In hockey, it is not about how fast you can shoot the puck, how well you can pass it or how many shots you can block. Those are all factors but they are all secondary to how well you skate. Nearly every elite-level hockey player learned to skate early in childhood. In order to learn to play hockey, you have to be a strong and confident skater.
Step 1
Tie your hockey skates quite tight. Do not put on two pairs of thick wool socks when playing hockey. Those socks will get soaked with perspiration. The thinner the socks the greater the feel you will have when you are on the ice. Your skates should fit snugly, but not to the point where your feet feel cramped.
Step 2
Skate on the edges of your hockey skates. Your skates are two-edged with a space called the hollow in-between. Push on the sides of the edges to build speed and momentum.
Step 3
Lean your body in the direction you want to turn. If you want to turn to the left, lean to your left as you skate. The same holds true for skating to your right. As you body momentum takes you in either direction, lift your skate to help you turn quicker.
Step 4
Stop skating by turning your hips in the direction you are skating. This will force the edge of your skate in front of your body and it will stop your momentum. You will notice ice shavings or "snow" come up as you stop. This is natural and indicative of a good stop.
Step 5
Lift up in your skates as you are skating and quickly spin around to turn backward. In hockey, there are a lot of sudden movements and going from forward to backward skating is one of them. Lifting up means putting all your weight on your tip toes and then quickly spinning around. Once you have turned, push your feet to the sides to continue your momentum.
Member Comments