Last Updated on Thursday, 09 January 2014 09:57
By Diane Ness
I have come across some great photos of young Minnesota Wild skaters while we were working on their stride during a summer session. While looking at the pictures, it should give you a better understanding of the three main elements that go into a stride. The load, the push and the extension. Although there is more that goes into a stride than that, I would like to revisit these three main components.
The loading phase comes from loading all of your power with a bent knee on one leg. Similar to a one-legged squat jump or using a Russian box, power must be stored on the leg that is ready to push. The more power loaded, the more power that will be transferred to the push.
The load
After loading, the skater will then grip and push on an edge outwards, remembering that downward force creates speed. This means that the more the skater pushes against the ice the more powerful the stride will be. Make sure the push goes out to the side as the body will travel forward. This is sometimes commonly misunderstood because it looks like the skate is being pushed back but is actually being pushed out. The skate will naturally go back on its own right before the return.
Another common mistake on the push is not fully extending the leg all the way out. Some skaters cheat themselves out of being more efficient by picking the skate up too soon or getting a high leg-kick.
The push
The last component is the extension. Keeping your skate on the ice throughout the entire push will help make sure you get to full extension. In the photos, you will be notice how both skaters are not cheating themselves by cutting their extension short. The extension is so key and is much like a follow through on a golf swing or a follow through when throwing a ball. It is the key to finishing this skill and finishing your stride.
The technique can be improved on the ice but the power and strength of each push can definitely be strengthened off ice. Plyos and strength training are great ways to improve power which in-turn will help in having a more explosive, complete stride. Good luck and keep working.
The extension
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.
