Wayne Gretzky credited his uncanny ability to always seem to know where the puck was going to watching hockey on television growing up and tracing the puck’s movement on a piece of paper.
This was a form of mental hockey training, as it showed Wayne the typical hot spots on the ice with the most opportunity for scoring goals.
There are also plenty of hockey training exercises for your body that can be done in the comfort of your living room while watching games.
With the new NHL season just around the corner, Snipe Lights decided to give you some expert advice on how to amp up your at-home hockey training with fun and challenging exercises that will help produce results in your game. All without breaking anything in your house!
We reached out to our friend, at-home training expert Coach Jim Haynes, for some training tips.
Jim has been coaching hockey in Minnesota for over 10 years and started his channel Tryhard Hockey to provide resources for young hockey players to help them train at home.
“These exercises are all about engaging the core, adding rotational strength, and strengthening the lower back. This helps players get stronger and faster, and leads to better stickhandling and a better shot,” Jim says.
“Use these engine and foundation building exercises while watching your favorite team to invest your time, not just spend it.”
Jim created some customized videos for Snipe Lights showing how every player can do simple training exercises while watching hockey that will get your blood pumping and put you on a path to explosive rotation and a shredded core.
Superman with Rotation
Crab and Four-Point Stance with Ball
Every Snipe Lights also comes with two at-home hockey training tools that are perfect for use while watching games.
Snipe Band
The Snipe Band is a resistance-based hockey training device.
Attach the Snipe Band to a sturdy base, wrap it around the bottom of a hockey stick or broom, and practice your shooting motion to develop a quicker release and harder shot.
Jim also shows us an alternative way to use your Snipe Band below:
Snipe Pipe
The Snipe Pipe is a dynamic hockey training accessory made of sturdy PVC material.
Slide the Snipe Pipe over the end of your stick, hold in your bottom hand, and practice stickhandling on a shooting pad to strengthen your upper hand for better puck control and quicker stickhandling movements.
Here is another way to use the Snipe Pipe without a puck:
Check out this video for more demonstrations of how to use both the Snipe Band and the Snipe Pipe.
The great thing about doing hockey training while watching a hockey game is that it’s easy to set and track goals.
Want to do six exercises during the game? Just do one at the beginning and one at the end of each period, and you’re golden.
Or do short sets during commercials. You design your own workout!
Plus, you’ve got built-in entertainment and motivation from the best hockey players in the world.
So, the next time someone asks you what you’re up to while you’re watching NHL games, just tell them you’re working out!
You can follow Coach James Haynes on Instagram here and check out all his great videos.
Share any at-home training exercises you like doing in the comments section below.
Related links:
Snipe Lights: The Most Fun and Affordable Portable Hockey Training Solution