The July 4th Wake-Up Call: Training Camp Is Closer Than It Feels

There is always a point in the summer when hockey starts to feel close again.

For most players, it is July 4th.

Before that, the season still feels like it is somewhere out there. A skate here. A lift there. A camp. A tournament. A few days at the lake. Maybe a good week of training. Maybe a week where nothing really happens and everyone sort of pretends that was part of the plan.

That is summer.

But summer does not look the same for every player.

Some players have coasted.

Some players have barely trained.

Some players have been living at the rink, bouncing from camp to showcase to tournament to skills session, and calling all of it development.

And honestly, both groups can have a problem.

One player may not have done enough.

Another may have done too much.

Both can get to July 4th and realize they are not where they need to be.

One is underloaded.

The other is overcooked.

Then July 4th hits.

The calendar looks different.

Most players know where they are playing by now. They know the team. They know the level. They probably know when camp starts, or close enough.

And suddenly the season is not “later this summer.”

It is coming.

That is when the questions start.

Am I ready?

Should I be skating more?

Do I need more conditioning?

Should I be lifting harder?

Did I do enough?

Or, for some players:

Why do I already feel tired?

Why is my groin tight every time I skate?

Why do my legs feel dead?

Why am I training all the time but not actually feeling better?

I like those questions.

I also think they get players in trouble.

Because the usual response is to add.

More skates.

More lifts.

More conditioning.

More shooting.

More lessons.

More “I just need to get after it.”

But more is not automatically the answer.

Sometimes the player needs more structure.

Sometimes they need more intensity.

Sometimes they need more recovery.

Sometimes they need less.

That is the part people do not always want to hear.

The goal after July 4th is not to cram the rest of the summer into the next few weeks.

And it is not to keep stacking work on a player who is already dragging.

The goal is to get honest.

What does camp actually require?

What has the player actually been doing?

What has been missing?

What has been excessive?

What needs to be built?

What needs to be maintained?

And what needs to be pulled back so the player does not show up tired, sore, and already dealing with something?

Training camp should not be the first time a player feels real pace, real fatigue, real contact, and real hockey stress again.

But it also should not be the next hard thing piled onto a player who has spent the whole summer running on fumes.

And not where the summer finally catches up to the player.

Camp is different

Training camp is not just another week of hockey.

I know that sounds obvious.

Still, a lot of players prepare like it is.

They do some summer skill skates. Lift a little. Maybe condition here and there. Maybe hit a camp. Maybe play a tournament. Then they assume that because they have been “doing hockey stuff,” they are ready.

Maybe they are.

Maybe they are not.

Camp has a different edge to it.

It is faster. Players are competing. Drills have more bite. There is more pressure. More repeated efforts. More contact. More battles. Less room to ease in.

The body notices.

Muscle strains are consistently one of the most common injury types in ice hockey. Across levels of play, they account for roughly 18–20% of injuries, and the hip adductors and hip flexors are two of the areas that keep showing up in the data.[1–3]

That matters because the jump from summer hockey to camp hockey is not just about being “in shape.”

I do not love that phrase, honestly.

In shape for what?

A bike ride?

A hard lift?

A 5K?

A skills session with space and no real pressure?

Hockey shape is different.

It is repeated skating. Stops and starts. Crossovers. Edges. Puck protection. Awkward positions. Contact. Fatigue. Short recovery. Then doing it again.

At the university level, sprains and strains together make up about 40% of ice hockey injuries.[4] In professional hockey, groin and adductor strains alone have been estimated to account for around 10% of all injuries.[5]

And preseason can be a rough spot. In NCAA men’s hockey, preseason practice injury rates were more than twice as high as regular-season practice rates. Pelvis and hip muscle strains were the most common practice injury, making up 13.1% of all practice injuries.[2]

So if July 4th makes a player or parent feel a little urgency, good.

They probably should.

The issue is what they do with it.

Urgency can sharpen a plan.

It can also wreck one.

More is not always a plan

I am not anti-work.

Players should train. They should skate. They should lift. They should care.

There is no shortcut here.

But I am very much against the idea that a full calendar automatically means a good plan.

Panic training can look impressive from the outside.

The player is busy. They are skating. Lifting. Conditioning. Shooting. Getting extra touches. Doing all the things.

Sometimes that is exactly what they need.

Sometimes it is just a workload spike dressed up as discipline.

Training loads should usually build gradually when possible. A common practical guideline is to avoid weekly jumps greater than about 10–20%.[6] Bigger spikes in workload have been linked with higher injury risk in multiple sports, especially when the short-term workload is much higher than what the athlete has been prepared for recently.[7]

No one needs to turn a youth hockey schedule into a spreadsheet.

Actually, please do not turn everything into a spreadsheet.

But common sense helps.

If a player goes from two moderate sessions one week to eight hard sessions the next, that is not a ramp.

That is a jump.

And jumps are where things get messy.

What players actually need now

After July 4th, most players do not need a full rebuild.

They need a ramp.

Not, “How much can I add?”

More like, “What is camp going to ask of me, and how do I get closer to that without burying myself?”

For most players, the next few weeks need five things:

1. Skating exposure
2. Hip and groin strength
3. Strength maintenance
4. Conditioning that actually looks like hockey
5. Recovery

Nothing fancy.

And honestly, that is part of the point.

There is no magic July plan. Skate enough, lift enough, train the groin, sleep a little, eat like you care, and do not wait until camp to find out your body was not ready.

Not perfect.

Just good enough, repeated enough, to matter.

Start with skating

Skating is not running.

Everybody knows that.

A lot of training plans still act like general fitness automatically carries over.

It does not.

A player can be in good shape and still not be ready for how skating loads the body. The hips move differently. The groin gets stressed differently. The trunk has to control different forces.

That is why ice exposure matters.

But just being on the ice is not the same thing as being ready for camp.

A summer full of comfortable skill skates can be useful. Players need touches. They need feel. They need time on the ice where they are not just surviving.

But if every skate is comfortable, controlled, and low-pressure, there is going to be a gap.

Camp is not comfortable.

At some point, the player needs to touch the things camp will actually ask for:

• Linear skating
• Crossovers
• Stops and starts
• Transitions
• Edge work
• Puck protection
• Small-area movement
• Repeated high-speed efforts
• Controlled battle situations, when appropriate

Every skate does not need to be a bag skate.

Early July does not need to look like tryouts.

But if a player has not felt speed, stops, starts, crossovers, or fatigue in a while, camp can feel like a shock.

And when the body gets shocked, skating mechanics usually change.

The hip takes a little more. The groin takes a little more. The low back takes a little more. The stride gets shorter. The player looks like they are working harder, but not necessarily moving better.

You can see it.

Do not ignore the hips and groin

If hockey players are going to respect one area before camp, it should probably be the hip and groin.

Not fear it.

Respect it.

Men’s ice hockey has been shown to have some of the highest rates of hip flexor and hip adductor strains across NCAA sports.[8] Most of those hip flexor and adductor strains happen without contact.[8]

That is worth paying attention to.

A noncontact groin strain can be quiet.

One stride.

One crossover.

One reach.

One awkward battle position.

And a lot of times, the warning signs were already there.

In Swedish professional and semiprofessional male hockey players, hip and groin problems were common across the season. The cumulative seasonal incidence was 45.4%. Only one in five led to formal time loss, and 70% came on gradually.[9]

That is the part that matters.

A player can have a real hip or groin issue and still be practicing.

Still playing.

Still saying they are fine.

Until they are not.

So no, hip and groin work should not just be a few stretches at the end of a skate.

Hockey players need adductor capacity.

They need to produce force. Absorb force. Control wide positions. Hold body position through contact. Skate repeatedly. Do it again when they are tired.

Useful options can include:

• Copenhagen plank progressions
• Side plank adduction variations
• Adductor squeeze isometrics
• Lateral lunges
• Slider progressions
• Split-stance strength work
• Lateral deceleration drills

A preseason adductor strengthening program in professional hockey reduced adductor strain incidence from 3.2 to 0.71 per 1,000 player-game exposures over the next two seasons.[10]

The point is simple.

Do not wait until the groin hurts to train the groin.

By then, you are already behind it.

Keep lifting, but do not chase soreness

There is a time to push strength hard.

The last few weeks before camp usually are not that time.

That does not mean stop lifting.

It means the lifting needs to fit the moment.

Players should be strong.

Players should train hard.

Players should not be so sore from a random lower-body lift that they skate like garbage for the next two days.

All of those can be true.

As preseason gets closer and skating demands go up, strength and conditioning volume usually needs to come down while sport-specific work goes up.[6]

That is not being soft.

That is planning.

A better preseason lift keeps the big things in place:

• Lower-body strength
• Single-leg strength
• Hip and trunk control
• Adductor work
• Power
• Mobility where it is actually needed

But the volume has to make sense.

No random leg destroyers.

No surprise max-effort days.

No chasing soreness just so the workout feels like it counted.

The best preseason strength sessions should leave the player feeling athletic.

Not cooked.

Maybe a little worked.

Not wrecked.

There is a difference.

Conditioning should look like hockey

Hockey conditioning is not just getting tired.

That is too easy.

Anyone can make a player tired.

That does not mean the conditioning was useful.

The better question is whether the player can repeat quality.

Can they accelerate hard, recover, and do it again?

Can they still skate well late in a session?

Can they handle a hard shift, short rest, and another hard shift?

Can they compete in a small-area drill without their posture, edge control, and decision-making falling apart?

That is conditioning for hockey.

As camp gets closer, conditioning should start to feel more like the sport:

• Short bursts
• Repeated efforts
• Direction changes
• Starts and stops
• Incomplete recovery
• Small-area constraints
• Late-session skill quality

Fatigue is part of hockey.

It has to be trained.

But the goal is not to create fatigue just to create fatigue.

The goal is to help the player keep playing well when fatigue shows up.

Recovery counts too

This is the boring part.

It is also usually the part players notice only after it becomes a problem.

Sleep.

Food.

Hydration.

Lower-intensity days.

Actual recovery between hard sessions.

Nobody gets excited about that list. I get it.

But a player who trains hard and recovers poorly is not automatically ahead. Sometimes they are just collecting fatigue.

Sleep, nutrition, hydration, and overall well-being all affect whether training turns into adaptation or just more stress.[11]

None of this has to be perfect.

That is not real life.

There will be late nights. Travel. Tournaments. Lake days. Missed meals. Weird schedules.

Fine.

But if the whole month looks like that, do not be surprised when the body starts pushing back.

A player should not show up to camp under-slept, under-fueled, and carrying three weeks of soreness.

This is where we get practical.

The player does not need to panic after July 4th.

They need a plan.

This is a sample July build for a healthy hockey player preparing for training camp in early to mid-August. It is not meant to be perfect. It is meant to give the month some structure.

A player returning from ACL reconstruction, hip surgery, high ankle sprain, adductor strain, shoulder instability, or another injury should not just copy and paste this. That player needs a more specific return-to-play plan.

But for a healthy player who knows camp is coming?

This is the idea.

Build rhythm first.

Then add speed.

Then add hockey chaos.

Then sharpen.

Do not try to win July by doing the most.

Try to show up in August ready.

The rules for the month

A hard day is a speed skate, heavy lift, conditioning session, scrimmage, battle skate, or tournament-style session. Not everything can be hard.

The body does not care that the rink had open ice at 7 pm. If the player is cooked, the player is cooked.

Not every day. Every week.

This is not optional for hockey players.

No panic lifts. No bag skates. No “let’s see where I’m at” nonsense three days before camp.

July 2026 Training Camp Prep Calendar

Weekly template

This is a simple structure most players can work from.

As July goes on, the week should shift.

Early July: cleaner rhythm.

Mid July: more speed.

Late July: more game-like chaos.

End of July: sharpen and freshen up.

Just a ramp.

Workout templates

Keep the lifts simple.

The point is not to destroy the player.

The point is to keep the body strong, powerful, and ready for the ice.

Lower Strength + Adductors

• Bike or light jog: 3 minutes
• Lateral shuffle: 2 x 10 yards each way
• Walking lunges: 2 x 8 each side
• Adductor rockbacks: 2 x 8 each side
• Lateral bounds: 2 x 4 each side

Upper Body + Power

Total-Body Power + Maintenance

Skate templates

Skill + Edge Day

Goal: Touch the ice, build confidence, and clean up movement.

Length: 45–60 minutes

Intensity: Moderate

• 10 min warm-up skate
• 10 min edges and transitions
• 10 min puck touches and passing
• 10 min crossovers, stops/starts, and tight turns
• 5–10 min shooting
• 4–6 short accelerations at the end

This should not be a bag skate.

The player should leave feeling better, not smoked.

Speed + Repeat Effort Day

Goal: Prepare for pace.

Length: 45–60 minutes

Intensity: High, but controlled

• 10 min warm-up
• 6 x 10–15 second accelerations with full recovery
• 4 x stop/start sequences each direction
• 4 x crossover acceleration patterns each direction
• 6–8 x 20–30 second shift-like efforts
• 90–120 seconds rest between efforts
• 5 min easy cool down

The point is not to make every rep worse.

The point is to repeat quality.

When quality falls apart, the conditioning is done.

Small-Area / Hockey Chaos Day

Goal: Add the messy parts of hockey back in.

Length: 45–60 minutes

Intensity: Moderate-high to high

• 10 min warm-up
• 10 min small-area puck protection
• 10 min 1v1 or 2v2 battle drills
• 10 min transition games
• 10 min short-area compete
• 5 min cool down

This is where the body starts to feel more of what camp will demand.

Awkward positions.

Contact.

Fatigue.

Decision-making.

That matters.

This does not need to be complicated.

But it needs to be consistent.

Sleep goals

• Youth athletes: aim for 8–10 hours when possible
• Older athletes/adults: aim for 7.5–9 hours
• Keep bedtime and wake time within about 60 minutes most days
• Get off the phone 30 minutes before bed
• Keep the room cool and dark
• Use a short nap if needed: 20–30 minutes, not 2 hours

The goal is not one perfect night.

The goal is stacking enough good nights that the player is not constantly trying to recover from the week.

A simple rule:

More work plus worse sleep is not a preseason plan.

It is a problem waiting to show up.

Hydration goals

Most players do not need a complicated hydration strategy.

They need to stop showing up half-empty.

• Start the morning with water
• Drink regularly through the day
• Add electrolytes on hot days, double-session days, or heavy sweat days
• Check urine color: pale yellow is usually a good sign
• Do not wait until the drive to the rink to start drinking

Before skating or lifting:

• 16–20 oz of fluid in the 2–3 hours before training
• Small sips closer to the session
• Add electrolytes if it is hot, humid, or the player sweats heavily

After training:

• Drink within the first hour
• Eat a real meal or snack with protein and carbs
• Add electrolytes again on heavy sweat days

Do not overthink it.

Just refuel.

Green light

Keep building if:

• Soreness improves within 24–48 hours
• Energy is good
• Skating quality is improving
• No groin pinch or sharp pain
• Sleep is consistent
• The player feels better as warm-up progresses

Yellow light

Adjust the plan if:

• Groin soreness keeps returning
• Hip pinching shows up during skating
• The player feels heavy for several days
• Sleep is poor
• Energy is dropping
• Skating looks worse as the week goes on
• The player is adding sessions just because they feel behind

Yellow light does not mean panic.

It means adjust.

Take volume down. Keep movement. Recover. Do not keep stacking.

Red light

Get evaluated if:

• Pain changes skating mechanics
• The player is limping
• Groin pain is sharp
• Pain occurs with squeezing the legs together
• A previous injury starts feeling familiar
• Symptoms are getting worse week to week
• The player cannot recover between sessions

Do not try to tough-guy your way through July.

That is how players lose August.

July does not need to be perfect.

It does need to have direction.

Skate enough.

Lift enough.

Train the hips and groin.

Build conditioning that looks like hockey.

Sleep.

Hydrate.

Recover.

Then sharpen.

1. Chandran A, Nedimyer AK, Boltz AJ, et al. Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Ice Hockey: 2014–2015 Through 2018–2019. Journal of Athletic Training. 2021;56(7):695–702.
2. Agel J, Dompier TP, Dick R, Marshall SW. Descriptive Epidemiology of Collegiate Men’s Ice Hockey Injuries. Journal of Athletic Training. 2007;42(2):241–248.
3. Daly PJ, Sim FH, Simonet WT. Ice Hockey Injuries: A Review. Sports Medicine. 1990;10(2):122–131.
4. Rishiraj N, Lloyd-Smith R, Lorenz T, Niven B, Michel M. University Men’s Ice Hockey: Rates and Risk of Injuries Over 6 Years. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 2009;49(2):159–166.
5. Nicholas SJ, Tyler TF. Adductor Muscle Strains in Sport. Sports Medicine. 2002;32(5):339–344.
6. The Team Physician and Strength and Conditioning of Athletes for Sports: A Consensus Statement. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2015;47(2):440–445.
7. Brenner JS, Watson A. Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Young Athletes. Pediatrics. 2024;153(2):e2023065129.
8. Eckard TG, Padua DA, Dompier TP, et al. Epidemiology of Hip Flexor and Hip Adductor Strains in NCAA Athletes. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2017;45(12):2713–2722.
9. Wörner T, Thorborg K, Clarsen B, Eek F. Hip and Groin Problems in Swedish Male Ice Hockey Players. Journal of Athletic Training. 2022;57(1):72–78.
10. Tyler TF, Nicholas SJ, Campbell RJ, Donellan S, McHugh MP. Preseason Exercise Program to Prevent Adductor Muscle Strains in Professional Ice Hockey Players. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2002;30(5):680–683.
11. Load, Overload, and Recovery in the Athlete: Select Issues for the Team Physician. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2019;51(4):821–828.

See you on the ice,

Jeremy O’Keefe, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS
Integrated Performance

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to The Hockey Health Brief.

Practical hockey health, performance, injury prevention, and return-to-play guidance from Integrated Performance.

Unsubscribe