What Is Girls Hockey Speed Really All About?

By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

Most girls hockey players of the same age and ability level are pretty much equally as fast once their get up to their full speed. There are of course some exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, everyone is moving at the same relative speed once after their first 4 or 5 strides.  The truth is that being a fast female hockey player has very little to do with how fast you can skate in a straight line.  What really makes a player fast is how quickly they can get up to full speed, their ability to change direction and their ability to react to the puck and their opponents.

Girls’ hockey speed is about being fast in every direction you move and being fast with every decision you make.   Being able to read and react to the play instantaneously is what separates the best female hockey players from the rest.  You can be the fastest skater with the fastest shot, but if you can’t react to the play quickly enough to capitalize on your speed, you aren’t going to be able to gain an advantage over your competition.

But how do you develop multi-directional speed and the ability to read and react off the ice?

It is all starts with a solid foundation of single-leg balance, the ability to control and generate power off of one leg, and foot quickness.   Developing each one of these components of speed is critical, but single-leg balance is by far the most fundamental.  If girls don’t have the ability to stay low to the ice, they lose their ability to generate power, fight off checks and win battles.  Power and quickness will always be limited unless players first have a great foundation of single-leg balance in place. 

Once these three pillars of speed are set, players can start to develop the multi-directional speed they need to be quick and explosive in every situation out on the ice.  Integrating these skills into drills that challenge the athletes from a physical and mental perspective is really the key.

My favorite off-ice training drill that addresses multi-directional speed and the ability to read and react on a physical and mental level is called “ABCD/1234”.  And the reason why I like it so much is because it is all about reaction time, quick feet and and change of direction.

Here’s how the drill works:  Set up five squares marked by cones that are 3 feet by 3 feet apart.  There should be 3 or 4 players assigned to each square.  Have one player from each group stand in the middle of a square and have the other players wait on the outside of the square for their turn.  The cones are labeled in a clockwise direction (starting at the bottom left) as “A”, “B”, “C” and “D”.  The A cone is also named 1, B is 2, C is 3 and D is 4.  A coach, trainer or leader will call out a letter or number and all of the players who are inside the squares must run to touch the corresponding cone with their hand and get back to the middle of their square as quickly as possible, so that they can react to the next call from the leader.  The point is for players to move their feet as quickly as possible and not to simply reach out to touch the cone.  Players will perform the drill for approximately 10-15 seconds and then the next player from the group will jump in.

When I first start using this drill with my players, they usually complain that it is too hard and they are getting confused.  It just so happens to be a drill that requires players to think while they’re moving, which also happens to be what they have to do every shift out on the ice.

Developing multi-directional speed and the ability to read and react instantaneously are the keys to become the fastest female hockey player possible.  Once girls hockey players develop single-leg balance, ability to generate and control power and foot quickness through proper off-ice speed training, they will have the foundation they need to take their speed and performance to the next level.

© Total Female Hockey 2008

Kim McCullough, YCS, MSc, is a Athletic Development Specialist and founder of Total Female Hockey. In addition to training and coaching girls at all levels of hockey, from novice to the National team, Kim has also played at the highest level of women’s hockey in the world for the last decade. Kim’s female player development website features a state-of-the-art Complete Off-Season Training Program and her blog gives the coaches and parents of aspiring young players access to the most up-to-date tips and advice on how to help their players take their game to the next level. To learn more about female-specific player development, get your Free Report: The #1 Mistake Female Players Make in the Off-Season at http://www.totalfemalehockey.com