Crossovers at speed (long)

[Jason16 0]

I work at a local ice rink but was recently asked by my boss to work for her hockey school part-time as a power skater instructor. I start next week so I’ve been preparing myself for my first team. Lately, I’ve been trying to put into words how to execute specific manoeuvres, namely crossovers at speed.

You know how when you have the puck and you’re coming down the wing with speed and you want to move into an open slot, you do a little hop in your crossover to maintain your speed? How would you guys explain that?

Namely, the specifics. When the inside foot propels you up and when your outside foot crosses over and makes contact with the ice. It’s all about the edges but is there a specific moment when you’re supposed to cross over before your inside foot looses that outside edge and you bail?

I know this is kind of a hit or miss question seeing as how difficult it is to produce a purely objective explanation that works for everyone and it’s difficult to explain what comes naturally to us. I’ve tried using my own explanations; doing exactly what I said but I can never do it properly, always prematurely hopping or crossing over too late completely negating the intended purpose.

Think you guys can help me out?

Thanks,

Jason

[biff44 0]

You can get video tapes from laura stamm, robie glantz, or huron hockey school to give you some pointers.

Just off the top of my head on crosovers, just make sure they are standing correctly (people have the tendancy to lean in) and that they try to keep the skates parallel to the ice when they are lifting them up (a little faster) .

[technophile 0]

Laura Stamm also has a book (Laura Stamm's Power Skating) that has a number of very specific drills for learning power skating. You might find those helpful.

[hockechamp14 0]

The people who "bob" up doing that lose speed. Although even the best nhl players will do it from time to time. It's easier to pick up your feet when you're more upright, and it is easier to cross over like that with less speed.

[sonsplayhockey 0]

Do you know your audience pretty well? In other words are you certain that this is a subject/drill you will be covering?

I've taking some power skating clinics and much of the time was spent getting people's strides corrected. Getting rid of bad habits and getting the stride, balance and position corrected. Much of it was spent on the efficiency of the stide. We typically did drills almost right out of the Laura Stamm DVD and book. DVD is great. The book I thought went more into where to put the balance and edges for each type of manuever. Sometimes the power skating coaches did not cover that unless you asked. One thing as I was doing my first cross overs was that some instructors would demonstrate something and expect you to instantly do it. Better instructors had progressive drills that would get you into balance and controll, then feeling your edges and progress into cross overs.

But maybe the folks in the clinics I go to are not as advanced as the ones you'll be instructing.

Just something you may want to think about.

[ktang 34]

When I do those crossovers (I know them as "buzz-saw" crossovers), I start the inside skate on its middle outside edge, moving towards the forward outside edge.

Depending on the rocker, there is a point at which I start to skid. Just before that instant, I kick my outside skate over the inside one. I do this kick hard enough to get a little air, then I land on the forward-to-middle inside edge of the outside skate.

I think I get a better inside-foot stride / hop, acceleration wise, the further towards my toe I can delay, but some days I just don't have it and do it off the middle of the blades.

Both the outside and crossunder strides are short and fast with my "buzz-saw" crossovers. I accelerate a lot faster this way than with the "gliding" (efficient) crossover.

When I do the "gliding" crossover I stay on the middle-to-back of both blades and cross the outside skate around (instead of over) the inside one, close to the ice. I have longer outside-leg and cross-under pushes in the "gliding" crossover, so each stride takes longer to complete and is smoother.

[Jason16 0]

Do you know your audience pretty well? In other words are you certain that this is a subject/drill you will be covering?

I've taking some power skating clinics and much of the time was spent getting people's strides corrected. Getting rid of bad habits and getting the stride, balance and position corrected. Much of it was spent on the efficiency of the stide. We typically did drills almost right out of the Laura Stamm DVD and book. DVD is great. The book I thought went more into where to put the balance and edges for each type of manuever. Sometimes the power skating coaches did not cover that unless you asked. One thing as I was doing my first cross overs was that some instructors would demonstrate something and expect you to instantly do it. Better instructors had progressive drills that would get you into balance and controll, then feeling your edges and progress into cross overs.

But maybe the folks in the clinics I go to are not as advanced as the ones you'll be instructing.

Just something you may want to think about.

I don't and that's one of the reasons why I am so adament about covering all the bases. The clinics I used to attend had already assumed we could keep the speed during turns so we never focused on that aspect of skating.

The date has been pushed back due to ice time conflictions so I have a little more time to talk this over with my boss and the team coaches to see what they want to cover.

Thanks for the advice

[Jason16 0]

When I do those crossovers (I know them as "buzz-saw" crossovers), I start the inside skate on its middle outside edge, moving towards the forward outside edge.

Depending on the rocker, there is a point at which I start to skid. Just before that instant, I kick my outside skate over the inside one. I do this kick hard enough to get a little air, then I land on the forward-to-middle inside edge of the outside skate.

I think I get a better inside-foot stride / hop, acceleration wise, the further towards my toe I can delay, but some days I just don't have it and do it off the middle of the blades.

Both the outside and crossunder strides are short and fast with my "buzz-saw" crossovers. I accelerate a lot faster this way than with the "gliding" (efficient) crossover.

When I do the "gliding" crossover I stay on the middle-to-back of both blades and cross the outside skate around (instead of over) the inside one, close to the ice. I have longer outside-leg and cross-under pushes in the "gliding" crossover, so each stride takes longer to complete and is smoother.

Hmm, kicking over with outside foot is something I should try. I currently kick with my inside foot to propel me up. I'm going to try your explanation today and probably look into Laura Stamm

Thanks folks

[gRxMx 0]

From personal experience with hockey clinics and power skating clinics is that it definitely seems that each one makes a very explicit distinction between the other.

Power skating clinics tend to teach more from a "bottom up" approach. IE: crawling before walking. Most of those, I should say, the ones that I actually carried away applicable, progressive technique from, started from the *absolute* basics of skating. I think it may be an err on part of the instructor to make any particular assumption about the level of skill of any of the participants, unless of course its a multi-week or comprehensive course in which the instructor has seen them from the bottom up. As virtually all power skating clinics destroy the player's mentality (whatever it is) of how to skate, and re-instill a new and "more correct" way of dynamic skating as it applies to hockey, while always remembering that practice makes permanent, not perfect. So it makes sense to start from the bottom up..in baby steps. Ok Nuff about that.

So to that extent, one of the cardinal rules (and one I repeatedly got grilled on) is that hopping has virtually no place in power skating. The exceptions are lateral crossovers from a stopped position, and explosive starts from a stopped position.

I think the key to the high speed crossover job, and the one that leads most people to hop is timing the release of the leg crossing under to that of the leg crossing over taking hold. Getting that timing down leads to a very smooth transition, consequently one that loses minimal power...thus minimal speed. Basically, if the skates are in the air, you're not only not generating power but you're easy to take off the puck.

One thing that really sets power skating clinics aside is that there's alot of actual *conceptual* ideas going on as well. IE: not only learning the how to's....but the why's. I think if thats missing you end up with the clinics that are nothing more than a weeklong workout. If the player understands WHY...they're better able to *visualize* and visualization is of course a VERY important part of hockey. The clearer they're able to visualize, the more likely they are to execute correctly the first time and continue executing correctly. Thats what gives players an edge.