How to Train for Power Skating
Power skating is not in and of itself a sport. Rather, it’s a training method that incorporates both on-ice and off-ice workout regimens to achieve increased speed, strength and technique. While most experts agree that technique is the most important aspect of any type of skating (hockey, figure skating and inline skating), there also is near-unanimous agreement that strength and conditioning is crucial. Gone are the days when youngsters are tossed out onto the ice and told, “Skate. Fast!” Power-skating can significantly increase performance, whether you’re a bantam-leaguer or a retired weekend warrior.
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Instructions
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Find a pair of skates that fit. Spend time shopping and make sure the skates fit snugly without crunching your toes.
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Get on the ice and bend your knees, keep your back straight, and keep your head up at all times. “You should have a slight forward lean while keeping your chest slightly out,” says Paul Vincent, of the Paul Vincent Dynamic Skating School in Boston. “No matter what you do from that point, you have to keep that athletic foundation.” Go slowly and concentrate on form and power.
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Use the edges of the skates, and don’t be afraid to fall. Push off from a 45-degree ankle bend. Set up a cone course and work both the right and left edges, getting used to balancing yourself. Balance precedes any hope of speed.
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Take it slow. Do it right before you do it fast. Skills are taught in slow motion to establish the position both physically and mentally.
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Push, push, push. Many skaters have a tendency to lift their feet too soon without completing their push-off. “Get the most behind each push by fully extending that push leg,” emphasizes Bobby Glantz, Power Skating coach for the Los Angeles Kings & the Atlanta Thrashers.
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Train off-ice. When you can’t get ice time, or during the off-season, you still can train with skating in mind. Skating involves movement and muscle groups not used in most other sports or everyday motion. It’s been described by players and coaches as unnatural. Therefore, know what muscles and muscle groups are involved in the act of skating and concentrate your efforts there. Whether it’s weight training, isometrics, in-line skating or in-pool exercise, you can isolate and develop the proper muscle groups.
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Tips & Warnings
Equipment is available specifically designed for off-ice training.
Although it seems natural to assume that inline skating would be a natural complement to power skating training, some experts warn of drawbacks. Glantz points to a player who has a bad habit of picking his skates too high off the ice when pushing off, saying that inline skating can exacerbate the problem. On the flip side, “(If) you know you pick your feet up too high off the ice so you decide to concentrate on correcting this problem on the inlines by doing drills that keep your feet lower . . . (t)hen, yes, the inlines can be very beneficial,” Glantz says.
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Resources
- Photo Credit skates image by Aleksandr Ugorenkov from Fotolia.com
