get mobile
Important
It’s absolutely essential that the physical and mental preparation needed for your continuing hockey involvement over a lifetime actively considers and balances:
your individual physical condition
Requires primary health care assessment of any pre-conditions:
This may involve pathology and other tests including assessment for metabolic and cardio-vascular disorders as a minimal set.
A thorough dossier of your injury history
Range of motion assessment from your physical therapist
Any pre-hab programs needed
Your mental health taking into consideration any or all of:
Anxiety
Depression
Loneliness
Motivations
Work
Time & travel constraints
It is never a one hat fits all approach that will ensure you can improve your hockey performance and satisfaction. Individually tailored programs are required to guide and manage activities so the sport you love is a positive element in your life rather than an additional stressor.
Always seek professional help from those qualified in HEALTH and EXERCISE for an individually tailored and primary healthcare endorsed prescription..
The article is deliberately constrained to a couple of examples because the area of physical conditioning and injury prevention for the multiple affected joints of a hockey player is a complex and knowledge-rich field worthy of a booklet not a generic blog posting.
Mobility
There are two levels of mobility really - a degree of basic and consistent level of general physical activity which, for combating aging, is essential, as evidence suggests that maintaining a high level of cardiopulmonary fitness and mobility exhibits protective effects on structural changes that occur with aging in areas of the brain associated with memory, attention, and task completion. Zhao, Tranovich and Wright (2014), found only 30% of aging is based on genetics, with 70% on lifestyle. A reason for VOITTO readers to encourage former team-mates who have become idle to re-engage with the game.
The other form of mobility is often confused with static stretching. Mobility as we understand it is more global in scope and includes the athlete’s ability to function and reach desired positions during activity and is heavily dependent upon stability and proper coordination of multiple joints functioning simultaneously. It requires development of the body’s proprioception; otherwise known as kinesthesia, which is your body's ability to sense movement, action, and location. Flexibility is a related quality that is focused on stretching and lengthening muscles. By increasing the length of your connective tissue,range of motion is aided and there can be assistance afforded without minimizing the probability of injury, stiffness and pain.
As a masters hockey player mobility and what is known as activation are essential to injury prevention and performance optimisation.
So, why is mobility so important?
Beyond its physical benefits, mobility training also impacts mental wellbeing and psychological factors associated with exercise. Research conducted by Front Psychiatry found a positive correlation between improved mobility and reductions in stress and anxiety levels among athletes. Mobility training:
Allows greater freedom of movement and improved posture.
Increases physical and mental relaxation.
Releases muscle tension and soreness.
Reduces the risk of injury.
The evidence-base
Mobility workouts are primarily based on movement patterns aligned with the target sport and make use of dynamic flexibility drills as opposed to more traditional static stretching routines.
Injury & performance
Jones & Bethan (2004) investigated the effect of different static and dynamic stretch protocols on 20-m sprint performance in rugby players. They found that static stretching as part of a warm-up may decrease short sprint performance, whereas active dynamic stretching seems to increase 20-m sprint performance.
Mobility drills can help to recruit or “activate '' key muscles that must be optimised as contributors for prime movement or stabilization. For example, poor gluteus maximus function has repeatedly been associated with low back pain whereas insufficient strength and motor control of the gluteus medius and lateral hip rotators has been associated with an increased risk of iliotibial band friction syndrome - a common malady among field hockey players. Averting potential injury in these important muscle groups is a must.
Lindgren & Twomey (1988) pioneered mobility and movement studies in elite hockey players finding that the game requires the athlete to become proficient at skills, such as receiving the ball from behind, cross-field passing and rapid changes of direction while dribbling the ball. All activities requiring considerable lumbar rotary movements, towards end-range. The chronic lower back pain suffered by many who are long time hockey players accrues as players are in thoracolumbar flexion for long periods often during training and competition.
Given the enormous load bearing role of the lumbar spine in day to day activities let alone the extraordinary overloading of hockey it is crucial this area is adequately cared for by way of conditioning, posture and recovery. The lumbar spine is composed of the lower 5 vertebrae, which have been numbered L1–L5. The lowest vertebra of the lumbar spine (L5) is connected to the top of the sacrum, which is a triangular bone present at the base of the spine fitting into the two pelvic bones.The lumbar vertebral bodies are seen to be taller and bulkier than the rest of the spine, as the lower back has to withstand higher pressure due to body weight and other movements such as lifting, pulling, and twisting. In addition, large and powerful muscles are found to be attached on or near the lumbar spine to provide extra strength to the lumbar vertebral bodies.
In an interesting study conducted by Rozan et.al, (2016) a detailed assessment of the effects of physiological loading on the lumbar spine in national male players of different games was conducted as means to determine future development of low back pain and injury symptoms. It was found that the hockey players suffered the greatest loading and potential damage to the L4-L5 vertebrae.
No single method of mobility training is effective for all. The vast disparities and unique differences in masters athletes particularly given pre-existing injuries and performance- limiting health conditions makes nonspecific programming impractical and mostly ineffective.
Despite evidence to the contrary, trainers and coaches of open age and masters hockey continue to ascribe to antiquated notions for the pre activity warm-up portion of a session.Usually training kicks off with light jogging and static stretching with an eventual progression to pushing and trapping and skill drills.These practices have been associated with performance reductions attributed to decreased isometric and dynamic muscle strength at different velocities. Several investigations have demonstrated that pre-exercise static stretching negatively impacts both slow speed high force movements and high-speed lower force movements.
A majority of athletic injuries occur while athletes are moving and going through rapid changes in range of motion and direction in situ rather than while stationary. Injuries generally happen when athletes are engaged in weight bearing motion rather than stuck diorama-like in a seated, supine, or prone posture.
Research has shown that dynamic flexibility drills improve performance in a number of specific measures of performance including 20-m sprints , jumping tasks, and agility tests. They aid in increasing the dynamic range of motion and reduce injury rates when compared with static stretching. Additionally, mobility drills help trigger targeted muscle group activation. Hockey players often exhibit poor gluteus maximus function which in turn has repeatedly been associated with low back pain. The same group, particularly as they age often exhibit insufficient strength and motor control of the gluteus medius and lateral hip rotators which exacerbates the probability of incurring iliotibial band(ITB) friction syndrome. Floating under the radar with masters players in particular is the specter of tight hip flexors. It silently wreaks havoc on the alignment of the pelvis, hip, and spine, ultimately creating pain in many parts of the body, restricting movement and undermining performance.
To really reap the benefits of mobility work, it needs to be harnessed concomitantly with resistance training to assist the athlete in developing functional stability.
There is a plethora of mobility training methods to tap into from ground-based or standing stimuli; open- or closed-chain movements; unilateral or bilateral patterns; upper-body, lower-body, or full-body movements; and isolated or integrated skills. Integrating multi modal mobility drills is not just about kick starting the cardiovascular system pre training and pre match but also to develop and refine motor patterns that will be optimised in situ.
Curated examples
The brace of mobility routines that we have curated for you include a lower back and general pre strength training session.
Caveat
As per our clinical approach do not engage in implementing suggested generic mobility exercises without initial consultation with your physical therapist and or primary healthcare.
As you are all no doubt aware, the Internet is awash with squillions of personal trainers, sports scientists and physios hawking their wares and in most instances for the clinicians involved doing their best to help. When we include an exercise-advice video with our content it has been well scrutinized and any link or recommendation is graft-free.
His lower back mobility routine is used by us with masters athletes and has proven to be tolerable and effective.
For younger masters players, prior to a total body focused strength and conditioning workout we use some or all of this mobility workout - again only after consultation with your physical therapist.
References
Baker, Breanne S., Kristin Miller, Kelsey J. Weitzel, Dana L. Duren, Robin Gammon, Susan Mills-Gray, and Stephen D. Ball. 2021. “Resistance Training Reduces Age- and Geography-Related Physical Function Discrepancies in Older Adults.” Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine 7 (February): 2333721421992251.
Behm, David G., Andrew Bambury, Farrell Cahill, and Kevin Power. 2004. “Effect of Acute Static Stretching on Force, Balance, Reaction Time, and Movement Time.” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 36 (8): 1397–1402.
Fletcher, Iain M., and Bethan Jones. 2004. “The Effect of Different Warm-up Stretch Protocols on 20 Meter Sprint Performance in Trained Rugby Union Players.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research / National Strength & Conditioning Association 18 (4): 885–88.
Grabara, Małgorzata, and Anna Bieniec. 2023. “Functional Movement Patterns, Spinal Posture and Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Elite Ice Hockey Players: A Cross Sectional Study.” Journal of Human Kinetics 87 (April): 59–70.
Granacher, Urs, and Tibor Hortobágyi. 2015. “Exercise to Improve Mobility in Healthy Aging.” Sports Medicine 45 (12): 1625–26.
Hough, Paul A., Emma Z. Ross, and Glyn Howatson. 2009. “Effects of Dynamic and Static Stretching on Vertical Jump Performance and Electromyographic Activity.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research / National Strength & Conditioning Association 23 (2): 507–12.
Labott, Berit K., and Lars Donath. 2023. “Agility Performance in Healthy Older Adults Is Associated with Handgrip Strength and Force Development: Results from a 1-Year Randomized Controlled Trial.” European Geriatric Medicine 14 (3): 547–55.
Morat, Mareike, Tobias Morat, Wiebren Zijlstra, and Lars Donath. 2021. “Effects of Multimodal Agility-like Exercise Training Compared to Inactive Controls and Alternative Training on Physical Performance in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” European Review of Aging and Physical Activity: Official Journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity 18 (1): 4.
Rees, Huw, Ian Shrier, Ulrik McCarthy Persson, Eamonn Delahunt, Colin Boreham, and Catherine Blake. 2020. “Transient Injuries Are a Problem in Field Hockey: A Prospective One‐season Cohort Study.” Translational Sports Medicine 3 (2): 119–26.
Rozan, Mansoorehossadat, Vahid Rouhollahi, Amit Rastogi, and Dilip Kumar Dureha. 2016. “Influence of Physiological Loading on the Lumbar Spine of National Level Athletes in Different Sports.” Journal of Human Kinetics 50 (April): 115–23.
Sánchez-Migallón, Violeta, Víctor Moreno-Pérez, Alvaro López-Samanes, Vicente Fernández-Ruiz, Sofía Gaos, José Bernardo Díaz-Maroto, Roland van den Tillaar, and Archit Navandar. 2021. “Effects of Consecutive Matches on Isometric Hamstring Strength, Flexibility Values and Neuromuscular Performance in Female Field Hockey Players. A Prospective, Observational Study.” NATO Advanced Science Institutes Series E: Applied Sciences 11 (19): 8938.
Yang, Yijian, Kimberley S. van Schooten, Vicki Komisar, Heather A. McKay, Joanie Sims-Gould, Debbie Cheong, and Stephen N. Robinovitch. 2022. “Effects of the Mobility-Fit Physical Activity Program on Strength and Mobility in Older Adults in Assisted Living: A Feasibility Study.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (9). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095453.
Zhao, Emily, Michael J. Tranovich, and Vonda J. Wright. 2014. “The Role of Mobility as a Protective Factor of Cognitive Functioning in Aging Adults: A Review.” Sports Health 6 (1): 63–69.
