Skater Jump Intervals (Hockey Tabata)
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 with feet hip-width on a non-slip surface. Athletic stance — slight knee bend, hips loaded. Push off the outside leg explosively, project laterally onto the opposite leg. Land soft on the bent leg, absorb the load through the hip and glute, immediately push back. Continuous bounds for the full 20 seconds — no pause between landings. Stay LOW the whole round. Drive HORIZONTAL distance, not vertical height. 10 seconds rest — stand still and breathe. Round 2 starts immediately after.
Why It Works
Skater jump intervals applied in a Tabata format (20s on / 10s off, 8 rounds) is the single most hockey-specific conditioning protocol that exists off the ice. Every other conditioning modality in the library is linear (sprints, bike, rope, row) or upper-body (battle ropes). Hockey is lateral — every stride pushes off an outside edge, every change of direction loads one leg, every check absorbed comes through the hip and glute on one side. Continuous lateral bounds under glycolytic load train the exact muscles (glutes, adductors, abductors, hip stabilizers) AND the exact energy system (lactic, ~75-90% VO2max) a real shift demands. Tabata's 20/10 work-rest ratio is the single most-studied high-intensity protocol in sports science — delivering gains in both anaerobic AND aerobic capacity in ~6 weeks. For hockey players, this protocol delivers what nothing else can: lateral-pattern conditioning at the intensity that translates to late-shift power preservation.
Hockey Transfer
The single most hockey-specific conditioning protocol off the ice. Continuous lateral bounds in a Tabata format train the EXACT muscles and energy system of skating push-off under glycolytic load. Direct transfer to late-shift power preservation. If round 8 reps drop more than 25% from round 1, you went out too hot — pace and rebuild conditioning.
Coaching Cues
- "Continuous lateral bounds — push off the outside leg"
- "Land soft on the opposite leg"
- "Immediately push back. Don't pause between bounds. Stay low"
- "Drive horizontal not vertical. The 10s rest is to stand and breathe"
- "Not to fully recover."
Common Mistakes
Standing up between bounds — kills the lactic stimulus. Stay low knee/hip flexion the entire round. Bouncing vertically instead of laterally — defeats the hockey carryover. Push wide, not up. Going out too hot on rounds 1-2 — round 8 should be within 25% of round 1. If it crashes, you paced wrong. Landing stiff on the inside leg — kills knees over time. Land soft, absorb through the glute, then push.
Progression / Regression
Hold a light dumbbell in each hand (3-5 kg). Or extend to 30s on / 15s off rounds — moves it into pure lactic territory.
Lateral shuffle instead of bounds — same lateral pattern, less impact. Earn 5 clean Tabata rounds at the regression before progressing.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Alactic / glycolytic (repeat-sprint)
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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