Become a Yogi
Yoga can be a great way for field hockey players to improve their flexibility, mobility, balance, and breathing. These exercises can help you perform better on the field. Especially after hard training sessions or as a warm up: adding some yoga exercises can help you become a better hockey player. A lot of hockey players obviously have sore muscles or have very tight hamstrings. Further more an important aspect of yoga are the breathing exercises, good nose breathing helps getting better cardio. Here are some of the best yoga exercises for field hockey players:
Warrior I Pose: This pose strengthens the legs, hips, and core, making it a great exercise for hockey players who need stability and power on the field. .
Triangle Pose: This pose opens up the hips, legs, and spine, improving flexibility and reducing the risk of injury.
Downward facing dog: This pose is a great way to stretch the hamstrings, calves, and lower back, which are all areas that tend to get tight in field hockey players.
Cat-Cow Stretch This gentle flow between two poses helps loosen up the spine and neck. This stretch can be helpful for players who spend a lot of time flicking or injecting short corners.
Cobra Pose: This pose strengthens the back and core, helping to improve posture and reduce the risk of back injury.
Child’s pose: This pose is a great way to stretch the hips, back, and legs, and to release tension in the body after a game or practice.
In addition, it’s important to listen to your body and only do what feels comfortable. As you become more comfortable with these poses, you can hold them longer or try more advanced variations. If you invest some time on your rest day to doing yoga, it helps you stay flexible and prevent injuries. Some teams even incorporate yoga in their warm ups after some basic running drills.