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Warming Up, Stretching and Cooling Down Warming up, stretching and cooling down are perhaps some of the most neglected aspects of training and playing hockey. Too often players are in such a hurry to get a puck, and start shooting at the net, that they forget that they need to warm up. Warming up and stretching is an essential part of all sports and is especially important to all the ice sports as the participants are performing in a cold playing arena. If a player doesn't warm up correctly before a game or training session they are much more likely to sustain injury to their muscles, tendons or ligaments. These soft tissues are quite stretchy when warmed up however can be quite rigid and easily torn when cold. Correct warm up and stretching will make muscles more easily extended, helping players contract and relax their muscles faster, which helps increase the speed at which skills can be performed. Warm up and stretching helps prevent injury so that the high power moves required for skating and shooting do not result in soft tissue injuries. Over time, stretching increases flexibility, increasing range of motion, which means that your skating stride can be longer, and easier to execute. This is because your muscles become less tight and restrictive, improving your stride and lessening your risk of injury. Stretching should be used during the cooling down phase after a game or training. Too often players tend to feel tired or too much in a hurry to leave after their training or game and so it is rare indeed to see a player cooling down properly. As the important cooling down and stretching phase is often missed coaches should include this in the game/training plan for all teams from Atom to Senior A. Over the long term an increase in flexibility can be attained with frequent stretching sessions, preferably after you have finished a session of sport as your muscles are warm and responsive. It is important that players perform stretches correctly, preferably under the supervision of a qualified coach or trainer. Players must remember to warm up sufficiently before stretching and not to hold their breath whilst stretching (stay relaxed). Players shouldn't bounce when stretching as this may result in injury and finally players should not overstretch - you should only feel tension in your muscles, not pain. Regular stretching sessions will provide you with significant gains in flexibility and the ability to perform some moves with greater ease.
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