When we watch a player's skating style, the main things most observers will often notice are aspects of the skater's stride, their level of explosiveness and their glide-ability (err' being smooth!).
Although it would be easy to lump all body sizes into their historical stereotypes, it just wouldn't represent the reality of what it means to skate well or efficiently. A good skater is a site to behold, and a poor skater is as crunchy on the eyes...as they sound! With that said, there is always room to improve your skating. Let's start at the ice.
DYNAMIC EDGES
Edge work is crucial for all areas of skating- but especially for creating separation in small area play. In this video: The HockeyShot Speed Deke Pro (36") are used as short-distance markers/hurdles to encourage the players to focus on 3 key points:
- Mastery of both inside and outside edges on small radius turns
- 3 first strides coming out of dynamic edges
- Using natural body weight to generate speed out of turn
Tip: Perform this sequence at high speed without a puck. As you gain confidence and real power from your edges, you may bring in a partner to work on passes at different points in the drill.
