Girls' hockey has one of the highest injury rates of all sports, and none of those injuries is more devastating, and preventable, than concussions.
“The high concussion rate is girls’ hockey is particularly alarming since there is no body checking allowed in the female game”, says Total Female Hockey director and player development specialist Kim McCullough. “Fortunately, there are simple strength training exercises that players can use off the ice to prevent this incredibly high incidence of head injuries from becoming epidemic”.
Girls know that they are going to get hit out on the ice, but most of them are never taught how to protect themselves properly. Coach McCullough suggests two simple exercises from her “Concussion Proof” workout that players can do to better prepare themselves for the physical demands of the female game:
1) Single-
2) Core Stability: It is a player’s core stability that is going to allow her to maintain a low balanced position under duress. “The key to staying balanced is for players to keep their core tight and braced”, says Coach McCullough. “I always tell my players to tighten up like someone was going to come and punch them in the stomach”. Players can increase their core stability by holding a hockey stick or stability ball out in front of their body and having a partner push and pull on the object. The goal of the player holding the object is to keep the object stationary and not allow their partner to knock them off balance, which will better prepare them to face the physical demands of the game.
The female game is only going to get faster and more physical in the next few years and girls have to be ready to face those demands. Building single-leg balance and core stability through body-weight training is one of the easiest and most effective ways for girls hockey players to decrease their chances of sustaining a concussion.
To see videos of these two critical exercises for girls hockey players, go to:
http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/
