There’s been plenty going on behind the scenes as we gear up for a new season. First league matches push-back on Saturday 20th September, so if your summer has been more ‘lie downs’ than ‘sit-ups’, some strength and conditioning might be just what you need to help reduce the risk of injury from the start.

Injuries in hockey are relatively common. Some are contact-related (like being hit by a stick or ball), but many are non-contact injuries, meaning they happen without any physical collision. These tend to affect the lower body—knees, hamstrings, ankles—and are often caused by sudden changes in direction, landing awkwardly, stopping quickly, or accelerating.

The good news is damage doesn’t always result in time lost from hockey for those that play twice a week, but some may result from weeks or even months off. Other good news is that most of these injuries can either be reduced in frequency and/or severity with some easy exercises either done separately or part of an effective warm up.

WARMING UP

Most players do some form of warm-up, which is great. But the content of that warm-up matters. Aim for at least 20 minutes, including:

• A pulse raiser
• Dynamic stretching
• Some high-intensity movements like sprinting

So, we have an opportunity for improvement here. Rachel Statfull, H&S Officer and our coaches have been working to devise a standardised club warm up. We will be using it at training sessions, so when it comes to match day, everyone knows the drill so to speak. The aim is to reduce the chances of injury and improve performance overall.

Perhaps the last minute scramble to remember whether we are shooing chickens or opening gates can be a thing of the past?