Band-Resisted Start
How to Do It
Wear a belt or hold a band anchored behind you (or held by a partner). From an athletic staggered stance, drive forward against the band’s resistance, taking powerful, low driving steps with a strong forward lean and hard arm action. Push for several metres against the tension, then reset. Emphasize big, forceful first steps against the resistance.
Why It Works
The backward resistance overloads the acceleration phase, forcing greater horizontal force production and a more pronounced forward lean with each driving step; trains starting strength and acceleration mechanics by making the athlete push harder into the ground than free sprinting allows.
Hockey Transfer
Builds the powerful, low, forward-driving first strides of a skating start; the overloaded horizontal push trains the force production and body lean used to accelerate explosively from a stop or to win a race to a puck.
Coaching Cues
- "Big, powerful steps"
- "stay low, lean and drive"
- "punch the arms, push the ground back"
Common Mistakes
Standing too upright; short, choppy steps; the band pulling the athlete out of position (too much load); not driving the arms
Progression / Regression
heavier resistance or longer distance
lighter resistance or unresisted drive
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Alactic/ATP-PC
Put it to work
on the ice.
This exercise is part of a fully periodized 12-week off-ice program — built by a sport scientist who coaches at the national level.
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