Welcome to dryland! 

I wanted to share a couple of exercises your kids can do at home with limited resources to continue with our dryland training. Most of these exercises can be done individually or with a partner such as a parent or a sibling. Feel free to make them a family affair or just a feel-good part of the day in your athletes’ journey through hockey. 

At the 8U level dryland is really about getting them used to going to something before or after their on-ice session. As long as they are staying active by playing outside with their friends or family, they will be all set.

The 10U and 12U levels we should be looking more into some sort of controlled activities on top of making sure they have that time with friends. Now playing outside with their friends or going to the park as a family are great ways for these kids to get out. They can still do some workouts such as bodyweight squats, push-ups, and planks. The best way to introduce these would be during commercials if they are big into TV or even a special routine before bed.  

As for the older groups 14U/16U/18U its harder to fit these little workouts into the break, but it is still possible. Again, these can be as simple as a 15–20-minute nighttime or morning routine of a quick circuit of all bodyweight exercises. Even going to the local high school field and running a couple 20-yard sprints or stairs are also a great way to increase speed, strength, and endurance all at the same time. 

~Kinsey Saiz, Sno-King Dryland Coach