Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 December 2015 16:38
By Andy Ness
When we look at improving skating at all levels, it starts with a skater’s practice habits. Whether you are a Mite or a pro, skating can be improved on by working on weaknesses more than just strengths.
It is human nature to work on what we are good at. If you watch a Mite in a game, you will notice little things like the fact they may only stop one direction or turn to one side during a game. They may also drag a skate during a power turn or avoid facing the play because their transition and backwards skating is very weak.
This is why practice time is so important. It’s important to look at a skater and see what areas in which the skater truly needs to improve. Identifying weaknesses and coming up with specific skating drills are the keys to development and improvement.
Some common areas younger skaters really struggle with is stopping or turning to their “weaker” side. When we practice stopping, we will manually pull the skater straight ahead providing them with some speed (below photo 1). Once they are moving, we will quickly pull them in the direction that we are forcing them to stop (below photo 2). You want the skater to push their outside skate (inside edge) against the ice, forcing their weaker skate to stop.
Pulling the skater with some speed and pulling them the direction you want them to go will give them the repetition they need to eventually feel comfortable on their weaker side. The same that can be done for transitioning forward to backward or backward to forward. Anything you can do to manually get them to move or stop in the direction you want them to go is the key.
The same can be done all the way up to the pro level, whether it’s getting lower to the ice (top photo) or working on overspeed (below). Both are challenging at any level. Getting your knees bent in a 90-degree position is not an easy thing to do especially for someone like Blake Wheeler who stands at 6-5. Overspeed also provides a skater a chance to turn their feet over out of their comfort zone.
The idea is to try to push yourself to create a new comfort zone. It may not be easy at first, but with time and work, skills start to become more natural and second nature. Again, practice time and conscious understanding of what you are trying to accomplish is the only recipe for improvement. Good luck.
Andy Ness is the head skating and skill coach for the Minnesota Wild. He has also been an assistant skating instructor 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.
