foreword to backward transition

[gman 0]

Okay I can skate forewords fine(ish), I can turn okay(ish) and I am working on my stop. Skating backwards is coming along okay. I started with the "coke bottle" and I am improving from there. My question now is how do you quickly transition from going forewords to backwards and vice versa? Do you jump and land with both feet or turn one foot with a big hip turn and then follow with the other or what? I am sure that many of you guys do not even think about this as it looks like it comes naturally to folks who can do it. But do you remember way back when you were first learning to do it? ANy insight on backwards skating/turning/ and otherwise hockey specific maneuvering will be appreciated as well. Finally, I will have to teach my kids how to do this as well. So think of the future when you tell me how to do it:-)

Thanks

[Crazy Otto 0]

Check this out:

http://robbyglantz.com/transitionmoves.html

[gman 0]

SSUUUHHWHEEEEET!!!

Thanks

[sonsplayhockey 0]

I searched and have yet to see a good description. I think a video showing in slow motion is best. I think I see people doing it slightly different from one another. I know that the best thing someone told me was to lead with your head, don't let your upper body follow the pivot. In other words, if you pivot around and you stick, head shoulders whip after your legs, you did it wrong. Keeping your knees bent does two things, it lowers your center of gravity so you are more stable which means if you fall, you are not falling as far. And it also allows more flexability in how parallel your skates can get as the skates are heal to heal at the point where your outside skate first touches (skate that first leaves the ice). I spent one hour of transitioning CCW, CW with my elbow and knee pads in a public session. First slow, then sped it up, trying not to drag on the ice. Eventually, I got to the point where I could turn almost full speed to the left, but not as well to the right (gotta go back and work on that again).

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

http://www.powerskating.ca/

[gman 0]

Very nice, thank you. It is amazing how hard it is to find a roller specific set of instructions. Is it even worth worrying about the difference between ice and roller?

[biff44 0]

The key is to really whip your body around. It is sort of done by the midsection, not the feet! Some, especially figure skaters, whip their head, then their body, then their feet around.

There is a good tape by Huron hockey that shows it.

[Edge 0]

http://www.powerskating.ca/

I've been taught several things differently from what those videos had demonstrated in some areas. Is that a pretty well known school in canada?

[awall 0]

I wanna see if I can take a stab at this. Heres the way I do transitions. I think of it as a kinda a hop or a skip. When skating forward I kinda push off with the right leg in a twisting hop maneuver on the left leg as I spin clockwise. My right leg will come off the ice slightly as I do this maneuver. As I end the spin my left leg that has remained on the ice the entire time can then push off as the right leg arrives to take a glide position.

Ideally when you are first learning transitions it good to be wearing pads, especially elbow, pants and helmet. I leaned transitions whilst only wearing elbow pads and spent lots of time on the ice. You will probably fall a few times are you learn to get your balance so don't get too frustrated.

[gman 0]

Thanks awall. I think I am just going to have to bite the bullet and experiment with all the stuff you guys have offered. Thank you very much.

Edge, What have you been taught differntly??

[Edge 0]

Not so much differently but many things that they WEREN'T doing in the videos. For example on stops you should have the front foot in front of the other when stoping. And when sharp turning they mentioned nothing about "sliding the foot going into the turn. Nothing really dramatic but it should be being taught by large power skating schools.

[sdh 0]

videos are good, but only if you can read the key movements from them.

the trick to turning around is your head.

1) put your weight on the inside edge of your dominant foot.

2) lift the other foot.

3) turn your head and upper body and let your raised foot follow. your down foot will make an arc on the inside edge.

4) when you are turned enough, put your raised foot down and transfer your weight to it.

5) lift your other foot and turn it around and you're done.

turning your head helps you commit to the turn. once you get the basic idea down, try the other direction. one side will be easier than the other.

[sdh 0]

going backwards to forward is the exact same thing. start with your head.

[gman 0]

Okay, so I can transition now. Well, I can go from front to back and back to front without ending up on my butt MOST of the time. Now, how do you keep going? I can figure out how to keep going foreword, but what about keeping backward momentum? It seems intuitive that you do a C with the foot that is swinging around. Does that make sense and is that correct? More often than not when transitioning from front to back I end up doing a little pirrouette (sp) or I just stop. Then I kind of have to coke bottle to get going again. Boy this is fun!

Thanks again. :D