Hip Flexor Activation
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
Lie on your back. One leg straight, the other bent at 90°. Lift the straight leg to 45° — hold for 3 seconds. Lower slowly. Switch. Or: standing, lift one knee as high as possible, hold for 2 seconds. Focus on the hip flexor pulling the thigh up — feel the contraction at the front of the hip. Progress to standing single-leg holds: lift knee, hold for 5-10 seconds, balance on the other leg. 10-15 reps each leg — deliberate and controlled.
Why It Works
Many hockey players have chronically inhibited hip flexors from prolonged sitting and skating — the muscle is tight but not strong. Activation work wakes up the neural connection to the hip flexors so they fire properly during sprinting and stride recovery. A hip flexor that activates slowly produces slower leg recovery between strides, which directly limits skating speed.
Hockey Transfer
Ensures hip flexors are active before training — prevents hip flexor strains. Pair with kneeling hip flexor stretch. Stretch the chronically-tight side; activate the often-underused fibers.
Coaching Cues
- "Standing"
- "Band at ankle"
- "March knee to hip height slowly"
- "Hold 2s at top"
Common Mistakes
Using momentum to swing the leg up — lift controlled, feel the hip flexor fire. Only doing it lying down — transfer to standing and then to movement. Rushing — each hold should be deliberate. 2-3 seconds minimum. Confusing tightness for strength — a tight hip flexor often needs activation, not just more stretching.
Progression / Regression
Standing hip flexor march with resistance band — adds external load to the activation.
Supine leg lift (knee bent) — easier starting position for severely inhibited hip flexors.
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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