Hockey Stretches: Before and After You Skate

Before hockey, warm up with movement; save comfortable held stretches for after skating or a separate flexibility session. Focus on your hips, inner thighs, glutes and hamstrings—not on reaching the deepest position possible.

Dynamic stretching means moving into and out of a range of motion under control. Static stretching means holding a position. Both can increase range of motion, but they serve different purposes in this routine.

Long static holds are not the best final step before explosive skating. A systematic review of stretching research, covering healthy active people rather than hockey specifically, found larger immediate performance reductions when static stretching totaled at least 60 seconds per muscle group. Most studies did not include dynamic activity afterward; when they did, there was no clear performance effect. The practical choice is movement first, any needed brief hold in the middle, and skating-specific movement last—not a blanket ban on static stretching.

Before hockey: a moving warm-up

Do the off-ice exercises in shoes, on a dry, nonslip surface with clear space. This is a simple sequence for generally healthy players, not an injury-rehabilitation program or a tested injury-prevention protocol.

1. Start with easy activity

Walk briskly or cycle easily for about five minutes before moving into larger ranges. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends 5–10 minutes of low-impact activity before its hip-conditioning exercises.

2. Open and close the gate

Travel about 15 metres in each direction. For this sequence, use the opening motion on one pass and the closing motion on the return.

• Take two small diagonal shuffles.
• Balance on the outside foot and lift the opposite knee in front of you.
• Rotate from the hip to move that knee outward, then set the foot down and repeat the shuffles.
• To close the gate, reverse the motion: lift the knee out to the side and bring it inward.

Stay tall and move slowly enough that the motion comes from the hip rather than a whole-body twist. The University of Calgary’s exercise guidance provides these hip-rotation cues and specifies 15 metres each direction.

3. Lateral lunges

Perform 6–8 controlled repetitions per side.

Step into a wide stance, bend one knee and sit back into that hip while keeping the other leg straight. Keep the bent knee over the ankle. Return to the starting position and alternate sides.

Keep both feet flat, toes pointing forward and the bent knee from collapsing inward. Use a shallower lunge if you cannot maintain those positions. Calgary includes the lateral lunge for sideways movement, knee control and glute and quadriceps activation; it is more than a passive groin stretch.

4. Walking lunges with a small rotation

Travel 15 metres forward through alternating lunges.

Keep your trunk upright and front knee over the ankle. Rotate your torso slowly toward the front-leg side, then return to centre before the next step. Avoid a jerky twist or letting the knee cave inward. Calgary’s walking-lunge instructions also include backward travel; this shortened version uses forward travel only.

5. Side shuffles, then skating

Shuffle 15 metres in each direction, with a soft bend at your hips and knees and easy arm swings. Keep your feet apart, face forward and land quietly. Those cues follow Calgary’s side-shuffle exercise.

Once on the ice, start with easy strides and controlled turns in both directions. Build toward a few short accelerations as space and the team warm-up allow. Off-ice mobility work does not replace rehearsing movements on your edges.

After hockey: three comfortable holds

Use these after skating or in a separate flexibility session after warming up. Start with one 30-second hold on each side for each stretch. This is a short starting sequence, not a requirement to stretch every muscle after every game.

Hip-flexor stretch with reach and rotation. Half-kneel on a padded surface, with your hip over the down knee. Reach your hands forward, rotate slightly toward the down-leg side, then gently side-bend away from that leg. Keep the movement small rather than arching your lower back. Hockey Canada prescribes 30 seconds per side and places this routine after training or on recovery days.

90/90 hip stretch. Sit with one bent leg in front and the other behind, both knees bent roughly 90 degrees. Sit tall, lightly brace your abdomen and gently press the front leg into the floor. Switch which leg is in front. This is also part of Hockey Canada’s flexibility routine. Do not force your knees to the floor.

Lying hamstring stretch. Lie on your back with both knees bent. Bring one knee toward your chest and hold behind the thigh. Slowly straighten that leg until you feel a comfortable stretch along its back. Keep the other foot on the floor and avoid pulling directly on the knee joint. The AAOS instructions use a 30–60-second hold; start at the shorter end.

A stretch should not hurt. Stop for pain rather than pushing farther; recurring hip or groin pain deserves assessment by a qualified clinician, not a more aggressive stretching routine.

Why mobility matters to the stride

The useful link is room to apply force, not flexibility by itself.

Hockey Canada’s skating guidance describes forward skating as a lateral push with sequential hip, knee and ankle extension, while the gliding leg stays flexed. In physics terms, the net force acting on you over the push time produces an impulse—a change in momentum. Both the force’s direction and how long it acts matter.

If restricted motion cuts a push short, gaining usable range may give you more room to complete it. But extra range does not guarantee more force, better edge grip or a quicker recovery. Stretching is preparation for the movement, not a substitute for strength or technique.

Check the result on the ice: can you hold your normal stance, push to either side and recover the skate smoothly without pain? Use that check—not stretch depth—to guide the routine. For the next step, work on your first three skating strides.