The 4 Fundamentals of Top Ice Hockey Skating

In ice hockey, skating can make or break you. Here are the

4 fundamentals to becoming a top performing ice hockey

skater, plus 4 extra techniques to push you right over the

edge!



1. A solid, well-balanced stance is basic to any degree of

speed you want to attain. If you will work on your starts,

stops, and turns as described, you will be well on your way

to good balance.



2. In striding, you have better balance if you skate with

your feet about shoulder width apart. If your feet are too

close together, you are more easily knocked off-balance in

the heavy going of a game.



3. The faster you skate, the more you should bend forward

from the waist. The comparison here is to the body-lean of a

sprinter doing the 100-yard dash and the striding form of a

two-miler. During the course of a hockey game, you will be

both a sprinter and a strider as the play dictates. But when

you really want to dig fast, with or without the puck, you

should lean well into it.



4. For straight-ahead speed, your power comes from the

thrust you get when the knee of the digging foot

straightens. To get maximum thrust, the knee of the leg

coming forward should be well bent. Be sure you carry this

knee forward ahead of the foot. Then when you place your

foot on the ice, you get full muscle power when the knee

straightens.



Top athletes, especially outstanding track stars, recognize

the importance of leg power and do something about it. They

use a principle of training known as over-load. And you can

use your own form of it, too. Here are some methods of over-

loading:



1. Drive yourself all out as long as you are on the ice

during scrimmage. Do not just coast around the rink on

skates; they will do most of the work for you if you let

them.



2. Skate in short, hard bursts, gradually building up the

number of lengths of ice you can do successively.



3. Get a buddy to let you push him up and down the ice. You

are over-loading by the amount he weighs.



4. In testing yourself at top speed, keep up a continual

refrain in your mind: "I can go faster yet!" Be sure to warm

up well before any all-out test.



If you study these 4 fundamentals and over-load with the 4

techniques above, you will improve your skating skills

dramatically. And that in turn will improve your overall

ice hockey performance.



About The Author:



FREE ice hockey training can be found at Sir Jon Weaver's

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