Hill Sprint
How to Do It
Find a moderate-to-steep incline. Sprint up it at maximal effort with a strong forward lean, powerful knee drive, and hard arm action, driving through each step. Walk back down for full recovery between reps. The incline provides resistance that overloads the push-off through a brief, all-out effort.
Why It Works
The incline overloads the acceleration phase, forcing maximal horizontal force production and full triple extension on each step; the natural resistance builds accelerative power and strength-speed while reducing braking forces and overstriding compared with flat sprinting.
Hockey Transfer
Builds the powerful, forward-driving push-off and leg drive of a hard skating acceleration; the resisted incline overloads the force production used to explode from a stop or accelerate hard up the ice.
Coaching Cues
- "Drive hard, lean into the hill"
- "powerful knee drive, punch the arms"
- "full push each step"
Common Mistakes
Overstriding/reaching; standing too upright; not driving the arms; cutting recovery short
Progression / Regression
steeper hill, longer distance, or resisted
gentler hill or submaximal hill stride
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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