Skating

Skating is the most important technical skill in hockey. Players need to spend numerous hours trying to improve their skating abilities from Novice all the way up to the PRO level. Many professional hockey players use experts to improve their overall skating. Off ice training is key for any player that wishes to increase their speed, explosive power, and overall endurance.

Drive Leg = back leg
Glide Leg = leg in motion

Forward Skating
- keep your feet shoulder width apart (you should not be able to see your toes)
- start with your skates forming a ‘’V’’ (knees turned outwards)
- push one foot at a time and transfer all your body weight into each stride (the - initial strides are short and quick without gliding, and only lift your feet off the ice slightly)
- the drive leg is fully extended at the hip, knee, and ankle joint
- the knee of the drive leg is flexed beyond the toe of the skate
- fully extend on each stride with a quick recovery back to the “V” position
- when in full motion, keep your body square to the direction of travel
- keep your back straight and your head up
- do not lean your body too forward (you need to be comfortable when you skate and you will know the lean that gives you maximum balance and lets you take fully extended strides)
- keep your knees bent as much as possible (this will give you more power and balance)
- Skate with a proper arm swinging movement (arm and leg movements work in rhythm with their opposites)
- Always keep your stick on the ice, except when you are looking to gain top speed

Backward Skating
- knees are bent and shoulder width apart
- keep your back straight and eyes looking forward
- start each push from directly under your body (from the hips down)
- the pushing foot drives to the side to full extension (forming a half moon ‘’C’’) while the other foot glides back
- push one leg at a time and use all your body weight on each stride
- pivot the heel of the pushing foot up and outward so it is perpendicular to your glide foot (Form and upside down letter ‘’L’’)
- try to maintain a straight line as possible (do not swivel your hips)
- always keep your eyes looking forward and shoulders back
- always keep your hips low to the ice
- push your leg to a full extension and make sure your gliding leg goes back in a straight line on the flat of the blade
- always keep both feet on the ice (not like forward skating)
- use sprinter type arm movement while skating with one hand on stick

Crossovers
Crossovers are a very important part of a hockey player’s game. Players use a crossover to accelerate while changing direction.
- keep your knees bent
- always keep head up and eyes pointing forward
- the head, shoulders (remain as level as possible), and arms are rotated in the direction of movement
- the body leans towards the inside, keep your knees bent
- only the lower body parts are aligned and pointing in the direction of the turn (hips and skates)
- weight transfers from the inside to outside leg
- the outside leg drives with an extension of the hip, knee, and ankle
- following the extension of the outside leg (inside edge), the outside leg crosses over the inside leg (out-side edge)
- leaning into a turn, the outside leg crosses over (in front of) the inside leg keeping the skates as low to the ice as possible (within one inch to the ice)
- bring the outside leg back in front while remaining balanced and low to the ice- repeat crossover until you are going in desired direction
- in practice, work on making really tight circles
- keep stick in front and on the ice
- good strong knee bend and ankle bend are the key to good crossovers

Stopping
Being able to stop is a crucial element to being a great skater. The key is to be able to stop quickly on both sides, whether skating in a forward or backward motion.
1) Forward Stop (90 degrees)– 2 foot stop
- as you get ready to stop, turn your hips 90 degrees from the direction of travel, turning both skates simultaneously
- the stop is executed on the outside edge of the inside skate and the inside edge of the outside skate
- keep both feet wide apart from each other (about 6 to 8 inches apart)
- the inside skate is slightly beyond of the outside skate
- transfer most of your body weight on the outside skate (if too much weight is on the inside foot, you will fall and loose your balance)
- counterbalance the stop with your upper body, keeping shoulders parallel to the ice
one foot stop, the front leg is similar to the 2 foot stop except all the weight is on the front leg(inside edge). The back leg is off the ice, ready to initiate the next stride

2) Backward Stop (Hips straight / V Position)
- as you get ready to stop, keep your hips facing in the direction of travel and begin your slide
- turn your knees outwards and bring heels in under shoulders
- as you begin to feel conformable with the slide, dig inside edges deeper into the ice (pressure on front part of blades)
- your body weight should be centered evenly on both feet (do not lean to far forward or you might loose your balance)

3) Backward Stop (90 degree hip turn slide) – 2 foot stop
- as you get ready to stop, turn your hips 90 degrees from the direction of travel, with your back foot lifting slightly off the ice, then returning to the ice
- both the inside skate and outside skate slide on top of the ice, with the inside skate trailing the outside skate
- most of your body weight should be distributed to your back skate

Overall Tips
- as you get better at stopping, increase skating speed prior to stopping (the key is being able to stop quickly at any speed)
- a good knee bend is vital to making good stops
- always keep your eyes forward and your head up
- your back should be as straight as possible
- remember to shift most of your weight on the outside foot for balance


EXPLOSIVE STARTS
Because hockey is a game of transition, players need to master their quick and explosive starts from any position. Many skaters take too much time to gain speed, and is often one of the reasons why they are not able to play at higher levels.
- bend knees deeply (you will need all your leg muscles to engage in a powerful start)
- form the letter ‘’V’’ with both skates with your knees pointing outwards
- spring forward and drive off from the ball of your foot
- fully extend your legs on each stride and fully extend the ankles
- visualize yourself as a sprinter (you should be jumping and landing on your fist 3 to 4 steps)
- thrust your body forward and transfer as much body weight as you can to the jumping foot
- focus on having ‘’quick’’ feet as the faster you execute your jumping strides, the faster you will gain speed
- engage in off ice training to develop powerful leg muscles (the more powerful your leg muscles, the more explosive you will be on the ice)
- do not lean your body too far forward, as you will loose your balance
• The ability to get up on your toes is what will get you to explode faster
- keep on practicing and don’t get discouraged (improving explosiveness takes time and practice)

Changing Directions
Transition moves in hockey are extremely important in one’s development into becoming a great skater. It is one thing to be comfortable skating in both forward and backward motions. But in order to become a great skater, you must be able to make a quick transition from the forward to backward motion, and from the backward to forward motion. Transition moves require a lot of patience and practice.

Forward to Backward (without stopping)
- bend your knees deeply
- keep your back straight, head up and eyes pointing forward
- as you get into the transition, turn your hips 90 degrees from your direction of travel (both hips turn simultaneously)
- keep upper body centered over the top of your skates to stay balanced throughout the transition
- the outside skate (planted on the inside edge) pushes a half moon (‘’C’’) deeply into the ice
- the inside skate is on an outside edge and gets you going in a straight line backwards as it pulls underneath the body extremely hard to full extension, forming a letter ‘’Y’’

Backward to Forward (Mohawk Turn)
- bend your knees deeply
- keep your back straight, head up and eyes pointing forward
- as you get ready to make the transition, center all your weight over the turning skate (Plant the skate on an inside edge and it will automatically turn)
- your other foot (the one you will land on) gets slightly lifted off the ice and forms and arrow tip position under your body
- push off with your pivoting foot and make sure to counterbalance against it to maintain the proper grip to get power and speed from your push
- once you have made the transition and have your momentum going forward, pop up on your toes and apply the technique of the quick forward start (‘’V’’ start) - practice until you can make transitions without loosing any momentum
- make sure to turn hips 90 degrees when executing the transition (improper hip turn movement results in a loss of speed and balance)
- always keep your head up and eyes facing forward while doing transitions
- make sure to have a firm knee bend to stay balanced and give you added power when making the transition

Backward to Forward Crossover
- the skates are brought close together with the arms brought close to the body
- the body weight shifts over the glide leg
- the other leg crosses over with the blade (inside edge) to the desired direction
- the crossover is short and close to the ice

TIGHT TURN (PIVOT)
While crossovers are the best way to gain top speed in turning corners, it is also very important to learn how to turn quickly while keeping both skates close together. Hockey is not a game played skating in a straightforward motion; you must be able to turn quickly and confidently.
- make sure your knees are bent deeply (ahead of your toes), your upper body is straight, your head is up in the center of your shoulders and that your eyes are pointing forward as you enter the turn
- as you begin to turn, shift your body weight into the inside leg (the inside hip guides the turn)
- keep the inside shoulder pressing up to remain parallel to the ice surface (try to maintain outside shoulder as parallel to the ice as possible)
- your outside leg glides next to your turning inside leg, and your skates turn simultaneously in the same direction
- once you have turned and are going in the desired direction, execute a sharp crossover and apply the quick start principles to gain top speed
- keep your eyes pointing forward as you turn
- the sharper you want to turn, the more downward body weight you should apply entering the turn
- use your hips as the steering wheel as you execute the turn and keep your legs close together to get a quicker turn
- focus on maintaining as much speed as you can while turning
- keep your stick in front of you (preferably both hands on the stick)