Coach Rox Fundamentals: Hockey Position

Author: Coach Rox

Posted on: March 04, 2024

Hockey Position is the ultimate foundation for a player. It not only allows for a player to skate faster, stronger and more efficiently, but it also allows for better stick control, ice awareness, and readiness to make a play.

The hardest part about Hockey Position is that a player should nearly always be in it. That is very tiring and taxing on the legs, but the leg strength will be built over time. It is the best habit that you can develop as a young player - always be in hockey postion.

Standing on edges

The blades on your skates have two edges - the inside edge and the outside edge. These edges are what dig into the ice and give the skater the ability to push off and create a force on the ice (this is basic physics which I won't get into).

But there are three ways to stand:

On your inside edges

On your outside edges

On a neutral edge (this is basically standing right on top of your skate and on both inside and outside edges at the same time)

In hockey position, you should stand on an inside-edge that is very close to a neutral edge.

Many young players will crank their ankles inward and stand on the inside edges of their skates. There is then a distinct bending of the ankles inward rather than having a straight line from their feet up to their knee and hips. The zig zag of the bone structure takes away from a players ability to use their muscles and be strong. You're using your bones for stability, not your muscles. Therefore, you cannot generate power.

A good way to check if you are on your inside edges too much is to see if your knees are touching each other or there is little to no room between your knees. If the knees are close to touching that means your ankles are turned inward and you are trying to use your bone structure to hold up your body. As a general indicator, you should be able to nearly fit both gloves between your knees.

Distance Between Feet

For the new skater, the distance between each feet can be the hardest part to learn. Part if this is that young players, usually less than 7 years old, are still working on their balance.

And the easiest stance to stand in is the tri-pod. It looks just like a camera tripod: both legs are spread out further than shoulder width apart and with straight legs. This naturally puts the player on their inside edges but tilted very distinctly to the inside. So much so that if they lift up one foot, they will immediately start to fall over. By doing this with both feet, the forces counter-balance each other giving the player a stable base.

The problem with this is that when skating, the player will have to balance on one foot while the other pushes. That is nearly impossible in the tri-pod. The tri-pod makes the player so stable that they do not want to have their body weight on one foot.

The hardest stance to stand in is the tooth pick. This is when both feet are so close that they are nearly touch each other. Your body weight is essentially on one foot in this position, and there is very little stopping you from falling over. The tooth pick also makes it difficult for a player to push off their inside edge. There is little available room to turn your ankle inwards and then push off from.

The correct stance is to have the feet shoulder width apart. This allows the player to easily transfer their body weight between each foot while maintaining a solid base.

Coach Rox Fundamentals: First Steps

Author: Coach Rox

Posted on: March 04, 2024

Everyone has to start somewhere and that's the first step. These steps don't even have to be on the ice. It's important to walk on top of your blades.

Many new skaters have a tendency to lean on the inside of their skates with their feet wider. ** We call this the tripod because it looks like a camera tripod.**

It's a very logical and natural place for a new skater to start. That is because the skater's bone structure is supporting their weight. But it will not help them learn to balance on their skates.

Coach Rox: Bring it together with lunges

Author: Coach Rox

Posted on: February 04, 2024

LTP Drills: Lunges

I am convinced that mastering lunges is the fastest way to learn how to skate. It incoporates the basic skills needed to do a proper skating stride: balance, strength, body positioning - and all on one foot. This is also a good continuation from the earlier drills of the meatball and flamingo. A lung is a one footed mix of a meatball and a flamingo.

Keys to doing a lunge:

Keep your hands (and stick) forward

Like the meatball, if you have your hands behind you, you will fall backwards. But also, if one hand is behind you, you will rotate to that side. Standing still you can probably out muscle the torque and not fall, but when moving, you will quickly notice yourself turning around. The key tenent is that the hands drive the body.
Get your balance and glide before lowering to one knee

Having your balance centered before you lower yourself will make the movement more simple. You won't need to spend any effort trying to skate in a straight line then. But if your balance is off, you will have to fight your body's attempt to move in that direction. So work on one thing at a time, and stay balanced while lunging.
Keep your hands off the ice

This is the biggest temptation I find with learn to play skaters. Falling on the ice is fun - especially when you are indestructible with all of the hockey pads on. But resist the temptation to put your hands on the ice. This move should be completely done with your legs only; we are working on getting good balance with our legs. Putting your hands on the ice transfers your balance to your hands - away from your feet which we we aren't working on right now.

The Drill: Lunges

Start on one line and take a few strides going forward

When you are ready, put your weight on one foot and lower the other knee to the ice

Be sure to keep your hands in front of you and off the ice

Once your knee touches the ice, push off the ice with your steady leg and lift yourself up

Repeat on the other leg - be good at both sides!

For a challenge, see how many lunges you can get in a row before you get to the other side!

LTP Drills: Do the Meatball and Flamingo!

Author: Coach Rox

Posted on: January 28, 2024

The Drill: Line skating with Meatball

Line up on a line (blue line, red line, goal line - whatever works)

Start with three good strides to get some momentum

Then glide on two feet and sink your hips as low as possible.

Ideally, your butt should be touching your skates

Your hands should be in front of you to maintain balance

If you have your hands behind you, you will most likely fall backwards

Try this so you can see for yourself

After gliding in the meatball for 2 seconds, get up and keep skating

Rising out of the meatball is also important as it will help you learn to push through your feet into the ice

It is also a strength building exercise

The Drill: Line skating with Flamingo

Line up on a line (blue line, red line, goal line - whatever works)

Start with three good forward strides to get some momentum - this will help with balance

Then glide on two feet and raise one leg up so that it's a few inches off the ice

Ideally, it should be lifted straight up and not backwards

It should only clear the ice, and it should not take away from your balance on the planted leg

Try to stay gliding on one foot as long as possible and in a straight line

If you are veering to the left or the right, then you are not balanced on both edges (i.e. a neutral edge)

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You are most likely leaning on either your inside or outside edge (probably the inside edge) - Staying balanced on both edges will allow you to skate in a straight line - The raised foot can also change the direction that you are skating. If the raised foot is pointing to the left, it will open your hip and pull your body weight to that side. Keep both toes pointing in the same direction to stay balanced

Glide in the flamingo for as long as possible

Repeat on the other leg