Relax

I’m not referring to putting your feet up, sitting back and watching
TV, but the abilities that you can learn to help regulate stress and enhance
performance. Although the end of a hockey season is the ideal time to relax,
recharge and take a break, relaxation techniques are important to use
throughout the entire year. The proper use of various relaxation techniques
include: physical benefits such as enhanced recovery, increased self awareness
and increased energy levels; and psychological benefits such as quieting a
worrisome mind, clarifying your focus and controlling your attention.

The following relaxation techniques can aid a player in preparing for
the physical demands and stresses of being an elite hockey player:

Diaphragmatic Breathing – Proper
breathing serves as a corner stone for optimal relaxation. There are two key areas to proper breathing:
qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative breathing refers to how you breathe. Experts
in relaxation recommend breathing using your diaphragm, or simply put, your
belly. The reverse of breathing deep into your stomach is breathing up into
your chest. If you breath in and your chest raises or expands this causes
unnecessary tension and stress to your back and shoulders. Quantitative breathing
refers to the ratio of your inhalations and exhalations. People under stress
will often inhale more than they exhale. Optimal relaxation occurs at a 3 count
inhalation with a 6 count exhalation.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation
or Muscle Afferent Training – The
purpose of these techniques is to help you develop greater awareness of your
muscle tension and provide you with the ability to decrease unnecessary
tension. Essentially both techniques build your awareness by giving you a
contrast between your muscles relaxed and contracted. Specifically, Muscle
Afferent Training works by contracting and relaxing one muscle at a time. The
contractions last for 7 seconds each and are never more than 50% intensity. You
start with your hands and arms, moving to your trunk, legs and feet, and
finishing with your head, neck and face. You always work in pairs, for example
after you do wrist extension you would do wrist flexion.

Autogenic Therapy – This
technique brings your body into an optimal state for relaxation and recovery.
Specifically it dilates your blood vessels, providing your muscles with a
greater ability to repair themselves. The technique takes about 15 minutes and
goes through 6 stages. It is a variation of self hypnosis and as such each
stage consists of a set of visualizations you would repeat to yourself, at
least 3 times, to induce a state of relaxation.

1. “My right arm is heavy” – for each limb, then
“My arms and legs are heavy”

2. “My right arm is warm” – for each limb, then “My
arms and legs are warm”

3. “My heartbeat is calm and regular”

4. “My breath is calm and regular”

5. “My solar plexus is warm”

6. “My forehead is cool”

There are many other relaxation techniques, but I think together these
provide a solid foundation of relaxation techniques to help you regulate stress
and enhance performance. Diaphragmatic Breathing
is a quick and easy way to relax when in a stressful situation. The more you
practice it the better and more natural you will become at it. Muscle Afferent
Training is useful to decrease anxiety and heighten your awareness, which can be
helpful for players to do a few hours before a game. Lastly, Autogenic Therapy
is great for recovery and relaxation, so practicing it after a workout,
practice, game or before going to bed would be ideal.

It has been said that an anxious mind can’t live in a relaxed body. Therefore,
relaxing your body is the key to relaxing your mind. Hence, not only are these
techniques very useful for you physically but also mentally.