Ever wonder how hockey players can maintain such amazing speed? Wonder no more, you’re about to discover the answer.
Hockey is a fast-paced game that requires incredible reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and most importantly, the ability to move your legs quickly and smoothly without any excess weight holding you back.
When you’re playing hockey, the last thing you need is an extra layer of clothing weighing you down. That’s why it’s so important to have the right gear, especially for playing in cold climates. For example, if you’re living in Canada, you’ll have to make sure that your skates are firmly attached to your feet. Otherwise, you’ll risk having them move around while you’re skating, thus ruining your whole game. Luckily, we’re going to show you how to make hockey skates tighter so that even if they do move around, it won’t matter.
Table of Contents
Hockey Equipment You’ll Need To Play
Just like any other fast-paced sport, hockey requires you to have the proper equipment. One of the most important things is your skates. Even ice hockey, the most basic form of the game, requires you to have metal blades attached to your feet. The reason behind this is that metal blades allow for better footing as well as better acceleration and deceleration. As a result, they’re much more efficient than plastic or wooden blades.
In addition to your skates, you’ll also need a helmet, elbow pads, and shin guards. The best combination for fast reflexes and agility is a hockey helmet. This is because they’re light yet provide good shielding and padding for the head. For similar reasons, we recommend that you get padded elbow pads to protect your arms and shins as you push and turn quickly on the ice. As for your shoes, make sure that they’re thin and lightweight so that you can easily move around while playing.
How To Make Hockey Skates Tighter
With all of the above in mind, let’s get to work removing the extra weight from your game.
First off, you’ll need to untie your shoes. With your shoes off, grab your ankles and pull your feet in toward your body. You’ll feel a comfortable stretch in the back of your legs as your quads and hamstrings relax.
Tighten your glutes and hamstrings as much as you can while feeling comfortable. Once you’ve reached your limits, you can gradually release and relax your muscles. Do this a few times until you reach a point where your body naturally recovers and you can do it again.
Once you have your body relaxed, it’s time to tighten your skates. To do this, grab your foot closest to you and pull it toward your body. You’ll feel a comfortable stretch in the back of your legs as your hamstrings and glutes tighten. Once again, don’t rush this stage. Take your time and work your muscles until you reach a point where you can naturally hold the maximum amount of tension without any excess effort.
Once you’ve done this, your skates should feel snug and comfortable. If not, repeat the above steps and try another foot. This is the basic process for making your skates tighter, and it will ensure that they’re ready to play whenever you are.
When Should You Stretch Your Muscles?
It is important to regularly stretch your muscles in order to keep them in good condition. This is especially important for athletes involved in fast paced sports such as hockey. After each session, you should feel refreshed and ready to take on the world. However, you’re not always going to feel this way immediately. It can take up to an hour for your muscles to relax fully after a hard workout. During this time, it’s important to keep your muscles warm and loosely stretched so that they maintain their flexibility and don’t become tight and restricted.
As a result of this, it is not recommended that you stretch immediately following a hard session. Instead, wait at least an hour before doing any kind of muscle activity. This is especially important for hockey players who play on different teams during the week. On the days that they play with a stretched muscle, they risk it becoming tight and restricted, thus inhibiting their performance on the ice.
Summary
Although it might seem obvious, making sure that your hockey skates are tight and ready to play is not as easy as it may seem. It requires a bit of both mental and physical preparation. As you’ve seen, there’s more than one way to do this, so take your time and work at it until you get it right. Once again, don’t rush this process as it can take some time for your muscles to relax and loosen up after a hard session. Finally, make sure that you warm up your muscles before each session. This will help increase both your comfort and your performance on the ice.