What Are the Health Benefits of Playing Hockey?

When you think of hockey, you imagine sweaty, bulky people, charging at each other violently, hitting and dangerously moving around on ice or field, waiting to wind up in hospital any time soon.

Well, there's the other side of the "puck" if you will since there are a lot of physical, mental and social benefits of hockey which surely make this game much more than just a rough contact sport.

Great Cardio

Probably the essential benefit of hockey is the fact that it is an excellent cardio training. Hockey players need a lot of energy. This type of cardiovascular activity with interchanging periods of intense exercise and short rest is ideal for staying fit and keeping your cardiovascular and respiratory system healthy.

Whether you are running or skating, your body will benefit from improved breathing, enhanced stamina, and better endurance. Hockey helps you become fit and boosts your metabolism.

Staying Fit and Losing Weight

High-intensity interval training like hockey is ideal for maintaining a healthy weight. The fast pace of the game means short bursts of energy, which eventually leads to burning a significant number of calories. The intensive aerobic exercise increases the heart rate, thus helping with burning fat.

In the long run, this means efficient weight loss, improved fitness and all that by being engaged in a fun and exciting activity. Hockey players eventually learn the importance of proper eating and hydration habits if they want to achieve good results, which is also an essential aspect of keeping a healthy weight.

Improved Muscle Strength

Since there is a lot of running and moving around involved, hockey employs your entire body. It is a full body workout, especially of leg and core muscles, but it also improves the endurance of forearms, triceps and shoulder muscles.

The enhanced muscular strength is responsible for reduced risk of injury, stronger bones and connective tissues, as well as for increased muscle mass. The stronger muscular system means an overall improvement of body function, which can be extremely beneficial for children who start practicing hockey from an early age.

Enhanced Motor Skills

Since there is specific equipment used in the game, hockey improves reflexes, balance, coordination, and agility. Being able to hold on to a puck while successfully handling a hockey stick, and at the same time thinking about the game strategy, opponents and aiming is a complex task which involves serious coordination between eyes and hands. Moreover, players learn how to react more quickly and spontaneously.

Good Self-Care and Precaution

Despite the perks mentioned above of playing hockey, there are certain things to keep in mind when getting involved in the game. Make sure to always think of your safety before every match.

This refers to warming up before every practice, drinking enough water, taking care of and using your gear correctly, and, of course, practicing good sportsmanship. Since the equipment is essential for your safety and quality of the game, it is crucial to be wise in your choice of the overall gear, skates, and stick.

There are sites like Bat Critic and others which can help you in the process of choosing what suits your needs and game best. There is room for roughness and violence in hockey. Therefore constant self-care and precaution are a must if you want to stay injury free.

Teamwork and Communication

Like in every team sport, in hockey players can develop an overall sense of belonging to a goal-oriented group. Being in a team of 11 means having a sense of responsibility and devotion to something more than personal gain.

Working towards a unified achievement and success is beneficial for enhancing soft skills and generally improving communication. Not only on the ice, but also after the game, the players need to be able to put their team's needs above their own, which is very good for social health.

Healthy Attitude and Mental Strength

Apart from physical benefits, intensive exercise helps your body release mood hormones, such as endorphin, which reduces mood swings and symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression.

Additionally, ethical decision-making and challenging strategy combined with teamwork and secure communication make hockey a sport good for mental health and self-confidence. The competition itself promotes a positive, fearless and confident attitude which can be useful not only in the field but in everyday life as well.

It's time to overcome the common prejudice related to this wonderful sport and see the bigger picture. What's best about hockey is that all of these great benefits are transferable to other areas of life. Whether it's the improvement in attitude and mood, or your overall physical health and fitness, hockey will help you lead a fulfilling and high-quality life.