subject: How to Skate Faster - 3 Great Tips to Help You Maximize Your Skating Speed and Dominate on the Ice [print this page] How to skate faster is one of the top questions on every hockey players mind. After all, skating speed is one of the absolute most important aspects of any great hockey player. There isn't a single top pro who isn't a top notch skater, and that's no coincidence. Skating and speed are the benchmark or a top player. After all, skating speed wins races for pucks, gets around defensemen, and in general helps score more goals. Here are three great tips you can follow to help you maximize your skating speed and dominate the competition.
Small changes in form can make big differences...
With skating, form is incredibly important, and the tiniest, seemingly insignificant changes in form can have dramatic impacts on overall performance. For instance, if your skate blades aren't around 45 degrees to the ice when you're pushing off, you're sacrificing speed! Having a coach or someone else videotape and analyze your stride may turn up some small changes you can make that could result in huge speed gains.
Fewer strides makes for faster skaters...
Watch any NHL skills competition and you'll see a common trend among the fastest skaters. They don't take a lot of short choppy strides, in fact, they take very few strides. The key is that the best players can get up to speed very quickly, in only three or four strides, and from there, they transition into long, smooth strides in order to maintain that speed. This first stride acceleration is the key to fast skating. Players who can get up to top speed faster win races and dominate the game.
How to Skate Faster - 3 Great Tips to Help You Maximize Your Skating Speed and Dominate on the Ice
