Can you tell us a bit more about GDN?

We are Iain & Ishani Gordon, owners of GDN Fitness & Hockey, Europe’s first Hockey specific strength & conditioning facility. The purpose built gym is located in Chalfont St Giles, near Amersham. It’s a unique, family orientated space where there is training for everyone, whether it’s small group classes or 1-2-1 sessions. Sessions combine exercise & mobility in the gym as well as stick & ball work on the pitch. We have launched our Virtual Hockey Fitness classes to offer our expertise in Hockey specific S&C to the wider hockey community. We are very big on moving correctly to improve a players physical ability, reduce their risk of injury & increase the longevity of their playing career. 

Can you tell us a bit more about your relationship with Southgate and how you’ve been getting on this season before the lockdown?

Many matches, laughs, injuries & balcony cheers were had at Southgate HC for both of us before we even met each other, over 10 years ago. Many summers at Southgate have given us fond memories & having Iain playing for the M1’s has allowed us to keep enjoying the club. 

Iain: Finding our feet at the start of the season allowed us to progress with strong strides, our tactically astute manager Mike, has established a fitting formula to keep us progressing. 

We’re very fortunate to have some outstanding players and after winning our last game against top of the league Teddington, we have a fighting chance at promotion. 

What can Southgate members expect from the session on Saturday?

A typical GDN Hockey Conditioning Class begins with mobility & activation and progresses into 3 main sections; two of which have a strength & stability focus followed by a final conditioning block. All sections have an element of stick and ball skills. All exercises are body & therefore you don’t need any equipment. 

Is it suitable for all ages and abilities?

Yes it is, we provide regressions & progressions for all exercises so anyone can attend. Recommended for ages 10 and above. 

What should people do in advance of the session and is any equipment needed?

For the GDN Hockey conditioning class, you’ll need: A 2x2m space, a stick, a ball & a bottle of water to stay hydrated.

How have you been keeping busy through lockdown? 

Lockdown 1.0 – GDN have been providing help to the community by creating MeTimeGDN, a series of Free exercise videos that can be accessed on YouTube. We’ve also had the privilege of training many of the Men’s & Women’s Eng/ GB players at GDN.

Lockdown 2.0 – We focused on outdoor sessions, fully utilising our pitch and outdoor training area. As well as providing online training content for the hockey community. 

Lockdown 3.0 – GDN have launched a virtual training platform, providing high quality hockey, fitness & mobility sessions with all our GDN trainers. This platform is here to stay and will be used to supplemented pre-season and in-season fitness training.

Do you have any tips for people keen to keep up their hockey fitness?

Hockey is a one sided sport so imbalances do occur and greatly increase the risk of injury. Use this extra time to work on your foundations of movement and build robustness in the body. This could be improving you core strength/ stability, mobility, balance and stick skills. All of which we cover in our classes. 

How do people access the session on Saturday?

To book the session on Saturday 6th at 11:00 click the link below to create an account, going through the health & safety questions. Once that’s complete, click to book the class & select the free class pass provided for all SGHC members. You will receive an automated email 30 minutes for the start of the class with a link to join. 

We look forward to hosting Southgate’s Hockey Fitness LIVE Class with GDN. See you then! 

Best wishes, 

Iain & Ishani