🏃‍♂️To be SUCCESSFUL a hockey player needs to be FAST. As 92-95% of all SPRINTS in the game cover the distance LESS than 15 meters (35-42% = less than 5 meters) [1], ACCELERATION ability is CRUCIAL.

💪🏻Because FORCE-VELOCITY relationship is INVERSE [2], to build up speed from the dead stop, the athlete must APPLY as MUCH FORCE INTO the ICE as possible [3]. In addition, the more HORIZONTAL is the VECTOR of the PUSH, the MORE DISTANCE will be covered with each step [4].

🛷A great way to develop skating-specific strength & power and learn to apply it horizontally is ON-ICE RESISTED SPRINTING. Adding WEIGHT to a sled, we can manage % of skating speed decrement and stress DIFFERENT SECTIONS of the FORCE-VELOCITY CURVE of the hockey player. From a study by Delaney and colleagues we know that PEAK POWER output is registered approximately at 50% of MAXIMAL SPEED [5].

In the team setting we use the following approach:

Phase 1. TESTING (not earlier than the 3rd week of on-ice practices)
To determine the individual optimal weight, after the warm-up each player performs sprints from the blue line to the opposite blue line (15 meters).
Session 1:
without resistance;
with the sled + 30 kg plates;
with the sled + 45 kg plates.
From my experience, 4 repetitions of sprints with an external resistance performed for the first time in the season can cause soreness in the hip flexor muscles. It can lead to a fear of resisted sprinting during competition phase. Therefore, we limit the number of repetitions in the first 2 sessions to 2.
Session 2:
without resistance;
with the sled + 60 kg plates;
with the sled + 75 kg plates.

Phase 2. STRENGTH
Sprint 7 meters (from the blue line to the blue line) with the weight sled that causes 60% velocity decrement x 4 repetitions.

Phase 3. POWER
Sprint 10 meters / 50% velocity decrement x 4 repetitions.

Phase 4. SPEED
Sprint 15 meters / 40% -> 30% velocity decrement x 4 repetitions.

Thank You for reading!

References:
1. Zankavets U. An analysis of acceleration of the KHL professional ice hockey players.
2. Alcazar J. et al. On the shape of the force-velocity relationship in skeletal muscles: the linear, the hyperbolic, and the double-hyperbolic.
3. Allinger T.L., van den Bogert A.J. Skating technique for the straights, based on the optimization of a simulation model.
4. van Ingen Schenau G.J. et al. Optimisation of sprinting performance in running, cycling and speed skating.
5. Delaney J.A. et al. Uphill sprinting load- and force-velocity profiling: assessment and potential applications.