Last Updated on Thursday, 15 January 2015 10:45
By Diane Ness
While watching many NHL defensemen turn from back to front or back to lateral, you wonder how they are able to match their speed with that of an opponent’s forward. For any defenseman, transitioning efficiently is of the utmost importance. One mistake and the forward blows by you, and then you have big problems.
To perform this maneuver at top speed, we must start from the top. By that, I mean the head and stick will turn first when beginning the rotation. This would be followed by the shoulders, then the core and finally the lead foot will open up.
In order to not lose any speed during this turn, let’s examine the load step. Assuming your upper body has turned and is in a good position, we then must create a downforce off of the pushing foot to have leverage against the ice. You cannot do this if your feet are not underneath you. The pushing foot must be underneath you so you can load your weight onto it. Once that weight is loaded, you must explode off of that foot. The forward lean also creates a moving quick start (that is another article). All of this is done in a split second.
So how do you practice this? I would suggest you first just go through this slowly and work on the upper body rotating. Try to get the technique first without worrying about speed. Being able to rotate and push off of an edge is a tricky thing to do, so learning how to execute the move will help aid in muscle memory. Trying to get the foot underneath you is very important to having an explosive first couple of steps. Finally, the body lean at a correct angle forward so as to create a moving quick start.
Remember, this maneuver is much easier if the skater has some flexibility in your hips/groins. Repeat 100 times! This will be a great asset for a defenseman.
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.
