Last Updated on Thursday, 09 August 2012 11:06
By Diane Ness
As we are training many skaters throughout the summer, the No. 1 thing we continue to stress is a deep knee bend. Repeating and working on this throughout every drill is of the utmost importance. Executing drills while building muscle memory is the only way to create good habits.
But is it good enough just to do our basic skating drills and concentrate on our knee bend? We will actually work drills that specifically work on getting lower to the ice. This way, 100 percent of focus is put towards achieving that exact goal. It can be as simple as doing a one-foot glide below 90 degrees or even getting a weight vest on and doing dips up and down the ice.
Why is knee bend so important? First of all, all of our power is generated from having our knees bent. When your knees are in the proper position, each push should be powerful and explosive.
Secondly, when the knees are bent, every push is going to reach full extension. If your legs are straight up and down, you will lack any sort of extension on every push. Getting lower to the ice immediately will give you more extension. Power and extension are obviously very important to becoming a good skater.
It’s not just enough bend at the knees. The hips and glutes must also come down along with the knee bend. Finally, the skater must have a forward flex to the ankle. This will give the skater proper forward position and aid the skater in giving a “downhill feel” to their skating.
When the skater is in the proper position, they should feel a good burn in their legs. This is the time when it is very easy for a skater to stand up. The skater must stay down and understand that they are building functional strength in their skating.
As you look at the pictures, notice that each skater has their knees bent, hips lowered and ankles flexed forward.
Good luck and keep training hard.
Diane Ness has been a full-time professional skating coach for over 35 years. She has coached both figure skaters and hockey players alike and is a former U.S. gold medalist in figure skating. She is the Director for the Pro Edge Power hockey camps and the Learn to Skate program at Highland Park Arena. Ness is the skating coach for the New Jersey Devils, the University of Minnesota men’s and women’s hockey teams and the U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team. She has trained players in the NHL, AHL, NCAA, USHL and NAHL.
