Last Updated on Wednesday, 05 November 2014 16:01
By Diane Ness
Stopping is one of the first real challenging skills that any young hockey player will learn. Actually, every skater should learn a snow plow stop first before they can tackle the much more difficult hockey stop. Most young skaters will always favor one side over another – in other words, they will have their “favorite side.” The challenge is to try to get each skater comfortable while performing a hockey stop both left and right side alike.
Some common mistakes you will see when kids are attempting a hockey stop is dragging the inside foot or the outside skate “chopping” against the ice. You may also see kids doing a power turn rather then “sliding’ the outside foot against the ice. The most common mistake you will see is a skater attempting to stop with their strong skate and then quickly switching to the other side. A good rule of thumb is that if it doesn’t look right, it usually isn’t. Stopping should look smooth and is a controlled skill.
The first drill I like to do is to put a bunch of lines (see photos) from a Sharpie all over the ice. I will give skaters a set amount of time to see how many lines they can scrape off the ice. A skater should “slide” that skate against the ice while shaving the marking off the ice. After they finish with one line they will find another and do the same thing using the other skate. This is a good time for the coaches to help the skaters if they are not able to do one side. I would recommend the coaches to get down on their hands and knees and manually help the youngster push his/her skate against the ice. This will help the kids by feel rather than by just telling them what to do.
When helping a young skater with their weak side, the coach can manually help force the skater to the desired side. Again, young skaters will always favor their better side, so what I would do is to pull the skater in a straight line and turn them the direction you want them to go. As you turn them, the skater should simultaneously “shave the ice” with their outside skate much like the first drill (photos). This should be done many times going down the ice, giving the skater confidence to go to their weaker side. It may take a little bit of time, but eventually you will notice your skaters getting the hang of it.
Learning how to stop on both sides is key to development in young skaters. Kids will always favor their strong side unless you have drills and games planned in which they are forced to work the weaker side. Remember, this may take some time but repetition is key. Good luck and have fun.
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.
