Last Updated on Thursday, 04 December 2014 10:02
By Diane Ness
We all know how important it is to have a strong outside edge while skating. For this article, I would like to make sure people really have an understanding and an awareness of an outside edge.
We will use an outside edge in any skating maneuver in which we lean over to the outside part of our skate. It may be used for a power turn, crossover or even transition. It is, in my opinion, the toughest and most critical edge to execute.
You will notice in the above photo Zach Parise performing a power turn. During a power turn, you are on both an inside and outside edge. You can see on his outside edge skate he has his knees bent with a good body lean over this edge. One important thing to understand is that his knee is inline and over his skate.
When you look at the below photo, you can see the skater has an outside edge that has “sunk” into the ice and is NOT in a strong position. The ankle is bent out rather staying intact with the knee. This is why so many skaters “bottom out” or hit the boot of their skate when cornering. It is important to remember that the skate should have an angle towards the ice but still be in a strong skating position.
The skater must also not “rut” into the ice. This happens when a skater gets their weight too far back to their heels and really digs their skates into the ice. This action will slow the skater down or even force the skater to come to a stop.
The skater should try to apply the least amount of friction into the ice to avoid slowing down. The skater will cut into the ice (you will be able to hear it) but digging into the ice will be counterproductive to a skater’s speed. The skater should be able to maintain their speed throughout a turn if done properly.
Finally, a skater should continue with a strong knee bend and a good body lean when on an outside edge. This will help create speed during a corner, as well as giving the skater a good stable base to be able to absorb any type of contact.
Watching speedskating will give you an excellent visual of how a skater should look when cornering. Obviously, hockey players will have a stick in their hands and therefore be a little more upright, but training should always be done with as much knee bend and body lean as the skater can achieve.
Like any skating skill, quality repetition is the key. Improving an outside edge will benefit almost every skating skill you can execute. Good luck.
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.
