better known as ‘hockey
butt,’ and why this is not a good thing for hockey players.
*Throughout this post I use the term flexibility
and mobility quite loosely. You can think of flexibility, as the ability of a
muscle to go through a full range of movement. When muscles lose their
flexibility they can affect the flexibility of the joint (joint range of
motion) and therefore affect the overall flexibility of the athlete. As for
mobility, we can think of it as the overall movement of the athlete through
different movement patterns. If the athlete has poor overall flexibility, they
will not move as well and as a result they will be less mobile. This will show
up in the overhead squat and also in other movement patterns such as skating
and running.*
We used the overhead squat as a predictor of overall flexibility and
mobility, as it is a quick way to make a visual assessment of the players. Based
on our observations almost 100% of the Atom players could do a full overhead
squat. When we observed the Peewee players, the average was probably closer to
85% and moving on to the Bantams, fell to below 80%. When we looked at the
Minor Midgets the numbers fell again. Although our numbers are estimates, it
was easy to identify the aforementioned trend occurring, among the players of
the Lakers organization.
Overall, the flexibility of the players on Lakers Day was better than I was
expecting. As a physical education teacher, I have also observed this
lack of mobility showing up in gym class. One of the ice breakers I use
deals directly with my previous observations. I will have the class make
a circle and have all the students do multiple repetitions of body weight
overhead squats. After, I will go around the circle and pick out the hockey
players. Obviously, my success rate is not a 100%, but it is quite high! It is
definitely high enough to make an impression on the students, which is the
reason I use it to open the class. Furthermore, I own a strength and
conditioning studio, which has allowed me to work one-on-one or in small groups
with many different hockey players, ranging from Atom age to experienced veterans. This also
includes professional hockey players. As you might guess, the trend I see is a
lack of flexibility and mobility throughout the ranks. Now this is not a
controlled, long-term study, based solely on quantifiable observations, it is
instead my opinions, based on my experiences. It also takes into account experiences
shared by my colleagues - trainers, teachers and other disciplines that also
deal with hockey players and young athletes.
This begs the question, why do hockey players have worse flexibility
than athletes in other sports? In my opinion, it is in the nature of the sport,
as it is a very repetitive activity. The movement pattern that occurs in hockey
is much different than in other sports. The following is a brief and simplified
explanation:
Skating is a very quad dominant movement, the thigh muscles (quadriceps) do more
work than the muscles behind the legs and hips (hamstrings and glutes),
while the position of the athlete has the player in a constant state of hip
flexion (bending over at the waist). As a result, the muscles that keep the
body in flexion (hip flexors), that help rotate the leg out (lateral hamstring
and other hip rotators) and that help pull the leg back in (adductors), get
over worked in a shortened position, which leads to them becoming tight.
We can relate this to other situations that result in a similar outcome,
albeit under different circumstances. If you sit in a chair for a long period
of time and get up, the front of your hips will feel tight. While you were
sitting, your hip flexors were in a shortened position and were working to keep
your body upright. When you stand up they are returning to their normal range
and feel tight for a while until they adjust. Over time, if you don’t stretch
them out, they will get used to the shortened position and eventually they will
want to stay in that shortened position. Another hockey specific example would
be feeling what muscles are stiff after your first skate, when returning
from a prolonged absence. My personal experience confirms my outlook above. The
front of my hips and inside of my legs feels tight, as do my thighs and the
outside of my legs (lateral hamstring). If you think about your own
personal experience, I’m sure you have felt something similar. In response to
muscles getting tight, other muscles will become elongated, which will
negatively affect the balance between the opposing muscle groups. Over time,
this imbalance will become more pronounced if not corrected.
We call
this a loss of structural balance. In hockey players this may be apparent
by displaying anterior pelvic tilt. The myth of hockey players having big,
strong butts, stems from this. If an athlete is well trained this is possible,
but usually it results from the hips being pulled forward by tight muscles,
which in turn causes the appearance of a big ‘hockey butt.’ There even is a Facebook page dedicated to
hockey butts, which shows a couple examples of the phenomenon. In reality, many of
the hockey players I have worked with have a lot of problems even firing their
glutes, which means their hips are so tight at the front they cannot extend
their hips enough to engage their strongest hip extensors, which are their
gluteal muscles. Instead of having big, strong glutes, most have weak, poorly
functioning glutes.
There are many reasons that flexibility and the aforementioned issue of
structural balance matter. First, and foremost, is the prevention of injury.
When certain muscles get stronger than others a strength imbalance occurs. As a
result, weaker muscles are prone to injury, as the force production of the
stronger muscles overpowers the weaker ones. An example of this would be hamstring
strains. There are multiple reasons why a hamstring strain may occur, for this
example we will relate it to a hamstring imbalance. If the lateral hamstring is
stronger than the medial hamstring (outside in comparison to inside, which is
commonly found in hockey players), the medial hamstring will be prone to
injury, when the hamstrings group is put under demand. If an athlete with this
imbalance begins a sprinting program (explosive in nature, a lot of demand on
the hamstrings), they are at higher risk of a hamstring strain, which usually
will be the medial hamstrings. Subsequently, this is a very common injury
experienced by hockey players in the offseason. Another reason for injury
occurs when a muscle is stretched out of its range of flexibility. As a muscle
becomes more restricted or tight, it has less range before it gets taxed and
therefore has a higher chance of being strained. An example would be a hockey
player with tight groin muscles (adductors), if he or she clips another player
there is less range or give before the muscle is strained. Once a muscle is
strained it responds by laying down scar tissue, which is less flexible than
the original fibres in the muscle. If the scar tissue is not addressed it can
actually lead to more tightness and therefore a greater chance of re-injury.
This is definitely a case of where prevention is key, rather than dealing with
an injury after it occurs.
Performance is another factor that is influenced by flexibility
and mobility. A visual example that many of us have seen, is the shortening of
a player’s stride. As the season goes on and the amount of time on ice
increases, the structural balance of the athlete usually gets worse. Especially
if flexibility and mobility are not addressed throughout the season or in some
cases the offseason leading into the season. As flexibility decreases, so does
stride length. Obviously, a shortened stride can negatively affect mobility and
therefore speed on the ice. Earlier, I discussed the shortening of the hip
flexors and how this can ‘turn off’ the glutes. In testing this shows up in
different types of jumping assessment. Many strong hockey players do not do
well in the vertical jump test or in the standing broad jump test. When the hip
flexors are tight, it limits the hip extensors (the muscles that bring the hips
forward), which leads to weaknesses in hip extension, which limits leg power in
these tests. Hip extension, as well as, rotation are needed in straight-line skating,
but are more crucial in stopping, starting, turning and shooting. Without
strength in these muscles, these areas of the game will suffer. It might be
argued that hip extension is not as important in skating as in running, but it
still plays an important role. Another offshoot of the hip extension issue is
the limiting of strength gains in the other muscle groups that also are needed
for hockey players. If an athlete has poor flexibility and poor hip extension,
it will limit his or her gains in other lifts, which will in turn negatively
affect strength gain in other areas. Many strength coaches feel the front squat
is the best in gym predictor for hockey performance. You need to be strong and
have good structural balance to perform a front squat. It also is a great
predictor of overall leg strength. The problem is if you have structural
balance issues you are unable to perform this movement properly and therefore
cannot get the benefit of a strong front squat.
In order to help maintain flexibility and therefore mobility, athletes
need to maintain structural balance. They need to keep overused muscles from
becoming tight and they need to strengthen muscles that are underused and that
have become weak. It seems very simple and logical, but it can get more
complicated the longer the issue persists. The first step is to keep stretching
the muscles that may get tight (adductors, hip flexors, lateral hamstring), to
try to prevent muscle tightness as much as possible. On the flip side,
underused muscles need to be kept strong so that muscle groups don’t get out of
balance. The hip’s many different hip extensors need to be kept strong in
order for this to occur. If you observe younger children, they can all sit in a
full squat. Parents should have their children sit in this position to help
them keep their range and so that they don’t lose this ability. A Facebook
campaign called the
30/30 Squat Challenge, could be a great way to get athlete’s to
do this at home.
Playing multiple sports can also help, as it changes the movement
patterns the athletes will be taking part in and will help reduce structural
balance issues. As the athlete begins to specialize in one sport, more focus
must be made to maintain structural balance. It begins with proper stretching
routines and depending on how often the athlete is skating and how competitive
they want to be, a proper strength training program. A proper strength training
program will work on the athlete’s weak areas first, before progressing on to
more advance exercises. An example of this would be using split squats instead
of full squats, until the athlete can maintain a neutral back in the full
squat. A full squat is when the hamstrings muscles cover the top of the calf
muscles; if an athlete cannot do this it could lead to injury or actually
worsen pre-existing structural balance issues. In a full squat there is greater
activation of the hamstrings than in partial squats. The hamstrings are often
weak in hockey players, so being able to do full squats will help strengthen
the hamstrings. If a hockey player that has strong quadriceps muscles and weak
hamstrings muscles, does partial range squats it will put more emphasis on the
quadriceps, which leads to a worsened quadriceps/hamstring balance. Furthermore, if
an athlete has had previous groin and hip issues it will be more of a challenge
to fix. Stretching and a proper strength training program will often be enough,
but if the symptoms or injuries are persistent, a practitioner that deals with
soft tissue will be an asset in conjunction to their program. Chiropractors
with soft tissue training such as ART (Active Release Technique), Trigenics or
other credentials, massage therapists, physiotherapists, and qualified strength
coaches, all can help with these issues. Soft tissue work will help get the
flexibility back, but you need to strengthen the muscles once they get their
range back.
In order to get a proper strength training program, you need to
find a good strength coach or trainer. Look around and ask lots of questions
before committing. Make sure you ask about their training programs and what
they do to help with the issues brought on by hockey. Form and proper teaching
of exercises is another crucial component of a successful training program. It
takes a very good trainer with a lot of patience to get athletes using proper
form in their lifts. Be wary of large training groups that use complex training
exercises early in the athlete’s training program, as beginner athletes should
progress in a structured manner from simpler exercises to more advanced
exercises. It is also hard to teach proper lifting technique with a low
trainer/coach to athlete ratio. Furthermore, talk to other athletes and parents
(if applicable), so that you can get a good overall outlook of a program or the
trainer before you sign up.
Hockey is a very unique sport. The movement pattern of skating is much
different than running, the major movement pattern in other sports. It is
enjoyed by players of all skill levels and all ages, but with its uniqueness
comes the extra challenges related to flexibility and mobility. If you are
regularly playing hockey make sure to be proactive in preventing structural
balance issues. If you are already suffering from ‘hockey butt,’ make sure to
take action to reverse it. Although having a forward tilted pelvis might make
you look like a hockey player, it will eventually lead to increased chance of injury and worsened performance. If you want the butt, without the issues, get your glutes and hamstrings strong!
