Glossary
Hockey Training & Performance Terms
Plain-language definitions of the strength, speed, and performance terms we use with athletes at Team Prep Starz.
Speed & Power
- Acceleration
- How quickly an athlete increases speed from a standstill or slow speed. In hockey, acceleration drives the first few strides that win loose-puck races and create separation. It is trained with explosive starts, sprint mechanics, and lower-body power.
- Top-End Speed
- The maximum speed an athlete can reach and hold. Reaching a higher top speed depends on clean stride mechanics, posture, and the ability to apply force into the ground (or ice) efficiently with less wasted energy.
- Change of Direction (COD)
- A planned movement that redirects the body from one path to another. Strong change of direction relies on deceleration, edge control, and the strength to absorb and re-apply force quickly — essential for cutting, pivoting, and tight turns.
- Agility
- The ability to change direction in response to an unplanned cue — a reaction to a puck, an opponent, or the play. Agility combines change-of-direction ability with perception and decision-making, which is why it is trained reactively, not just with set patterns.
- Power
- The rate at which an athlete produces force — force multiplied by speed. Power underpins explosive skating, hard shots, and physical play. It is built on a foundation of strength and trained with fast, intentful movements like jumps, throws, and Olympic-lift variations.
- Rate of Force Development (RFD)
- How fast an athlete can produce force, not just how much. Because a stride or shot happens in a fraction of a second, a high rate of force development often matters more than maximal strength for on-ice explosiveness.
- Strength (Maximal & Relative)
- Maximal strength is the most force a muscle group can produce; relative strength is that force per unit of bodyweight. For hockey, relative strength matters most — it is the base that power, speed, and durability are built on without adding unnecessary mass.
Training
- Dryland Training
- Off-ice conditioning designed to improve on-ice performance — strength, power, speed, agility, and energy-system work done in the gym or on the field. Well-built dryland training transfers directly to skating, battles, and durability over a long season.
- Off-Ice Training
- Any training done away from the rink, including dryland, strength, speed, and mobility work. Off-ice training is where most physical qualities are actually developed, because the ice is for skill and the gym is for the engine.
- Plyometrics
- Jump- and bound-based training that trains the stretch-shortening cycle — the rapid muscle stretch-then-contract that produces explosive movement. Plyometrics develop the springiness behind a powerful first step and stride.
- Periodization
- The planned organization of training across a season — off-season, pre-season, in-season — so an athlete peaks at the right time and manages fatigue. Good periodization is why a program looks different in July than it does in January.
- Energy Systems
- The body’s pathways for producing energy: the anaerobic systems power short, intense efforts (a shift, a sprint) while the aerobic system supports recovery between them. Hockey is intermittent, so conditioning develops both.
Assessment & Recovery
- Mobility
- Usable range of motion with control — the ability to move a joint actively through its full range. Hip and ankle mobility in particular support a powerful stride and help protect against common hockey injuries.
- Injury Prevention (Prehab)
- Proactive training that builds resilient hips, knees, groins, and core and addresses common hockey movement patterns, reducing injury risk. An available athlete is a better athlete, so durability is trained on purpose.
- Body Composition
- The make-up of an athlete’s body by tissue — muscle, fat, and more. Tracking body composition (rather than just bodyweight) shows whether a program is adding lean muscle and managing fat, which the scale alone can hide.
- Recovery
- The processes — sleep, nutrition, and structured rest — that let the body adapt to training and perform again. Recovery is when fitness is actually built, and it is planned into a program, not left to chance over a long season.
- Sports Science
- The applied study of how the body responds to training and competition — using assessment, data, and evidence to guide programming. In hockey, sports science turns testing and tracking into better, more individualized training decisions.
Put It Into Practice
Train the Real Thing
Join the Team Prep Starz waitlist and turn these concepts into a program built for you.