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Adult Hockey Tip # 6 - Edges
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Here’s your “Tip of the Week” from Canlan Ice Sports’ National Head of Athlete Development, Cyndi Henry (NCCP Level 2 in Hockey & Ringette).The Hockey Academy Presents: Edges
Edges
Using your edges properly still requires you to lower your body by keeping your knees bent; 2” over their toes while your back is straight and head is up, this will allow you to maintain good balance while practicing your edges.
Edges
Using your edges properly still requires you to lower your body by keeping your knees bent; 2” over their toes while your back is straight and head is up, this will allow you to maintain good balance while practicing your edges.
The edges on your skates have a specific purpose, to cut and strongly grip against the ice, this is necessary for speed, balance and power. The more familiar you are on your edges, the more power you will be able to generate and you will become stronger on your skates.
You achieve this grip on the ice by using the edges of your blade, by rolling your ankles halfway to the ice (45 degrees), either on your outside edges or on your inside edges.
Forward Stride and Proper Edges
When skating forwards you are using your inside edges to generate power, in order to generate this power you must turn your skate slightly outward, with the inside edge of your skate rolled halfway to the ice. The ultimate power and speed comes from using 100% of your body weight on every push, the push comes from using your inside edges and being able to extend that grip against the ice for a long enough period of time that will enable you to generate more power and speed.
Forward Crossovers and Proper Edges
When performing forward crossovers and traveling either left or right you are using the power from your inside and outside edges. This vital speed and power you obtain from your crossovers is by using inside and outside edges as well as 100% of your body weight on every crossover.
If you are travelling around a circle going in the counter-clockwise direction, your left leg, the inside leg going around the circle, will generate power with the outside edge, while your right leg, the outside leg going around the circle, will generate power with the inside edge.
The outside leg will push with the inside edge as the push is completed the outside foot crossovers in front of the body and as it makes contact with the ice, the inside foot, pushes against the ice with the outside foot, pushing the ice underneath your body, when the inside foot has completed the outside edge push, the inside foot comes back underneath you to maintain balance and the outside foot continues on with another push from the inside edge.
Trusting your edges, is not always an easy thing to do, please remember every player or skater has one side that is stronger than the other, so don’t get discouraged!
- Practicing these skills takes a lot of time and patience from the player.
- Continuous perfect practice makes perfect.
- The key is to practice every skill perfectly.
- The more you fall, the better you will get!
Put these tips into practice during your next game or by registering for one of our Hockey Academy Programs! For full program details including locations, session dates, class times, and registration information, please visit this webpage:
http://www.icesports.com/HockeyAcademy_HomePage.ashx?lang=en
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call or e-mail the Program Manager at your nearest Canlan Ice Sports facility. We look forward to seeing you in one of our classes soon!
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