Benefits of Goalie Slide Board Training

Goalkeepers have a critical role in helping their teams to succeed. In pivotal moments of a game, their ability to move quickly and to cover the width and height of a goal can be the deciding factor in whether or not their team wins. Whether they are guarding the net in a soccer or rugby match, or in a game of field or ice hockey, it’s important that goalies properly condition their muscles for fast, multi-directional movement, and build the endurance necessary to “protect the house.” Exercising with UltraSlide slide boards allows goalkeepers to accomplish this important training in order to help them succeed in their unique positions on their teams.

Benefits of Goalie Slide Board Training

• Quick and Explosive Muscle Movement: Slide board training provides goalies with lateral exercise comparable to movement from side-to-side in the net and works the major muscle groups that help athletes move with powerful speed.
• Building Endurance: Low-impact cardiovascular exercises performed with slide boards help goalkeepers build stamina effectively to prepare for long stretches of game play.

Quick and Explosive Muscle Movement

Fast bursts of movement are a key component to goalies being able to do their job, and quickly reacting to an incoming ball or puck in all areas of a goal is essential to a goalkeeper’s ability to protect the goal. UltraSlide slide boards provide unique lateral exercise (even 360-degree movement when using the UltraSlide Octagon) to help goalkeepers build their explosive power moving in the directions they most often must when actively guarding their goal. In addition to the traditional linear motions that many exercises entail, lateral movements on UltraSlide slide boards allow goalies to train in manner that imitates their movement in the net.

Training with an UltraSlide slide board also helps goalies to stimulate and build strength in the major muscle groups that allow them to move with the powerful speed needed to block an attempted score. Exercising muscles in the lower body, core, and upper body through various slide board movements can help to condition them to respond rapidly and optimally when it counts in a game.

Building Endurance

By exercising with UltraSlide slide boards, goalies are able to challenge more muscles throughout their bodies and are able to effectively build stamina. Incorporating low-impact, light and high intensity interval training on slide boards into goalkeepers’ routines helps them to improve their endurance and to be prepared for long stretches of play in a game. Cardio-focused movements on an UltraSlide slide board are an efficient way to add variety to the often monotonous-feeling, traditional cardiovascular exercises.

There are many slide board exercises that can be used to achieve an effective, but also fun, cardiovascular workout. Exercises such as slide board sprints, speed skating, alternating side lunges, striding, and lunge running prepare and condition goalkeepers for the repetition involved in their position of play, and for the quick sprints and jogs that are also necessary on the field or ice.

As the last line of defense between the opposing team and the goal, goalkeepers have a very important position and need to be on top of their game. Adding slide board exercise into their training regimen can help goalies to significantly improve their explosive movement and build endurance. Visit www.ultraslide.com to learn more about UltraSlide slide boards.