Whether you're about to play for the Stanley Cup, or a once per week beer leaguer, it's important to get your body prepared for the activity you're going to partake in. There are tons of exercises you can choose to help get the body loose, but one of my favorites would have to be the Archer Squat. It's a wide stance movement in which you squat but shift your weight specifically to the left and right legs individually. This is great for opening up the hips, groin, back, knees, and ankles. Plus the wide stance and weight shift is a perfect parallel to powerful strides on the ice to help boost your speed and confidence in a foot race. Try doing 2 rounds of 15-20 reps on each leg before you gear up or before stepping on the ice and let me know how great you feel flying around the rink!

It’s absolutely BONKERS to me that 93% of youth hockey players have some sort of labrum injury by the time they’re 19!!! For those who don’t know, the labrum is the tissue in the shoulder and hip joints that help the ball move in the socket and stay in place — kind of important! Typical reason for injury/tear is overuse or impact trauma… both very common for youth athletes. This can also occur in adult rec players if not taking proper care of their physical health. Take care of your kids; take care of your selves; and do your best to keep your body injury free! [shared from IG: @coacherichinrichsen https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8Fxq74RYbv/?igsh=MW9sdnJ5dHg4NHpnOA==