For true hockey enthusiasts, nothing would be more satisfying on a hot summer day than step into a frigid ice rink, and run skating drills for a few hours. Unless they found out about MarsBlade roller blade frames.
Imagine - the smooth glide of a frozen ice surface, with the warmth of a spring or summer day. You could just skate up and down the beach, or through the park. Or you could improve your skating stride, and condition yourself for the upcoming hockey season. Or skate circles around competitors at the next roller hockey tournament.
The MarsBlade might look fairly normal to the untrained eye, think of a the smoothness of a rocking horse on a floor. The “flow motion technology” which is unique to the MarsBlade provides a smoother rolling experience. It’s as close as you can get to the experience of skating on ice, without the ice. Or ice skates.
Step one, order MarsBlades, wait for them to ship, and install them. Or... use your regular roller blades, you just won't have the "ice skate feel" that Marsblade simulates.
If you haven’t shut down your computer and headed out to the park, here are a series of dry land skating drills you can try to build your skating skills.
Drill One – Two-Legged Leg Chains
I made up that name myself, but if you picture yourself on a flat surface, gliding forward, while rhythmically pushing outward, and then pulling inwards with the insides of your shiny new MarsBlades. You’ve probably done this manoeuver yourself on the ice, making a chain of O’s on the ice.
Start with a hockey stance, push out on your blades, then pull them in. If you’ve been doing your Van Damme truck exercises, this drill might be a little painful the first few times. Your weight should be balanced over your skates.
Drill Two – Slalom Turns
This is another two legged drill. If you’re a skier, and enjoy the moguls, or have seen the Super-G competition in the Olympics, you’ll pick up this drill fast. Once you build up some momentum, do quick turns left and right, alternating between carving turns on the inside, then the outside of your blades.
It’s a good idea to hold a hockey stick for balance, and point the stick, and pivot your weight, opposite where your feet are pointed in your turn. Your legs and body should be consistently pointing in alternate directions, and maintain your power and speed.
Drill Three - Shuffle Strides
This is the last of our MarsBlades two legged drills. Take a rolling start, with your legs spread just over shoulder width apart. Bend over slightly, into a hockey stance, but even wider. Imagine you are preparing to fake out a defenceman and deke him out to head for the goal.
Instead of taking long strides with your legs, start turning in, then out with your ankles, to make shallow, alternating turns and shifting your weight over your feet. Keep a straight line, but imagine you’re painting Charlie Brown stripes with your inside skate edges.
Drill Four – One Legged Slalom Turns
If you enjoyed drill two, imagine doing the same, but raising your inside leg for every turn. You will make longer, sweeping turns each way, building agility and strength as you carve in the direction of the inside of your outside blade. That makes sense, doesn’t it?
Drill Five – One Legged Bouncing Circles
For this drill, you might want to wear some earbuds, in part for some rhythm, and just in case anyone is laughing. You will need a wide path for this drill, and make sure you don’t run over any Boy Scouts escorting little old ladies across the street.
This drill is a lot like drill four, but instead of doing quarter turns back and forth, you are going to turn in full circles around and into the next circle. You will be on one leg remember, and as you complete your circle, you’ll want to drop your weight down, then pop up, again. Repeatedly.
Some of the songs you might want to listen to while doing this drill include:
- Eminem's "Lose Yourself"
- Kris Kross "Jump"
- Raffi’s "Bumpin' Up and Down in my Little Red Wagon"
It would be a little strange if you had all of these songs on your iPod, but if you do, you’ll enjoy this drill.
Drill Six – One Legged Jump and Glide
For this drill, you will be carving back and forth just like you did with Drill Four, but as you alternate between turns, do a jump into your next turn.
This turn will help you build your stride confidence, recovery abilities for when people are diving at you, trying to take you off your skates.
If you complete a cycle of these drills, and aren’t really excited about your new MarsBlades, you probably aren’t doing it right. Or, you just need a new music mix.
Practice these turning drills often, enjoy the smooth, ice-like glide of your MarsBlades, and see how much your skating abilities have improved next season!
