Clumsiest skater alive

[Jordan6969 0]

After going to a community hockey conditioning camp and doing some transitional drills I must have stumbled about 20 times when skating forwards and quickly shifting to backwards. It made me so mad being so clumsy cause it was embarassing as well. It could be because just got new skates and my old ones had a banana rocker from over sharpening on the front and back, but I don't want to be one of those people who blame lack of skill on their equipment all the time. So anyone got tips, drills, or anything that might be able to improve this?

[sonsplayhockey 0]

Work on transitioning at a public session at a slower speed. Do it without sliding. Do it over and over again . Forward, backward, forward, backward. Knees bent. Turn your upper body first. once you are comfortable in one direction do it in the other. It took me about 2 public sessions at about 45 minutes each to feel comfortable to do turn around like that during a game.

[Jason Harris 31]

Look for videos on skating. Laura Stamm, Robbie Glantz and Planet Hockey have some, among others. I liked Planet Hockey's best because it had sections on shooting and passing also.

[sonsplayhockey 0]

FYI,

The Laura Stamm video will not SHOW you how (mechanics involved) to go from forwards to backwards but will show you some examples of experianced skaters doing it. It is however good for having you do some balance and control drills which will allow you to work up to better balance over all.

[awall 0]

After going to a community hockey conditioning camp and doing some transitional drills I must have stumbled about 20 times when skating forwards and quickly shifting to backwards. It made me so mad being so clumsy cause it was embarassing as well. It could be because just got new skates and my old ones had a banana rocker from over sharpening on the front and back, but I don't want to be one of those people who blame lack of skill on their equipment all the time. So anyone got tips, drills, or anything that might be able to improve this?

Don't worry about being clumsy every skater has to start at the beginning at one point in their life and skills long not used can get rusty. The first and formost thing I can suggest is to remind you to BEND YOUR KNEES. Every time I get on the ice I can hear the voice of my 2nd coach always yelling that out, it must have been becaue I kept forgetting it.

[Crazy Otto 0]

Bend your knees, and practice. Be prepared to fall down some until you "get it."

[awall 0]

Something else I thought of that I did when I was first learning to skate. I spent a lot of time at Public Skate, especially since they were free as long as I was in skateschool, and did a lot of laps. The interesting thing I did druing these laps was I would kinda adjust my body around and get a feel for where my balance would go if I leaned one way or another or if I balanced on one edge or another.

Another thing to consider is skate with some pads on. Not long after I started skating I got my helmet and elbow pads. I took some nasty spills early on and the pads helped me get more confident. If you are working on transitions and backwards skating I also suggest you get some pants as well, the tail bone padding is worth it. Once you're padded you don't have to worry about falling and stumbling because it doesn't hurt as much or at all. Also remember you are building muscles you don't normally use so as those develop you'll get better.

After you get more confident make sure you then spend some time skating witout pads, they can become a crutch. The first time I skated after having gotten used to pads I felt naked and vulnerable. After a session or two without pads you get more confident in your new abilities and get an ego boost. At least I did.

Transitions are kinda difficult. I think there is a rythm to them as well as a balance. Doing them with pads on is a big help early on. I got my pants after I started doing transitions and they helped alot because I became less timid. The only other advice I can think of right now is to practice.

[sonsplayhockey 0]

Ditto on the pads, You can get those roller hockey pants, put elbow pads under a baggy jersey and wear your gloves. You won't have to worry as much about how you look and with pads you are more likely to push yourself.

Bend your knees: Coaching kids I have to say that probably 30 times a night!

Kids tend to bend thier hips so I also say "bend your ankles".

If they are going fast and look unstable, I try to get them to bend at that point too.

It goes without saying, you need to work on strengthening up your quads. Without stamina in your quads, as you get tired, you'll get sloppy and start skating standing straight up. Thats when you'll start flailing and falling.