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Skating Tips

It is important to work on skating and basic techniques to improve your skating to make you feel more sure out on the ice. The most important skill hockey players must be well schooled in is skating. It is the one main skill that separates average hockey players from great players. However, for most players, skating is the most difficult hockey skill to master. Skating should eventually come naturally when you’re playing and one should not need to think about it when you are on the ice. Below are a few basic techniques that can improve your skating.

GET SET….. Skating is the essential foundation or “building block” to any hockey player.

Keep your feet shoulder-width apart with your toes facing out, creating a V-shape with your skates.
Your knees should be slightly bent so that they line up with the tips of your toes.
Keep your weight on the balls of your feet.
And always keep your head up.

READY AND GO….. There are three phases of skating: the stride, the glide and the recovery:

The STRIDE - Dig either skate blade into the ice and push out hard to the side. The back leg or what is known as the "push leg" should extend through the push -- from the ankle to the tip of the skate blade.
The GLIDE - As the back leg or the "push leg" extends out, the front leg or the "glide leg" should, as the name suggests, glide along the ice. Once the leg is fully extended, your weight should be shifted from the back leg to the front leg in preparation for the next stride.
The RECOVERY - The back leg should be brought back to its original position - along side the glide leg. Now you are ready to take your next stride with the other leg.

To quickly generate speed, the first four to five strides should be fast, choppy motions. Once you feel you have reached a comfortable speed, you can begin to lengthen you strides. This will require less energy while maintaining your speed.


Figure 1 Keep feet together with toes out	Figure 2 Begin by thrusting out with either leg	Figure 3 Shift weight to front skate or the “glide skate.”

Skating Drills
There are numerous skating drills that are very helpful for the young, developing hockey player. Here are a few to help.

"Partner Pulls"
Grab a teammate and stand in a single-file line with your partner a few feet behind you. Place a pair of hockey sticks between you and have your teammate grab one end of the sticks while you hold on to the other. Begin to skate by driving hard down the ice, remembering the power comes from your thighs. Your teammate can increase the resistance by turning his or her toes inward. This exercise will get your legs used to the proper pushing motion.

"Partner Pushes"
Again, grab a fellow player and face your teammate holding one hockey stick together (horizontally). Players use both hands to hold the stick. Begin to skate down the ice striding, pushing on the stick using full leg extension (hips, knee, ankle) with your head up. Your partner will be facing you going backwards down the ice while holding on to the stick. Your partner can increase or decrease the resistance by turning his skates outward on his inside edge as you go down the ice. Switch positions and return.