| In ice hockey, skating can make or break you. Here | | | | carry this knee forward ahead of the foot. Then when |
| are the 4 fundamentals to becoming a top performing | | | | you place your foot on the ice, you get full muscle |
| ice hockey skater, plus 4 extra techniques to push you | | | | power when the knee straightens. |
| right over the edge! | | | | Top athletes, especially outstanding track stars, |
| 1. A solid, well-balanced stance is basic to any degree | | | | recognize the importance of leg power and do |
| of speed you want to attain. If you will work on your | | | | something about it. They use a principle of training |
| starts, stops, and turns as described, you will be well | | | | known as over-load. And you can use your own form |
| on your way to good balance. | | | | of it, too. Here are some methods of over- loading: |
| 2. In striding, you have better balance if you skate with | | | | 1. Drive yourself all out as long as you are on the ice |
| your feet about shoulder width apart. If your feet are | | | | during scrimmage. Do not just coast around the rink on |
| too close together, you are more easily knocked | | | | skates; they will do most of the work for you if you let |
| off-balance in the heavy going of a game. | | | | them. |
| 3. The faster you skate, the more you should bend | | | | 2. Skate in short, hard bursts, gradually building up the |
| forward from the waist. The comparison here is to the | | | | number of lengths of ice you can do successively. |
| body-lean of a sprinter doing the 100-yard dash and | | | | 3. Get a buddy to let you push him up and down the |
| the striding form of a two-miler. During the course of a | | | | ice. You are over-loading by the amount he weighs. |
| hockey game, you will be both a sprinter and a strider | | | | 4. In testing yourself at top speed, keep up a continual |
| as the play dictates. But when you really want to dig | | | | refrain in your mind: "I can go faster yet!" Be sure to |
| fast, with or without the puck, you should lean well into | | | | warm up well before any all-out test. |
| it. | | | | If you study these 4 fundamentals and over-load with |
| 4. For straight-ahead speed, your power comes from | | | | the 4 techniques above, you will improve your skating |
| the thrust you get when the knee of the digging foot | | | | skills dramatically. And that in turn will improve your |
| straightens. To get maximum thrust, the knee of the | | | | overall ice hockey performance. |
| leg coming forward should be well bent. Be sure you | | | | |
