FORWARD SKATING TRICKS
Barbara Aidelbaum

Every coach has a bag of tricks. He takes it with him to every practice. Sometimes he’ll use a few new tricks for the entire team to further the development of a basic skill. And sometimes he’ll dig a bit deeper into the bag and throw an additional trick out there for a more highly skilled player. There are always several different levels of ability within every team. The same applies to our Icetime readers - you are all at various levels in your development. Whether you are a coach or player, choose some of the following points or tricks to help improve your forward skating stride and repeat it in various drills until it becomes a no-brainer.

THE SKATE BLADE:

I like to section the balance points of the blade into 4 parts.
Part 1: toe to the ball of the foot
Part 2: ball of the foot to the middle
Part 3: the middle to the back
Part 4: the heel (your weight should very rarely be centered over part 4)

PROPER POSTURE AND STRENGTH:

The correct stance is vital to achieve the maximum application of force and balance. In the correct photo, you can draw a line from Rob’s ear through to his shoulder, hip, thigh, knee ankle and toe. When the proper power position is maintained throughout the forward skating motion, along with good technique, deep edges and rapid leg movement, the result is increased speed in the forward stride.

Strength in the core stabilizers and the lower body will assist with better grip or traction into the ice. A stronger push will obviously generate more speed. The knee and ankles have to be bent at all times. This lowers the center of gravity and prepares the player for fast transitions at all times. Elite players have an exceptionally strong lower body. Strength combined with proper posture and good technique creates a very fast and powerful skater.

PROPER POSTURE:

• Feet hip width apart when skating forward (shoulder width apart when turning or stopping )
• Bend your ankles and knees beyond the level of comfort
• Knees aligned ahead of your toes
• Body angled forward from the hips
• Back straight
• Shoulders held back as level as possible for good balance
• Head in the center of your shoulders

LOWER BODY MOVEMENTS:

Most of the speed is derived from the actions of the lower body. The 5 actions are as follows:

1. loading the body weight (the wind-up)
2. unloading the body weight (the push and weight transfer to the gliding leg)
3. the extension (the follow-through of the driving leg)
4. the toe snap (the end of the extension)
5. the recovery (the return of the free leg to prepare for the next step)

In Detail:

1. All your weight must be perfectly balanced over one foot. The principles involved in loading (or coiling or putting the energy into or winding-up) are similar to that of many other sports. As you load onto one foot, the upper body must be square to the direction of travel. The toe and knee opens up into a “V” formation to hold an inside edge.
2. The deep inside edge grips the ice and you explode off of the driving leg. When the weight is transferred to the new foot, the gliding leg will now contact the ice on the flat of the blade. The flat of the blade is when there is equal pressure on both the inside and outside edge. When I am working with a Junior or Pro player who has strength and perfect balance, I will pull a few more tricks out of my bag. I will have him transfer his weight and actually step ahead of the mid-line of the body. Pavel Bure executes this beautifully. (This movement is only possible after years of serious off-ice hockey-specific training). Also, as the blade contacts the ice, his weight should be on part 2 of the blade and then transfers to part 3. He then uses the rocker of the blade, to rock up to part 2 and finally to part 1 of the blade for the driving leg toe snap.
3. The extension must drive from the hips and push back and to the side of the body. The gliding leg should be angled at 90 degrees and the knee is aligned ahead of the toe. At this point the body alignment should be head over shoulders, hips, thigh, knee, ankle and toe.
4. At the end of the extension, the driving leg is locked for a slit second and the push snaps off of part 1 of the blade. The gliding leg should be lunged forward.
5. The free leg returns to the mid-line of the body. It should be recovered as low as possible without being dragged on the ice. The exact same pattern is followed on the return as was executed during the extension – back and to the side. The leg comes under the body to prepare for the next push.

UPPER BODY MOVEMENTS:

The upper body should only assist the 5 actions of the lower body. Other than a sprinter-type arm movement, the upper body should remain fairly quiet to execute the hockey moves. The stick should almost always be on the ice while skating to assist with the forward skating motion.

• two hands on the stick: necessary when in traffic or skating on a tight curve. Tyke level players should always have both hands on the stick. Jaromir Jagr has been known to yell from the bench when his teammates skate through traffic with one hand on the stick. Some elite players however want to use one hand to fend off the opposition. Donald Brashear certainly has the strength to pull it off.
• one hand on the stick: typically when skating in open ice without the puck.

• the free arm (or bottom hand of the stick) should move diagonally back and forth. The wrist should not cross the center of the body. The arm should be bent when behind and follow through to more of an extension.
• the stick hand (or top hand): as the arm moves in front with the rhythm of the stride, the palm should turn up to the ceiling.

KEY POINTS:

• body is square to the direction of travel
• approx. 90 degree knee bend and the ankle should squeeze the tongue of the skate
• skate one foot at a time (on a 45 degree inside edge angle)
• push to a full extension and concentrate on the recovery
• use a sprinter-type arm movement when skating with one hand on the stick
• keep the stick in control and on the ice when skating

Every player can improve his or her stride. Even Brett Hedican still works on his forward skating. It requires a lot of discipline. Go through your skating drills at different tempos. When all principles are applied effectively at slow and moderate speeds then rapid leg movement can be applied. Always maintain a good work ethic. And most importantly, have fun in the process!