Last Updated on Friday, 06 September 2013 11:18
By Diane Ness
I have written in the past an article about power turns and today I will give some drills to help your skaters become more proficient in this skill. Power turns are one of the most important skills to try to perfect because you use it so often.
The skater should concentrate on trying to come into the turn with speed and exit the turn with speed as well. To do this the flex of the knee as well as the ankle is essential in performing a strong power turn. The flex of the knee allows you to project your body forward while maintaining a strong stable base. You will also be able to maneuver in and out of tight spaces as well as being able to keep your turns tight.
Practice these three drills to acquire a low center of gravity as well as strengthening your edges as you perform a power turn.
Power turn drill #1: This drill begins with 5 quick steps into 2 power turns (making the shape of a figure 8). The skater wants to make sure they stay low to the ice and come out of the power turn with a crossover in order to accelerate.
Power turn drill #2 – Dot to dot: Skaters perform this drill by starting in any corner of the rink. At the start, players want to skate diagonally towards the far faceoff dot. On every dot, execute a power turn (making sure to stay low to the ice with a wide base). Players can challenge themselves by touching their inside hand to the ice as they make the turn.
Power turn drill #3 – Neutral zone figure 8: This drill is performed by skating a figure 8 pattern. Skaters practice high-speed power turns with crossovers coming out of the turns.
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.
