March/April, 2008 

GOOD SKATER OR GREAT SKATER?

Coaches often complain about players who skate hard but always seem to be a step behind.  They appear to be good skaters but never seem to get ahead of the play.

There are some misconceptions about what makes a great skater.  To understand what we mean by a great skater, it is necessary to define speed as it relates to skating.           

Speed is a measure of distance traveled in time – i.e., miles per hour or feet per second.   Whether skating forward or backward, skating speed is the distance traveled on each stride in as short a time frame as possible.  A stride takes a fraction of a second (there are between four to five strides per second). Young players cover shorter distances (3-4 feet per stride; 5-6 feet per stride; 8-10 feet per stride). Great NHL skaters can cover between 12 - 15 feet per stride. 

Compare skaters of similar ages and ability levels, all skating at their top speeds. The difference in the distance covered per stride (in the same time frame) can be dramatic. Those who cover more distance in the same time are obviously going faster.

Distances covered per stride are affected by a combination of several elements: 

    - Proper skating technique. 

    - Power (pushing correctly and with explosive force). 

    - Leg speed (quickness).

A combination of all these elements can yield an explosively fast skater.

Proper skating technique relies on the proper application of force, and there are many elements involved in this.  They include proper use of the edges, knee bend, leg drive, body weight, weight shift, balance, and effective use of the arms. 

Players must push properly and completely, through the full range of motion of the pushing leg.  The push begins with a strong knee bend of the working leg (approximately 90 degrees), and with the pushing edge digging deeply into the ice with the body weight completely over the pushing skate.

The push must continue until the pushing leg reaches full extension.  A push is completed only when the pushing leg is completely locked.  The final aspect of the push is executed with the front of the edge (toe).  The finish of the push is called the “toe flick”.  It is a very important (and often neglected) part of the push.

Players must then recover the pushing leg (now the free leg) to its starting position, directly centered under

the body. 

Every skating maneuver has a two-fold weight shift on every stride – first from pushing skate/leg to gliding skate/leg, and then from gliding skate/leg to pushing skate/leg.  The ability to shift weight properly and at the right instant is an extremely important element.

Now let’s distinguish between good skaters, efficient skaters, fast (quick) skaters, efficiently fast skaters, and explosive skaters.

Good skaters:

Good skaters are acceptable skaters; they have fair balance, agility, moderately good skating technique, and moderate speed.  These skaters have not yet incorporated all the elements necessary to get to the next level of speed.

Efficient skaters: 

            These skaters know how to employ the various elements necessary to speed, so they skate with flow and efficiency.  However they are not yet able to exert explosive force, or may not have yet developed the necessary leg speed, to become explosive hockey skaters.

Fast skaters: 

            These skaters may have naturally “quick feet”; in other words, they may be blessed with a predominance of fast twitch fibers, allowing them to move with what we call “rapid leg turnover”.  Or, they may move their legs rapidly because their strides do not go through the full range of motion.  These “short strides” are inefficient; these players DO look fast. They run around the ice, appearing to go fast but in actuality they may be going nowhere fast. Even if these players do GO somewhere, they often tire very quickly.

Efficiently fast skaters:

            These skaters have combined correct skating technique with rapid leg speed.  However, they may not yet have learned to exert the explosive force and quickness necessary to becoming truly fast.

 Explosively fast skaters:

            These skaters have combined all the elements – correct skating technique, rapid leg speed, and explosive force.  They are the players who are spellbinding; they dominate the sport.  Explosive speed should be the goal of every hockey player.

 People sometimes comment that a particular player has the gift of speed.  While players may have inborn gifts, success is never solely due to talent.  It is the result of (proper) learning and years of (perfect) practice and dedication.

 When choosing a skill development program this summer, choose one that offers technique training for skating.  Keep in mind that the Laura Stamm International Power Skating System is dedicated to teaching players to properly execute all the skating elements of Every Hockey Maneuver, and then to teach players to executed these elements powerfully, explosively, and quickly.  Our program is the kind of program that hockey players should include in their training regimen if they hope to become explosively fast skaters.

SKATE GREAT HOCKEY!

LAURA STAMM

Copyright, March, 2008.

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