Most guys I work with rush warm-ups way too much. They either don’t do one at all or they jump straight into hard skating and wonder why the first shift feels awful.

A warm-up isn’t about sweating. It’s about telling your body, “Hey, we’re about to move fast and get hit.”

Before games we keep it simple. Light movement first, then hips and groin, then upper body. Nothing crazy. Just enough to wake everything up so the first few shifts don’t feel like a shock.

When players actually stick with it, they feel looser right away and usually say they feel quicker early in games. That alone makes it worth the time.