When I design our off-season training, there’s a reason we do it in phases.

Right now, the players I work with are wrapping up Phase One: eccentric training — the part where we teach their bodies to absorb force.

Think of it like loading a spring.

Slow lowers. Heavy tension.

This is how you build the foundation to handle the hits, the stops, the sharp cuts.

But here’s the secret:

Absorbing force is only half the job.

If you can’t stop it and redirect it instantly, you’ll never turn that strength into game-changing speed.

That’s where we go next — the isometric phase.

And honestly? This is the part most players never train properly.

The Missing Link That Changes Everything

Most guys think speed is all about how fast they can move.

Wrong. It’s about how fast you can stop moving — and then fire again.

Stopping on a dime.

Holding your edge under pressure.

Winning that battle on the boards when your legs are fried in the third.

Isometrics are the bridge between the force you built (eccentric) and the force you unleash (concentric).

Step 1: Slam the Brakes, Hard

Hockey, and almost every other sport, is a stop-start sport.

If you can’t slam the brakes instantly, you’ll bleed speed every time you cut, stop, or change direction.

Isometrics train you to absorb force and freeze.

That means no wasted energy when you hit an edge or battle at full speed.

You want to drop fast into position — a deep split squat, a low stance — and hold for 5-10 seconds.

Hit that hold like a brick wall, no slow sink, no bounce. This builds the stopping power that keeps you ahead of the play.

Step 2: Fire More Muscle

Most players think strength is just how much weight you lift.

Real on-ice power is how many muscle fibers you can fire — and how fast you can fire them.

Isometrics force your nervous system to recruit everything it’s got.

You’re not just holding — you’re squeezing brutal tension at the angles that matter for hockey.

In every hold, squeeze every muscle as hard as you can.

More fibers firing = more force ready to unleash when you push off.

Step 3: Hold, Then Explode

This is the piece that separates you from the pack.

Most players hold, then relax.

Big mistake.

You hold to build tension — then you unleash it.

That’s the moment you go from absorbing force, to stopping it, to redirecting it into your next stride, cut, or hit.

Always finish an isometric hold by exploding out of it.

That’s how you teach your body to transfer force with no leaks.

How To Add It Right Now

You don’t need fancy gear.

You need intention.

Just pick the main lifts in your program — goblet squats, bulgarian lunges, rows, presses…

Add a brutal hold at the toughest point. Drop into the bottom fast, slam the brakes, squeeze everything for 5-10 seconds, then explode out clean.

Key is simple: Hit the hold like a brick wall, with no bounce. That’s how you turn normal lifts into game-changers.

What’s Next

When my athletes finish this phase, they don’t just feel stronger — they move differently.

They don’t fade late in games. They win more races to loose pucks. They control every stop, start, and cut like it’s second nature.

Because it is — once you train it the right way, in the right order.

After this isometric phase, we stack it with the final piece: the concentric phase, where all that absorbed and stored force gets unleashed.

And before the season hits, we peak everything with advanced methods like French Contrast — mixing heavy lifts, explosive jumps, and speed work — so players step onto the ice with power most guys never touch.

This is the system behind our Pro Hockey Academy — a full blueprint for the entire off-season. You can check that out here.​

See you next weekend.

Tony

P.S. If speed is the piece you know you need most right now — we also built a short 4-Week Speed Program you can plug in right away to get faster first steps, sharper cuts, and more explosive strides.

​Check Out The 4-Week Speed Program Here​