Volume vs. Intensity, Part 1

For years, hockey has measured work by time. Time on ice. Length of practice. Shift duration. The assumption has always been that more ice time means more development. But hockey doesn’t really work that way.
 
Hockey is not a steady sport. It’s built around quick bursts of effort: sprinting, stopping, changing direction, battling for pucks mixed with moments of recovery and glide. Because of that, two players can spend the exact same amount of time on the ice and experience completely different levels of effort and stress on their bodies.
 
And that matters because players don’t improve simply from being on the ice longer. They improve when their body is challenged in the right way.
 
If the goal is to help players improve, the better question is not:
“How long were they on the ice?”
 
The right question is:
“How hard did they actually work?”

WORKLOAD HAS TWO PARTS

To understand player development more clearly, it helps to think about workload in two simple parts: volume and intensity.

Volume is the total amount of work a player does during a session. It includes all the skating, drills, movement, impacts, and overall effort across practice or games.
 
A simple way to think about it is: How much work did they do?
 
Volume helps build endurance and the ability to handle longer practices, games, and seasons.

Intensity is about how hard a player is working during those moments. It’s driven by speed, explosiveness, acceleration, and effort.
 
A simple way to think about it is: How hard did they push?
 
Intensity is what helps players become quicker, faster, and more game-ready.

WHY BOTH MATTER

Volume and intensity work together, but they are not the same thing.
 
A player can spend a lot of time on the ice without ever skating hard. On the other hand, a player can work extremely hard for short periods without building the endurance needed for a full game.
 
The best development happens when coaches understand how to balance both. Some days should focus on building endurance and capacity. Other days should focus on speed, explosiveness, and high-level effort.
 
Both matter because they help develop different parts of performance.