Andy & Diane Ness 2013

When teaching any skating skill, whether it be forward crossovers, quick starts or backwards skating, there will always be four main key components to every skill. For each skating skill to be proficient, all of these skills must be present and executed properly, so let’s look at all four.

As you enter the offensive zone, you have two defenders in front of you and you’re by yourself. You need to buy some time and space and you also need support from your other line mates. What should you do?

As teams are picked and practices are now in full swing, how can skaters become better? When I work with the pros in the summer, there is so much attention to detail while working on skating. 

Having good balance is essential to becoming a good skater. Balance is the key to every skating skill you will learn as you get older (notice the professionals in the photos).

In the previous articles, I explained how to execute a proper quick start, as well as some drills that can help accomplish that skill. I do prefer the straight-ahead start, though there are many situations in which the skater is facing the play and has to do a crossover start to get going.

In the previous article, I was able to give some drills and ideas for improving your quick start. There are thousands of drills that you can do to help improve this and I would like to show you a couple more for a younger level.

In last week’s article I explained the importance and the mechanics of building an explosive start. For this article we will discuss how to improve your starts. Improving your starts take time, practice and a lot of hard work. It takes an all-out effort because each time you execute a quick start, you are exerting all out energy. There is really no easy way to practice without paying the price of hard work.

 Improving your starts take time, practice and a lot of hard work. It takes an all-out effort because each time you execute a quick start, you are exerting all-out energy. There is really no easy way to practice without paying the price of hard work.

Being an explosive skater is so important in today’s game. Your first three to five steps are the key to winning small races all over the ice. Getting to the puck first, getting up to a full stride quicker and beating opponents to areas on the ice is a result of an explosive quick start.

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.

Crossovers are one of the most important skating skills there are for many reasons. I always ask my students, “How many crossovers do you think you do in a game?” Answers will vary with the age of the student, but the fact of the matter is that you will use crossovers every shift.  

The stride is a difficult skill to perform at different tempos. In a game, a player will probably never go end to end in an exact straight line. The stride will be interrupted with cross-overs, shuffle steps, gliding and restarts.  

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.

When we do our camps, regardless if it’s Mites or the pros, it always comes back to the fundamentals of skating. It is very clear to me that there is a distinct difference between doing something and doing something well.  

While watching the great skaters in the NHL, you may notice how effortless it looks. All movements look natural and they make any skating skill look pretty easy.

One of the best things about hockey is that a hockey team can be made up of many different types of players. Whether you’re a bigger skater or a smaller skater, everyone can bring something different to the table. 

As a skating instructor, my job is to teach skaters young and old the mechanics of all skating skills. Whether it’s a stride, forward crossovers or transition, all skills take a certain awareness and understanding to acquire. 

Last summer we had the chance to meet up on the ice with one of the nation’s top speedskating coaches, Dave Cruikshank. You may have also seen Dave at the Let’s Play Hockey Expo at the Easton booth just a couple weeks ago. 

After a great weekend of watching high school hockey, I was able to  look at film of a couple of these skaters from the summer. The attributes always seem to be the same while examining a skater with excellent speed. 

So the offseason is coming ... now what? We know we need to skate and train, but what should we do? What should we focus on? 

Last week we discussed the importance of having a solid outside edge. Whether you’re cornering with crossovers or a power turn, a strong outside edge is the key. 

When you see beginning skaters, you will notice that they tend to naturally start off on their inside edges. For them, it is a natural and safe feeling to be on two inside edges. The challenging part is to begin to get the skater on a strong outside edge. 

This time of year sometimes seems the hardest (especially at the Mite level) for coaches and players alike. When skating and skill work becomes monotonous, kids tend to go through the motions. 

Gilding happens when a skater stops moving his/her feet but will continue to move. Gliding is done all over the rink all the time. It is actually the skill most used while playing in a game. Hockey is a game of bursts followed by periods of gliding.

Crossovers are one of the most important skating skills there is for many reasons. I always ask my students, “How many crossovers do you think you do in a game?” Answers will vary with the age of the student but the fact of the matter is that you will use crossovers every shift. 

If you have had a chance to get back and watch some NHL hockey, you know how important it is to sustain a good forecheck. A good forecheck is set up executing good stops and starts. 

The one gift us Minnesotans are given each winter is outdoor ice. Whether it’s on the lake, pond or school playground, outdoor ice brings out the kid in each of us.  I grew up on a small lake and most of my beginning skills were learned outside.

Leg pulls are one of the most complicated edge drills to execute, but at the same time should look simple and effortless when done correctly. A leg pull is a drill in which the skater takes one or two pushes, balances on one skate, and pushes from each edge to keep speed. This skater must go the length of the ice on one foot without touching the other skate to the ice. 

In today’s game it is very important to have puck control or “puck management.” If you watch any kind of high level hockey, you are able to see that the players are very good at keeping control of the puck and not carelessly turning the puck over.