Groin Adductor Slide
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Stand on a smooth floor in socks, or use a slide board. Place one foot on a slider or towel. Start with feet together. Slowly slide the foot outward — controlled by the adductor of that leg. Go as wide as comfortable, feeling the groin stretch under load. Pull the foot back in using the adductor — the concentric return. Complete 8-10 reps each side. Control every centimetre of the slide.
Why It Works
The groin adductor slide eccentrically loads the adductors through the exact skating stride range — it is the most direct off-ice translation of the groin's role in controlling the stride width and generating medial force. Regular eccentric adductor work has been shown to increase adductor tendon cross-sectional area, making the tendon more resistant to the repetitive strain that causes chronic groin problems in skaters.
Hockey Transfer
Active groin mobility — replaces the passive stretch with dynamic control. Pair with Copenhagen plank for full adductor coverage: stretch + strength = injury-proof groin.
Coaching Cues
- "Wide stance"
- "Shift weight to one side"
- "Lower into a side lunge"
- "Slide foot out"
Common Mistakes
Sliding too fast — the entire value is in the slow, resisted control. Going beyond comfortable range before you have the strength — build range gradually over weeks. Only sliding one direction — equally important to train the non-dominant side. Skipping it because it feels fine — groin injuries don't announce themselves before they happen.
Progression / Regression
Lateral lunge to slider — combines bodyweight load with the adductor slide demand.
Seated butterfly with gentle knee press — passive adductor stretch to begin restoring range.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
N/A (mobility/recovery)
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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