Yoga guide
Ice hockey and field hockey are both played bent forward, both load the hips and groin, and both turn hard one way to shoot. Yoga can give hockey players the front of the hips back after the crouch, back endurance, turning both ways, groin and side-hip strength, one-leg balance and a calm way to wind down after a game. No trial has tested yoga in hockey players, and stretching your groin hasn't been shown to prevent groin strains: the evidence is for groin strengthening.
This guide covers where hockey players get hurt, the cam-shaped hips many players and most goalies have and the deep poses to keep out of, the crouch and the back, turning for shooting, young players, how yoga fits around games and strength work, and a free 25-minute class with a 3D demo of every move. It ends with the warning signs, from concussion to a lump in the groin.
We found no trial of yoga in ice or field hockey players that measured injuries, pain or performance. The only yoga study in hockey used six hot yoga classes as heat stress in 10 elite female field hockey players, with no comparison group.
In one season, 45.4% of 163 Swedish professional and semi-professional players had a hip or groin problem, 7 in 10 coming on gradually, and so did 69% of 101 elite goalkeepers. Field hockey players get them too: 17% of 100 Dutch men had hip or groin pain at any one time.
Groin flexibility didn't differ between NHL (National Hockey League) players who strained an adductor and those who didn't. Adductor strengthening went with fewer strains in one NHL team, and the Copenhagen adductor programme cut groin problems by 41% in footballers. So the groin work in this guide is squeezes, side planks and shallow wide stances, not wide-legged stretching.
A cam is extra bone at the front of the ball of the hip. It was found in 75% of symptom-free youth players and about 94% of professional goalies, forms mostly between 13 and 16, and is usually painless. Deep hip bends with the thigh turned in or pulled across are the positions that can pinch, so keep them out of your yoga if your hip crease pinches, and get it checked (our reading).
The lower back is the commonest site of spine injury in US college ice hockey. In one cohort of high school and college players, those with tight hip flexors had about 3 times the rate of back pain, but it was one observational study with 33 cases, and stretching hasn't been tested. Back pain is common in field hockey, though one study found it no more common than in non-players.
Stretching programmes don't prevent sports injuries; strength and balance training do better. Use yoga once or twice a week on a lighter day or after a game, never instead of the warm-up, the adductor programme, strength work, the concussion rules or treatment for an injury.
Ice hockey is skated in a deep crouch with long, wide strides, and field hockey is run bent forward with the stick low. Both turn hard one way to shoot, pass or drag flick. In a small laboratory study of 7 field hockey players, dribbling in the crouch shortened the spine faster than other activities measured before.
Source 19
In US college ice hockey, hip and groin injuries were mostly strains, and about half came with no contact. In the NHL in the 1990s, groin and abdominal strains were five times as common in training camp as in the regular season, and more than 90% came without contact. In Swedish elite hockey, 53.2% of 329 professionals had had a hip or groin problem in the season before, and in women the hip and groin were the most reported and most burdensome region for overuse problems.
Off the ice or pitch: the front of the hips and back endurance after the crouch, turning both ways, groin and side-hip strength in yoga shapes, one-leg balance and slow breathing, all kept out of deep hip bends with the thigh turned in. It doesn't replace the adductor (Copenhagen) programme, strength and power training, the warm-up, the body checking rules and kit, or treatment for a hip impingement, a hernia or a concussion. Our ice hockey and field hockey pages have the training, the warm-ups and the rules, and our Pilates for hockey players guide covers similar ground with Pilates moves.
Groin strengthening and body checking rules carry the evidence in hockey. No trial has tested yoga in hockey players.
PubMed found 2 records for yoga with hockey: a mindfulness review across sports and one hot yoga study. In that study, 10 elite female field hockey players did six 60-minute hot yoga classes in 6 days as heat stress, with no comparison group. Their blood plasma volume rose 5.0% three days later, and maximal fitness barely changed. It says nothing about hips, backs or injuries.
A PubMed search for stretching, flexibility, yoga or mobility programmes with injury outcomes in hockey found 13 records and no such trial. Across sport, 25 trials with 26,610 people found that stretching programmes didn't prevent injuries, while strength training cut them to under a third and balance training to about half.
In 47 NHL players, preseason adductor flexibility didn't differ between those who strained an adductor and those who didn't, while players whose adductor strength was under 80% of their abductor strength were 17 times as likely to strain one (only 8 were injured). In 1,292 NHL players, neither adductor strength nor hip flexibility predicted groin injury; a previous groin injury and too little off-season training did. In Swedish professionals and US college players, preseason strength and range didn't predict later problems. So flexibility hasn't predicted groin injury in any hockey study, and strength is a mixed predictor.
In one NHL team, 33 players judged at risk did 6 weeks of adductor strengthening, and adductor strains fell from 11 in the 2 seasons before to 3 in the 2 seasons after: one team, compared with its own past. In 652 semi-professional footballers randomised by team, the Copenhagen adductor programme cut groin problems by 41%. An earlier review of 7 trials found no clear effect, and there is no groin prevention trial in hockey.
In 289 player-seasons of high school and college ice hockey, 60% were tight on a hip flexor test, and tight players had about 3 times the rate of back pain (relative risk 3.17). It is one observational cohort with 33 cases, hip strength wasn't protective, and the authors say it remains to be found out whether hip flexor stretching lowers the risk.
Source 15
In 20 players on real ice, turning the trunk further away from the net went with faster wrist shots: that's technique, how far you wind up. No study has tested whether more rotation range adds speed, and in a 10-player pilot, resisted trunk rotation exercise made no difference to shot speed.
In 2,154 players aged 11 and 12, game injuries were 3.26 times as common where body checking was allowed. After Hockey Canada stopped checking at that age in 2013, game injuries halved and concussions fell by about two-thirds. In non-elite players aged 13 and 14, disallowing checking went with 56% fewer injuries (a 2024 correction to that study couldn't be opened). Our ice hockey page has the checking ages.
In 22 Dutch youth field hockey teams, the Warming-up Hockey programme, which includes stability and flexibility exercises, went with fewer days lost, but not with a significantly lower injury rate. The teams weren't randomised.
Source 33
No study has tested this in hockey players. In 20 male athletes, 15 minutes of yoga after interval training slowed breathing and raised heart rate variability more than 15 minutes of stretching. Slow breathing raises heart rate variability in the moment, but 4 weeks of slow breathing after sprint training added no recovery or performance benefit in 34 people. Use it to wind down, not as a performance aid.
A cam is extra bone at the front of the ball of the hip, one cause of hip impingement (femoroacetabular impingement). On MRI, 75% of 61 symptom-free youth ice hockey players had one, against 42% of skiers. In professionals, 69% to more than 85% of hips had one, and 92% of 26 professional women. In 74 young Swiss players, hip strength, hip range and on-ice performance didn't differ between those with and without an impingement-type hip.
In 25 elite Swiss boys scanned from about age 12, the cam developed mostly between 13 and 16, during the final growth spurt. In 77 elite players, 19.5% had hip pain with a positive impingement test, and those with symptoms turned the hip in less (17 degrees against 23). It is a bone shape, so stretching can't change it.
An expert commentary explains that the hip pinches when it is bent deeply and turned in, or pulled across, for example 85 degrees of hip bend with 15 degrees of turning in. That's why this guide's class keeps out of deep hip bends with the thigh turned in or pulled across. This is our reading: no study has tested yoga poses in cam hips.
Source 13
Ease off a deep fold, lunge or twist that brings a sharp pinch deep in the groin. Get a catching, locking or giving-way feeling in the hip checked.
In a growing player or a goalie, a deep pinch when you bend the hip or turn the knee in is a reason to get it checked rather than stretch into it (our suggestion). Our hip impingement guide starts with exercise. One hockey session cut total hip rotation by 18.5 degrees and adductor strength by 6.6 kg at 24 hours in 42 players, so keep the day after a game gentle (our suggestion).
A ball squeeze between the knees, knee side planks, a glute bridge and a shallow goddess pose held for strength. Keep the Copenhagen exercise in your strength sessions, as in our off-ice hockey workout, where it is 1 set each side of 3 to 15 reps; leave it out while your groin hurts.
In US college ice hockey, about half of all back, neck and spine injuries were in the lower back (52.2% in men, 48.5% in women), with few fractures. In Swedish elite players, 24.2% had a lower back problem in the past season, mostly from overuse.
Back pain was reported by 59% of 158 female players, and by 44% of 194 UK Premier and Division One players, where drag flicking, the shortest sticks and morning stiffness after hockey went with it (an online survey with a low response rate). But in 90 US college players and 98 non-players, back pain was equally common (56% against 55%). Drag flickers reported more lower back injuries.
The class starts with the front of the hips (low lunge) and back endurance (sphinx and locust) for the crouch. That is reasonable, given the link between tight hip flexors and back pain, but it is our reading: whether hip flexor stretching lowers back pain in hockey players hasn't been tested. Leave sphinx and locust out if arching hurts your back.
Source 15
Shooting, passing and drag flicking turn the trunk hard one way, season after season. Upper-back turns the same amount each way are for comfort and even movement, not a harder shot: turning further goes with shot speed as technique, and no training study shows that more range adds speed.
In a survey of 432 field hockey players, the 140 drag flickers reported more hip and lower back injuries, and in a laboratory study of 25 drag flick specialists, the drag flick bent and turned the lower back more than a hit. Keep the turning in your upper back and the lower back strong, rather than pushing it to the end of its twist (our suggestion).
In 101 elite Swedish goalkeepers, 69% had a hip or groin problem in a season and 36% a substantial one. In 130 professional players, 93.8% of goalies had a cam-shaped hip. In the NHL, labral tears made up 69.1% of hip joint injuries, and goalies had about 4.7 times the risk per game played, though not per hour played.
In 14 elite goalies on the ice, the butterfly didn't take the hip to its biggest range or into the classic impingement test position; the authors suggest repeated end-range inward turning of the hip may be the main cause of goalies' hip problems. Butterfly goalies having hip surgery had larger cams than skaters. College data estimate goalies drop to the butterfly about 34 times a game and 300 times a practice.
Hip strength and control, in a range that doesn't pinch: the ball squeeze, side planks, bridges and one-leg work in the class. Leave deep lizard, frog, long-held pigeon and happy baby out if your hip pinches, and get a hip that catches, locks or pinches checked. Yoga can't change how often you drop into the butterfly.
The cam shape forms mostly between 13 and 16. In one elite junior programme, 44% of 25 players with back pain had a stress fracture in the back of a vertebra (spondylolysis), 73% of them on the shooting side: a small case series.
A teenager in a sport that arches or twists the back, such as gymnastics, dance, diving, volleyball, tennis, cricket fast bowling, baseball pitching, weightlifting, football or rugby, with back pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks, is worse arching back or stops them training: get it checked by a GP or sports physiotherapist. It can be a stress fracture in the spine.
Call 999 or go to A&E if your child gets sudden pain in their hip, knee or thigh (hip problems can sometimes be felt in the thigh or knee) or cannot put any weight on their leg. If your child is limping, ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 the same day. This applies to teenagers too, and in some children knee pain is the only sign.
Source 51
The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's consensus asks that children who train more hours a week than their age be watched for burnout, overuse injury and dips in performance, and the International Olympic Committee calls poor load management a major risk factor for injury. Count a strong yoga class as training. Gentle yoga is fine for young players; strength and coordination training, as on our ice hockey page, matter more.
Our editorial starting point:
Static holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle just before testing cut performance by about 4.6% on average; shorter holds and dynamic stretching didn't, and stretching had no clear effect on injuries. Save long holds for after the game.
Source 54
Cat-cow: "8 waves, slower than feels natural" (the move page's dose). Low lunge, 45 seconds each side, back knee padded (our yoga for cricketers class), or the kneeling hip flexor stretch, 2 holds of 30 seconds each side, mild (our yoga for a hip labral tear class). Sphinx, 2 holds of 3 to 5 breaths, only if leaning back eases your back (our yoga for wrists class). Locust, 2 holds of 5 breaths, lowering if your back pinches (our yoga for volleyball players class).
Thoracic rotation: "6 rotations per side, moving with the breath" (the move page's dose), the same amount each way, whichever way you shoot. Open book: "8 to 10 slow openings each side, pausing 2 seconds at the end" (the move page's dose). Thread the needle, 30 seconds each side (our martial arts yoga class; adapted from the move page's dose).
Ball squeeze, 5 holds of 5 to 10 seconds, only as hard as is comfortable; knee side plank, 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds each side; warrior II, 3 breaths each side, twice; glute bridge, 2 sets of 10; bird dog, 2 sets of 6 each side (all our yoga for a hip labral tear class). Side plank, once the knee version is easy, 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds each side (our yoga for volleyball players class). Goddess pose, 2 holds of 3 breaths, shallow, knees over your middle toes (our yoga after a groin strain class).
3D demoLying adductor ball squeezeBeginner · Other / check instructions
3D demoKnee side plankBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSide plankIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoGoddess pose (Utkata Konasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWarrior II (Virabhadrasana II)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoBird dogBeginner · No equipmentWarrior III, 3 breaths each side, twice, hands on a wall at first, and single-leg stand, 2 holds of 30 seconds each leg, knee soft (our yoga for volleyball players class). Hip airplane: "2 sets of 5 slow turns each leg" (the move page's dose), holding a wall; with pain at the front of the standing hip, keep to the opening turn, as its page says.
90/90 switch: "10 slow switches, pause at the ends" (the move page's dose), only in a range that doesn't pinch the front of the hip (our suggestion). Reclined figure four, 45 seconds each side, holding behind your thigh rather than pulling on your shin (our yoga for runners routine).
Slow breathing, 2 minutes, in for about 4 and out for about 6, with no holds (our yoga for cricketers class; adapted from the move page's dose). Child's pose, 60 seconds, knees wide (our yoga for wrists class; adapted from the move page's dose); skip it if your hip crease pinches. Corpse pose, 3 minutes (adapted from the move page's dose).
With a pinch in the hip crease, a known cam or labral tear, or as a goalie with hip pain, leave out deep lizard, frog, long-held pigeon, happy baby and twists that pull the knee across, and use our yoga for a hip labral tear class; without pain, keep them in a range that doesn't pinch (our suggestion). With a sore groin, leave out wide-legged folds, frog, splits and deep squats, as our yoga after a groin strain class does. A young player whose back hurts arching leaves out backbends, and sphinx and locust until it's checked. Headstands and shoulder stands aren't needed, and after a blow to the head, nothing head-down until you're cleared. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid forceful breathing.
3D demoLizard pose (Utthan Pristhasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoFrog rockIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoPigeon preparation (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana prep)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoHappy baby pose (Ananda Balasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSupine spinal twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWide-angle seated forward fold (Upavistha Konasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoWheel pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoCamel pose (Ustrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoBow pose (Dhanurasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoUpward-facing dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoSupported headstand (Salamba Sirsasana)Expert · A wall
3D demoSupported shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana)Advanced · No equipmentOn a lighter day or after a game, our 25-minute class for hockey players: our own selection, untested in a trial. Before play, the ice hockey or field hockey warm-up; for strength and the Copenhagen exercise, the off-ice hockey workout and the hamstring and groin programme. With a sore groin or a pinching hip, the groin strain and hip labral tear classes come first. Yoga after a concussion only within the concussion stages.
A 25-minute yoga class for ice and field hockey players: the front of the hips, back endurance, turning both ways, groin strength and one-leg balance.
25 minBeginner14 movesOther / check instructionsA 15-minute ice hockey warm-up: a jog or bike, skips and shuffles, leg swings, Cossack squats, band walks, bridges, ball squeezes, side planks and bounds.
15 minBeginner14 movesCardio machine, wallA 12-minute field hockey warm-up from the Dutch Warming-up Hockey programme: running drills, one-leg jumps, a plank, deep squats and hockey sprints.
12 minBeginner10 movesCardio machine, stepA 50-minute off-ice session for ice hockey: lateral bounds and broad jumps, squats, split squats, single-leg hinges, chin-ups, Copenhagen planks and trunk work.
50 minIntermediate13 movesWall, bandThe Nordic hamstring and Copenhagen adduction programmes from the football trials: a 10-week build, three adductor levels, then once a week in season.
15 minIntermediate6 movesWall, anchor pointA 25-minute Pilates class for ice and field hockey players: the front of the hips, upper back, groin and side hips, rotation both ways and one-leg balance.
25 minBeginner19 movesOther / check instructions, wallA 25-minute yoga class after a groin strain: squeezes, bridges and side planks, then short-stance standing poses and side steps, with no wide-legged stretches.
25 minBeginner15 movesOther / check instructions, wallA 25-minute yoga class for a hip labral tear or hip impingement (FAI): hip and trunk strength, shallow standing poses, and no deep hip bends or twists.
25 minBeginner17 movesOther / check instructions, wallA 25-minute yoga class for tight or weak hip flexors: lunges and warriors to stretch the front of the hip, then poses and leg lifts to strengthen it.
25 minBeginner15 movesWall, firm cushionA 45-minute restorative yoga sequence: five fully supported poses held for 4 to 10 minutes each, with slow breathing and a long final rest.
45 minBeginner6 movesFirm cushion, wallA 6-minute breathing routine: slow breathing, crocodile breathing, alternate nostril breathing, box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing.
6 minBeginner5 movesNo equipmentA 15-minute head-up yoga class after a concussion: seated breathing and spine moves, then gentle standing poses at a counter, with a symptom check.
15 minBeginner12 movesBench or box, wallThese are the warning signs from our ice hockey, field hockey, groin, hip, hip openers and yoga guides, word for word. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999.
Call 999 if someone has hit their head and has been knocked out and hasn't woken up, can't stay awake or keep their eyes open, has a fit, has fallen from a height of more than 1 metre or 5 stairs, has problems with their vision or hearing, has clear fluid coming from their ears or nose, has new numbness or weakness, has problems with walking, balance, understanding, speaking or writing, hit their head at high speed, or their behaviour has changed. Get help from NHS 111 if they're being sick, feel dizzy or take medicine that thins the blood. If you're told to go to A&E (accident and emergency), don't drive yourself there if you have hit your head.
Stop playing: if in doubt, sit them out. Under the UK guidelines, there's no return that day, an assessment within 24 hours by a healthcare professional or NHS 111, and no competition before day 21; under Hockey Canada's protocol, players under 18 don't return to that game or practice. Contact NHS 111 straight away if they're being sick, feel dizzy or take medicine that thins the blood.
Stop playing: if in doubt, sit them out. No further sport that day, an assessment within 24 hours by a healthcare professional or NHS 111, and no competition before day 21 under England Hockey's policy. Contact NHS 111 straight away if they're being sick, feel dizzy or take medicine that thins the blood.
With a suspected concussion, if in doubt, sit them out. The UK's grassroots guidelines say no sport for at least 24 hours, get checked by a healthcare professional or NHS 111 within 24 hours, follow a staged return, and no competition before day 21; if symptoms last beyond 28 days, stay out of sport and see a doctor. Yoga waits too: gentle breathing fits the early, light-activity stages, and no head-down poses or inversions until you're cleared (our reading). Our concussion guide has the stages.
Neck pain, a fit, a worsening headache or repeated vomiting are red flags: call an ambulance. Don't remove the player's helmet or equipment unless you're trained to, don't move them, and don't leave them alone. Our stingers guide covers a burning, dead arm after a hit: the warning signs and the checks before playing again.
Call 999 or go to A&E now if you have a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of your thigh, in your groin) and very bad tummy pain, you feel sick or you're being sick, you cannot fart or poo, you have a high temperature or you feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. Do not drive to A&E. With any other hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, feeling or being sick, vomiting blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds, constipation, a high temperature or feeling hot, cold or shivery, or sudden confusion, get help from NHS 111.
See a GP or physiotherapist for:
A pop high on the inner thigh, then a large bruise, a dent or a gap you can feel, and weakness squeezing the legs together, can be a complete tear of the adductor longus tendon: get it checked within days, as our inner thigh pain guide says.
Call 999 or go to A&E: severe hip pain after a fall or injury, or you cannot stand, walk or put weight on the leg. In an older adult this can be a broken hip; the leg may be at an odd angle or look shorter. Don't drive yourself.
Call 999 or go to A&E if your child gets sudden pain in their hip, knee or thigh (hip problems can sometimes be felt in the thigh or knee) or cannot put any weight on their leg. If your child is limping, ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 the same day. This applies to teenagers too, and in some children knee pain is the only sign.
See a GP or physiotherapist for:
Source 51
Ease off a deep fold, lunge or twist that brings a sharp pinch deep in the groin. Get a catching, locking or giving-way feeling in the hip checked.
Source 69
A teenager in a sport that arches or twists the back, such as gymnastics, dance, diving, volleyball, tennis, cricket fast bowling, baseball pitching, weightlifting, football or rugby, with back pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks, is worse arching back or stops them training: get it checked by a GP or sports physiotherapist. It can be a stress fracture in the spine.
Call 999 if:
If you're hypermobile, don't use mobility work to push further: the NHS says "do not overextend your joints just because you can". See a GP if you think you have joint hypermobility syndrome: for example, your joints keep dislocating, or you keep getting sprains, strains, pain or stiffness.
Source 62
A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
With glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control, skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds. With osteoporosis, swap deep forward folds for a flat-back hinge from the hips, and twist smoothly. In pregnancy, our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.
You can say no to any hands-on adjustment, and a teacher registered with Yoga Alliance must get your explicit consent each time.
Source 63
The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
No yoga or stretching programme has been tested on hockey injuries, groin flexibility didn't predict strains in NHL players, and across sport, stretching programmes didn't prevent injuries while strength training did.
Hockey Canada's 2006 safety module says "Stretching ultimately allows a player to increase their level of performance and decrease their risk of injury." The trials don't support the injury claim: across 25 trials, stretching programmes showed no benefit, and a 2025 consensus of stretching researchers agreed that stretching isn't an all-round injury prevention strategy.
No study supports it. Most hockey hips have a cam shape, and deep hip bends with the thigh turned in or pulled across are the positions that pinch; our yoga for a hip labral tear class leaves out deep hip bends and crossed legs. Choose hip moves that don't pinch.
The cam is a bone shape that forms during the growth spurt, most cam hips don't hurt, and stretching can't change bone.
Back pain is common in both games, but US college field hockey players had no more back pain than non-players, and drag flicking went with more back injury. Tight hip flexors went with more back pain in ice hockey players, an association still to be tested.
Turning further goes with shot speed as technique. No trial has shown that stretching for more range adds speed, and a rotation exercise pilot made no difference.
The one study had 10 players and no comparison group, and maximal fitness barely changed.
Source 2
That's anecdote: no trial in hockey players has counted injuries after yoga.
Source 1
No. Elite ice hockey players had less hip rotation than non-players in one study, every pose here has an easier version, and the aim is comfortable range and control, not the splits.
Source 66
It can help with the front of the hips after the crouch, back endurance, turning both ways, groin and side-hip strength, balance and winding down after a game. No trial has tested yoga in hockey players, so use it alongside your strength work and the adductor programme, not instead of them.
Low lunge, sphinx and locust for the crouch; upper-back turns both ways; a ball squeeze, side planks and a shallow goddess pose for the groin; warrior III and hip airplanes on one leg. Our 25-minute class puts them together.
It hasn't been shown to. Groin flexibility didn't predict strains in NHL players, while adductor strengthening went with fewer strains in one team, and the Copenhagen programme cut groin problems by 41% in footballers.
Gently, if it feels good, but don't expect it to prevent strains: stretching programmes don't prevent sports injuries. With a sore groin, leave out wide-legged stretches, frog and the splits, and use our yoga after a groin strain class.
It can help with hip strength and control, but goalies have the most cam-shaped hips (about 94% of professionals) and the most hip problems (69% of elite goalkeepers in a season). Keep deep hip bends that pinch out of your practice, and get a pinching or catching hip checked.
A cam is extra bone at the front of the ball of the hip that can pinch in deep bends with the thigh turned in. It forms in the teenage growth spurt and is usually painless. Yoga can't change bone; our hip impingement guide starts with exercise-based treatment.
It may help you move more comfortably, and tight hip flexors went with more back pain in one study of ice hockey players, but no trial has tested yoga or stretching for hockey back pain. Back pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks or is worse arching back, especially in a teenager, needs checking.
No study shows it. Turning further away from the net goes with faster wrist shots as technique, which is your coach's job, and strength and power training have better support.
After a game or on a lighter day. Before you skate or play, use the ice hockey warm-up or Warming-up Hockey: holds of 60 seconds or more just before explosive work cost a little power.
The same ideas apply: the front of the hips and back endurance for the crouch, turning both ways if you drag flick, and one-leg balance. Back pain was no more common in college field hockey players than in non-players in one study, and drag flicking went with more back injury.
Gentle yoga is fine, but young players' hips are still forming, so skip deep hip bends that pinch, and get back pain that lasts or hurts when arching checked. Strength and coordination training, as on our ice hockey page, matter more.
If in doubt, sit them out: no sport for at least 24 hours, a check within 24 hours and no competition before day 21 under the UK guidelines and England Hockey's policy. Yoga waits too, with nothing head-down until you're cleared.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
