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 information web site. Discover the secrets
to performing at the top of your game, with a focus
on beginners. It's FREE! Click here: http://www.HockeyForBeginners.com
|