Conditioning not so important in hockey...

[gopens67 0]

Would anyone agree with me in that conditioning isn't as important in hockey as it is in other athletic sports like football, soccer, lacrosse, basketball.... I feel like I know so many kids that are in amazing shape that aren't nearly as good as kids who have a belly and aren't ripped.... Im not saying that conditioning isn't needed for hockey, because im sure it helps to an extent, but hockey is different, kind of like you have it or you dont...Another thing is that hockey players at even the best levels are drunkards, and still manage to perform well... not that other athletes don't drink, but hockey is above all the worst of any major sport...studies prove it.

[Drewhunz 3]

Sacrilige However, a good sense of balance and adjusting your center of gravity are important on a low fricton surface, but overall that statement is moronic. Better to be a drunkard and play well than sticking a needle in your arm and getting a millimeter peter.

[wingsfan7777 0]

Soccer, Lacrosse and BASKETBALL!!!!!! You have got to be kidding me. I understand football, but come on. Conditioning is everything in hockey. My school had us start lifting like 2 months ago 2 days a week and in about a month we do ground training for 3 days a week. If you just let yourself go and never conditioned at all you would never make it anywhere. Conditioning for hockey is the difference between being good or bad in hockey IMO.

[Gongshow11 1]

you need to develo a strong inner core. when you trainf or hockey you dont want ot get huge, u want to get better ont he ice and since u are on ice its different. u want to be a quicker skater, strong upper body, and effective. ur going for speed on the ice not necessariyl bulk

[kosydar 0]

I think I'd agree, although its hard to make a blanket statement like that. Purely anecdotal evidence- Brett Hull is fat and in terrible shape, but he is one of the best offensive players in the game. At the same time, being in great shape really does help your game. Look at guys like Gary Roberts. If he wasn't in such amazing shape, he wouldn't be the effective player he is at his age. And it seems like in players I've seen in the midget/junior age around here, half of the top tier players are in great shape, and the other half are just naturally good.

[sniper94 0]

I think I'd agree, although its hard to make a blanket statement like that.  Purely anecdotal evidence- Brett Hull is fat and in terrible shape, but he is one of the best offensive players in the game.  At the same time, being in great shape really does help your game.  Look at guys like Gary Roberts.  If he wasn't in such amazing shape, he wouldn't be the effective player he is at his age.  And it seems like in players I've seen in the midget/junior age around here, half of the top tier players are in great shape, and the other half are just naturally good.

So doesn't that mean that if you are naturally good and in great shape you will rule the ice?! :lol:

Sniper94

[asdfa 0]

i don't see how conditioning isn't important in hockey. if a player wants to play at a high intensity level, which should be everyone since hockey is a high intensity sport, he or she needs to be in shape and well conditioned. i doubt that brett hull is in terrible shape, people just have different body types. for example, two people who are 5'10 and weight 180lbs or 210lbs can be at the exact same fitness level conditioning wise, even though the 210lbs person may look fatter.

[gopens67 0]

all i have to say is tyler arnason...didnt do anything for jrs. through college, did well for a year in the nhl, then started to workout for the first time in his life...forgot to mention he used to be a pudge..

[Gongshow11 1]

some people have natural talent, others work for it. gretzky vs martin st. louis.

st louis trains real hard int he gym and on ice, but i bet if u ask gretz he doesnt know what a gym is.

[jjtt99 0]

If it wasn't for my 1/2 decent conditioning I wouldn't have much game at all. I guess that speaks for my lack of natural talent :(

I can see why coaches get so frustrated with those who have talent, but no work ethic. I'm a Canucks fan and Fedor Fedorov comes to mind.

JJ

[Jason Harris 31]

There is a difference between great shape and great physique. Perhaps Brett Hull doesn't have a great physique compared to the average NHL player. I guarentee you, however, that his level of conditioning compared to the average person is far higher.

It seems you're trying to compare a conditioned player who doesn't have great skills versus an out of condition player who has great skills. Let's put it another way. Let's compare you with your skills today, versus you with your skills but more strength and stamina because you've begun training for three months. Who do you think will do better?

Honestly, however, you shouldn't be training for hockey only. You should be training for health. I've exercised for twenty-five years, along with eating decently and getting enough sleep. Even if I didn't play better at sports because of it - and I believe I have - I've been sick a lot less than most people.

That's the real benefit of training.

[hockechamp14 0]

Would anyone agree with me in that conditioning isn't as important in hockey as it is in other athletic sports like football, soccer, lacrosse, basketball.... I feel like I know so many kids that are in amazing shape that aren't nearly as good as kids who have a belly and aren't ripped.... Im not saying that conditioning isn't needed for hockey, because im sure it helps to an extent, but hockey is different, kind of like you have it or you dont...Another thing is that hockey players at even the best levels are drunkards, and still manage to perform well... not that other athletes don't drink, but hockey is above all the worst of any major sport...studies prove it.

you can't compare athletes who are well conditioned athletes in ground sports like football or basketball and then say that they are bad at hockey because it doesn't require conditioning. The fact is that hockey requires different muscle groups, different intervals in playing and all sorts of other variables that throw off one's athletic ability. Hockey requires much more skill development than many other sports because of the fact you're using a stick, so its not really a matter of having it or not.

[gopens67 0]

well to be a good skater, there are many biomechanical aspects of your lower extremities that affect skating, in that aspect i think you either have it or you dont.

[Cavs019 708]

Skills > Conditioning:

Skills + Conditioning = Dominance/Max Potential

Skills without conditioning = waste of skills/does not reach full potential

Next topic please. :D

[sherwood21 0]

So true Cavs...

But in all cases, conditioning doesn't mean you're ripped. I doubt that Arnold could run a 2 1/2 hr. marathon, and I highly doubt that the winner of the Boston Marathon could squat 560. Not related.

[Cavs019 708]

thats why its called "hockey shape." I've played with kids that were tanks that could rip me apart off the ice yet I easily outlast them on the ice because they're conditioning wasn't geared towards hockey. IE) Massive upper body, and long distance endurance work rather than bursts and explosiveness.

[sryhockeyguy 0]

I think what his original statement was that conditioning isn't as important etc.

And most people are saying taht you have to work out sometimes. I would have to say , working out is ok and helps to build muscle, but it depends on what position you are. For me; i'm a defenseman so I and big and stronger than I am fast. if one was a forward, you would want to be average size, but fast. So it depends what aspects you need to work on to become a better player.

[Project824 0]

It's a bit of an anomaly. A great athlete can be a great hockey player, but a great hockey player is not necessarily a great athlete. Skating is the big equalizer. You can have an amazing human specimen of an athlete, but if you don't know how to skate or can't do it well, you are worthless as a hockey player. Skating is part technique, and a skill, but it is also part financial. You cannot learn to skate at the level you must to be a good hockey player without significant time and instruction, which costs quite a bit of money. Already you've eliminated at a conservative estimate 70% of all "athletes" from participating. The same argument can be made about stickhandling and shooting to some extent. You are not dealing with a raw physical talent alone. Everyone knows how to run and jump. You can be a gifted athlete and be stronger and faster than your opponents and be able to run a football past them, or dribble a ball past them.

But the reason you can have a "lazy" or "poorly conditioned" individual excel at hockey is because of the wide spread of skills you must be trained in to be effective on the ice. You can put 20 Olympic gold medalists (other than hockey) in a game against 20 fat and old beer leaguers, and chances are that the beer leaguers will win. Hockey is very specialized, and that allows "unathletic" people to excel when they would other wise be considered bad in other sports.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Cavs, some would say that Kovalev is a waste of skills, but he is working extremely hard off-ice and in the practice.

I don't buy the natural skills guys. You have to do a lot of things to improve and I think ''those guys'' did a lot to have this sort of name.

[Cavs019 708]

No way is he a waste of skills! He's the most skilled player in the world bar none. Only reason I can think of as to why his production isnt as expected is because of his hockey sense, or lack of.

Kovy I agree as well, guys don't become skileld overnight. Begining at about 6 years old through the present I spent a good 4 hours in my driveway shooting almost every day, yet kids always ask me for a quick fix on how to shoot or puckhandle like me. :D

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Theo and Cavs, EXACTLY. You have to practice more than others to be better than them, not saying you don't have this natural talent because you will go nowhere and when you say you do not have skill, you are not practicing them, so your losing time.

[gopens67 0]

keep in mind kovalev was amazing with the penguins, he attributed it to the open system they play. I think he will be back playing there once the NHL is back, because he wants those kind of numbers again.

[Sniper15 0]

You said studies prove it what studies? Please post a link I would like to see them. Not all sports demand the same type of conditioning.

[sherwood21 0]

I think what his original statement was that conditioning isn't as important etc.

And most people are saying taht you have to work out sometimes. I would have to say , working out is ok and helps to build muscle, but it depends on what position you are. For me; i'm a defenseman so I and big and stronger than I am fast. if one was a forward, you would want to be average size, but fast. So it depends what aspects you need to work on to become a better player.

For sure you need to work on different aspects of the game to become better, but I don't agree at all with the other things you said. Conditioning is one of the most important physical parts of hockey. Once you're getting to a high level you need to be in shape. Working out, on the other hand is just as important, if not more. Unless your a freak and gain muscle weight without working out, you need to do it. Strength on your skates is so important. I've got a friend whos 14 and plays AJHL junior A, and hes about 5'5, but his strength is unbelievable. 21 year olds were having trouble pushing him off of the puck. You could think of Sidney Crosby, too. He's no bigger than 5'10, which is undersized, but it is so hard to get him off the puck, because of his strength on his skates.

So, this theory really doesn't make sense to me..

[rausch27 1]

what team does he play for?