Hockey is a dynamic sport that can be complemented with a wide variety of games and exercises for fun and for training different muscles groups. Before, during, and after the season, it’s essential for athletes to keep fit and maintain their form at a high level. Coaches always try to make the training process more enjoyable for athletes, especially for beginners, to make them like the sport and interested in it.
The hockey season has already started, and teams from all over the world have begun to train hard and compete. Sports betting is also under the attention of fans, and it can be said not only about hockey, of course. Another popular kind of sport in the USA is baseball and MLB Future Bets are one of the most common odds among bettors. Future bets focus on players’ awards and playoff results. Interestingly, it’s possible to wager on the World Series winner after the season at any time.
When the season of any sport is over, it doesn’t mean that athelets have a vacation and lay on the beach till the new season starts. Athletes certainly have a vacation and time to rest and have time for their families, but they don’t forget about training. This will help them to keep fit and be ready for new tournaments and new achievements.
Practicing between seasons leads to more engaged players and interested coaches who will create new exercises, games, and maybe new jokes to make athletes laugh and feel comfortable and keep everybody focused on sports in an informal way.
Below you can find a short list of hockey drills and games that can be practiced at any time of the year and during the season. Certainly, it’s more crucial to focus on sport itself and techniques, but coaches should also pay attention to their team’s attitude toward them and training. They should keep athletes in love with hockey and their coach to be happy inside and ready to work hard.
How to Prioritize Fun and Practice
- Start: More fun activities are very good at the beginning to build a team, help athletes to start without stress, and bring them together.
- Middle: In the middle of the season, when the training process is regular and stable, it is also helpful to add some games and new exercises to lower athletes’ anxiety before competitions.
- End: At the end of the season, everybody is tired and needs support like at any other time. Maybe even more. In this case, it’s crucial to make athletes feel joy and offer them exercises that will help them to relax after competitions, meetings with the media, and hard everyday workouts.
Fun Hockey Games
Ice Hockey Game with a Ball
This game is quite like handball. Players should play 3 vs. 3. They can hold the ball only for 3 seconds. If they hold it for more than 3 seconds, the coach whistles, and the other team gains the ball. The team should work together to be successful. This game trains balance, spatial awareness, and edgework.
Ice Hockey with a Tennis Ball
A fun activity mostly fun and helpful for shooters and goalkeepers.This game can be played not only on ice but also on the ground. Let athletes shoot against the wall. Other activities off the rink can be the following: hockey on rollers, laser tag with tennis balls, lacrosse, etc.
Skills Competition
Skills competition requires more planning from coaches, but the results will be pleasant. In this game all the athletes take part. The activities of the competition can be, for example, fast skating, sliding, accurate shooting, accurate passing, etc.
Many other games can be found in the NHL videos, for example, or videos from training of hockey stars. Be creative, and you will make hockey a more fun and enjoyable activity.
