Sports – Hockey
Dana working with NHL Goaltender Tim Thomas
Dana Santas has experience creating hockey-specific yoga programs for numerous teams and players in the NHL, including the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and New Jersey Devils. She has worked with NHL Award-Winning All-Star Boston Bruins Goaltender Tim Thomas since the 2006/2007 off season. Her work with
hockey players and expert advice have been featured on the NHL Network and New England Sports Network as well as in The Hockey News, Hockey USA Magazine and Sports Illustrated.
Radius Yoga Conditioning (RYC) customized programs are available to hockey players and teams at all levels, including professional, collegiate, amateur, and youth. In addition to onsite training, RYC programs can be made accessible to all serious athletes–despite travel challenges–using numerous formats, including Skype/Facetime sessions, as well as customized videos, audio files and manuals accessed via the Private Client Portal. Refer to the Sports Programs and Private Training pages for more information on specific program options.
Despite being an aggressive sport requiring intense power and the ability to withstand high-velocity collisions, hockey requires more than sheer strength; muscular bulk without flexibility can hinder performance. The long skating strides of hockey players require both stretch and strength of the adductors/internal hip rotators, abductors/external hip rotators and hip flexors and extensors. For that reason, the conditioning goals of hockey players need to focus on creating a delicate balance of maximum strength with lean mass, balance and flexibility to maintain speed and agility.
The most significant benefit that RYC offers hockey players is flexibility and core stabilization training that enables the exertion of maximum power, avoidance of injury, and enhanced balance. For example, strong hamstrings and glutes are very important, but you can’t leverage the full extent of their power without hip flexibility and fully integrated core strength, especially through the obliques and iliopsoas. A weak core, tight hamstrings and hips tilt the pelvis, putting undue stress on the low back and compromising posterior chain function.
In addition to customizing yoga conditioning for skating strides, conditioning programs include techniques to increase range of motion, stability and agility through all the joints involved in getting the puck down the ice (e.g., wrists and shoulders). In contrast to other position players, goaltenders can focus less on conditioning for powerful skating strides; however, the demands on their bodies are even greater from an overall perspective. RYC addresses the special requirements of goalies by working with them to create the considerable lateral agility and wide-ranging strength, flexibility, and balance necessary to make quick and intense multi-directional movements.
A famous Wayne Gretzky quote gets to the heart of the mental focus and awareness required to play hockey: “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” Playing a high-velocity game with enough mental clarity to anticipate where the puck is going takes a solid connection of mind and body. Beyond building body control and awareness, yoga conditioning trains players to use their breath as a bridge between the mind and body, enhancing reaction time and limiting the performance-killing effects of mental stress. RYC’s specialized breathing, visualization and meditative techniques, are offered as part of “Eye of the Hurricane Training™.”
To learn about yoga for youth hockey, visit the Youth Sports page.