Why you should play hockey
The Health Benefits
- Great cardio workout: Hockey is a form of cardiovascular exercise, your body benefits from the activity. Because of the start-stop nature of the game, you enjoy even greater cardio benefits and a getter number of calories being burnt.
- Builds muscular strength: Hockey also provides a strength-training workout, with the core and leg muscles being developed in particular. After the first few trainings of pre-season your backside will fell it!
- Improves coordination and balance: Having quick reactions is a must during game play. Players must pass and receive a ball that is traveling quickly across the field. Developing these skills can lead to improved overall balance and agility, as well as better hand-eye coordination.
- Promotes weight loss: Field hockey helps reduce excess body fat. The fast pace of the game requires short bursts of energy that helps burn calories and boost your metabolism. Each player burns an approximate number of 0.061 calories per pound, per minute.
- Improves breathing: The constant use of energy and muscular strength help in the development of the cardiovascular system. Pumping of sufficient quantities of oxygen through the blood helps improve breathing and cellular activity.
- Builds teamwork: Playing with a team of 11 people develops the spirit of teamwork towards successful achievement of goals and victory.
- Boosts endurance: The constant practice and sprinting across the field throughout a game can gradually increase your stamina. This not only helps on the field, but also in everyday activities and other exercise routines.
- Enhances mental strength: Exercise itself can improve your mood because of the endorphins that are released, easing feelings of depression, stress and anxiety. Field hockey provides all these benefits and demands good decision-making and strategy, which can be transferred to both personal and professional life.
- Improves communication: Playing hockey involves the verbal and nonverbal communication of messages through eyes and gestures, as players communicate during a fast-paced game. This leads to the overall improvement in the communication skills of the players. And the better the communication, the better a team’s chances of winning.
- Improves speed: Field hockey not only helps strengthen the cardiovascular system, but it also helps increase your speed and stamina. Fast footwork and agility on the field can be beneficial in every day life, especially as you age.