Slide Board Intervals
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
Set up the slide board on a flat surface. Booties over your shoes for the smooth surface to slide on. Stand at one end of the board, outside foot planted against the bumper. Push off the planted foot — long, deep stride — and glide all the way across the board. Plant the opposite foot against the far bumper, immediately push back. Stay LOW throughout. Continuous strides for the full 60 seconds — no pauses, long deep strides not short shuffles. 60 seconds rest standing or walking. Round 2 starts immediately after.
Why It Works
The slide board is the single closest off-ice replication of skating that exists. Stride mechanics, energy system demand, even the specific muscle recruitment (glute med, adductor magnus, hip flexor concentric, posterior chain eccentric on the brake) — all mirror what skating actually demands. Programmed in 60s continuous rounds with 60s rest, the slide board delivers a 1:1 work-rest ratio matched to real hockey shift length (~45-60s). Glycolytic capacity in the EXACT muscles + the EXACT energy system a real shift recruits. Slide board intervals are the gold-standard hockey-specific conditioning modality in NHL strength programs — the carryover to on-ice performance is direct. For any player with access to a slide board, this is the closest you can get to skating without putting on skates.
Hockey Transfer
The single closest off-ice replication of skating energy demand. 60 seconds of continuous strides loads the EXACT muscles and the EXACT glycolytic system a real shift demands. Universal among elite hockey S&C coaches as the gold-standard hockey-specific conditioning modality. Universal among elite hockey S&C coaches for one reason: the carryover is direct. If you can do this clean for 5 rounds, your conditioning is hockey-ready.
Coaching Cues
- "Push off the side bumper with the trailing foot"
- "Glide across"
- "Plant against the opposite bumper"
- "Immediately push back. Long deep strides — not short shuffles. Stay LOW through the whole round. Quality of stride beats stride frequency."
Common Mistakes
Standing up between strides — defeats the position-specificity. Hips low, deep knee bend, sustained. Short shuffles instead of full strides — robs the carryover. Drive each push all the way across the board. Letting the inside foot drag — the planted foot fully releases, only the gliding foot is on the board. Pacing yourself — every round is max-sustainable. If round 5 is way slower than round 1, your conditioning is the limit.
Progression / Regression
Build to 6-8 rounds × 60s. Or add light wrist weights (1-2 kg) to load the upper body for a closer skating simulation.
Start with 30s on / 60s off, build to 60s on. Slide board is brutal on the adductors first time — back off if groin gets tight, build tolerance over 2-3 weeks.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Glycolytic / aerobic (mixed)
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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