What You Need to Know about Lateral Trainers for Youth Hockey Exercises

For youth hockey players, lateral strength plays a decisive role in determining an athlete’s success. To help young athletes build this lateral strength, it’s important to focus on exercises that are designed to efficiently improve it. Slideboards and other lateral trainer products are a great way to build this strength as quickly as possible. Read on to learn more about lateral trainers, youth hockey lateral training exercises, and the UltraSlide product line.

Lateral Training on Ultraslide Slideboards

Lateral trainers – including slideboards – are designed to help athletes move through efficient lateral strengthening and conditioning exercises by providing a secure and portable foundation suitable for a variety of training environments. Many athletes – especially hockey players and football players – use these devices in order to gain a competitive advantage, especially considering the lack of attention paid to lateral strength in general. UltraSlide provides a number of different slideboards that are designed to suit different types of exercises and training goals. Here are a range of the products we’ve created to give you just a taste of the UltraSlide slideboards available for you and your young hockey player!

• UltraSlide 5: For hockey players and athletes that don’t require a bumper, the UltraSlide 5 is a great choice. It’s portable, durable, and made from the same high-end materials you’ll find on all UltraSlide products.
• UltraSlide 8: If you’re a coach or athletic instructor looking for a slideboard solution that needs to be able to handle heavy and constant use in an institutional or academic setting, UltraSlide 8 is a great choice. It’s also one of the most popular products we sell.
• UltraSlide Octagon: If you want to simulate a real 360-degree movement environment, the UltraSlide Octagon is the right choice. It’s one of the only products available on the market today that allows for omnidirectional movement and angles.

How Can Youth Hockey Players Utilize a Lateral Trainer?

Youth hockey players who want to improve their lateral strength as quickly as possible should investing in a slideboard. Hockey is a particularly competitive sport that requires significant lateral strength. While most young athletes are focused on the more tangible areas of strength training and conditioning – in particular, weightlifting and aerobic exercise – lateral strength and speed are a core component of any intensive sport like hockey. Choose an UltraSlide slideboard to target muscle groups that give young hockey players that explosive acceleration in the rink, setting them above their peers. Your young hockey player can move to a more advanced level with the help of targeted lateral training exercises. Slideboards come in handy by helping you streamline your aerobic training sessions while training key muscles that are hard to frequently exercise under normal circumstances.

Best Lateral Trainer Exercises for Youth Hockey Players

To make maximum advantage of your lateral trainer or slideboard, you’re going to want to utilize exercises that have been designed specifically for this equipment. Read on to learn about three of these important exercises that will allow you to quickly get up to speed and develop the lateral strength you need in youth hockey.

• Slide Lunges: Keep one foot off of your slideboard and on a stable surface. Place the other on the slideboard. Then, lunge forward for a 90-degree knee angle – slide as far as is possible until your knee touches the board. Complete reps until your hit your maximum and recover for 10 to 15 minutes before starting again.
• Lateral Slides: This exercise requires a bumper. Push off the bumper toward the opposite one while keeping your feet at shoulder width throughout the slide. Repeat for as many reps as you are capable of doing and take a short break before restarting the exercise.
• Double-Leg Pike: This is a great exercise for increasing your core strength. Start in the push up position and raise your hips while keeping your legs straight. Reverse the movement back to the starting position for as many sets as possible.

Boost Your Lateral Strength and Agility with UltraSlide: The Ideal Solution for Youth Hockey Players

UltraSlide is the ideal solution for youth hockey players that are looking to gain a competitive edge over the competition. There’s an UltraSlide slideboard for every context, and choosing the right one for you is as easy as can be. To learn more about UltraSlide products for youth hockey athletes, be sure to check out UltraSlide’s line of slideboard products today. For more information on how to get started or to get in touch with us if you have any questions, click here. We look forward to helping you turbocharge your lateral strength!