Hill Stride
How to Do It
Find a moderate incline. Stride up it at a controlled, submaximal effort with tall posture, strong knee drive, and active arm action, emphasizing clean mechanics and powerful ground contact rather than all-out speed. Walk back down to recover and repeat. The incline naturally encourages a forward lean and full push.
Why It Works
The incline lengthens ground-contact time and forces a forward lean and full triple-extension push, reinforcing acceleration mechanics and force application while reducing impact and overstriding risk; submaximal effort grooves clean technique and builds strength-speed.
Hockey Transfer
Reinforces the forward-lean acceleration posture and powerful push-off mechanics that transfer to a strong skating start; the resisted incline push trains the leg drive used to accelerate, with a joint-friendly, controlled stimulus.
Coaching Cues
- "Tall posture, drive the knees"
- "full push up the hill"
- "controlled, clean mechanics"
Common Mistakes
Going all-out (losing mechanics); overstriding/reaching; collapsing posture; rushing the recovery walk-down
Progression / Regression
steeper hill or longer/faster strides
gentler incline or shorter distance
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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