New player....Sore muscles

[Ballbearing 0]

Hello, I just started skating and have had five 45 minute lessons. I have noticed in the last couple of lessons that my lower back is extremely tight after skating. Also, last night we had a two on two mini game and my calves cramped very bad. I've never had this happen before and I am in good shape and stay physically active. I also tend to fall down more often than most of the other students. This muscle soreness isn't from falling though.

I searched this forum but couldn't locate any information.

My question is: Is my lower back hurting due to poor technique or just different muscles being used than in other activities?

When I skate I inadvertantly lean my upper body way over (to the front) and I don't keep my head upright like I should. Hopefully that will come with more practice.

I inline skate and have not experienced this problem.

Any information is appreciated. Thanks.

[Chadd 916]

I had the same problems with my back when I started. Once you start skating with more knee bend and keeping your back more upright, it will go away. It's prettty common in the lower level rec leagues around here.

[Bo from Boston 0]

not a lot of detail here but be sure to properly stretch before you play - and I don't mean a 30 second swing the arms stretch either.

There are many stretches that will loosen/ready your lower back for activity. Improperly warming up and playing will only increase your chance for a muscle/tendon injury.

bottom line, take 3-5 minutes in the locker room or on the ice and stretch your legs, hips, lower and upper back, shoulders and neck before you do any exersize - ESPECIALLY hockey

[biff44 0]

Skating is an un-natural act. It takes the body a long time to get used to it. You should keep that back fairly upright, and skating with your head down in a checking league is a quick trip to the emergency room! You probably skate with your head down because you are uncomfortable handling the puck with your head up. You should try stickhandling a golf ball until you can do it by feel alone.

You can get a fairly cheap ($150) bench called a Roman Chair to strengthen your lower back. Be sure to get one with two pads and a clearance slot in the middle for the buddies. Any health club will have one.

[MDE3 0]

I have noticed in the last couple of lessons that my lower back is extremely tight after skating.  Also, last night we had a two on two mini game and my calves cramped very bad.  I inline skate and have not experienced this problem.

Any information is appreciated.  Thanks.

The calf soreness and lower back soreness are both caused by what Chadd observed...your skating position. Your body should form basically a "Z" in the correct "toilet" position with knees and hips at 90 degrees, and shoulders over the knees, and your weight balanced over the balls of your feet when you are in the "ready" position. Your head should pretty much maintain its position above the floor, and your skating is done by "coiling and uncoiling" your "springs"..your legs going from bent to straight with each stride. There's a lot more to it, but that's the basic position from which it all stems.

Because you came from inline skating..you are more likely to have been getting your "drive" from "pulling" your legs back with the muscles of your lower back and buttocks. You should be driving them (your legs) from a coiled position (knees bent 90 degrees) with your thighs (quads) and your ankles to give you a final toe push. This is a very common mistake by those who are not taught the correct way to skate, and more common in inline than ice. Inline skating has less rolling resistance than ice, so you will often see inline skaters with straight legs, using a "pull" instead of "the push", but still able to get around the floor.

Ice skating uses more energy to keep you moving, because the blade of the skate is always "travelling up hill" due to the rocker shape of the blade(radius) digging into the ice. Most inline skates tend to be flat on the floor and have a lower rolling resistance. (for those who doubt this, take three strides on inlines and see how far you coast, then do it on ice). Hence the energy used to "pull" your legs back like you did while inline skating is much higher when skating on ice..and you are feeling those muscles.

Then with your self described "bend at the waist", you are quite likely to be falling over forward, which feeling is exagerated because of the "rocker" of the blade (it's more round in front than the inline skate) and using your feet(toes) to try to push back against this imbalance. This is what is causing the tension in your calves, and hense the cramping.

Once you learn the correct technique..it will also vastly improve your inline skating as well, but now you will have different muscles that are sore..... :D

sorry about the length of the post

[Ballbearing 0]

Thanks, lots of great information.

I guess I need to enroll in a power skating class or take more lessons.

Thanks again.

[flaming_june 2]

i had the same thing wen i first started, and recently when i played with a longer stick. when i switched to a shorter stick, one that's just right it was fine.

[PH_Hockey2 4]

It could be bad skateing or you body is just getting used to skateing and playing hockey. After you skate for a while the back pain and calf pain should go away. Just remember when you skate to bend your knees and get your butt down. also the back pain may be from skateing th upright too

[wristshot19 0]

The cramping you are experience may be due to different things. It could be stress on the muscles or it could be due to a difficiency in some of the vitamins and minerals that your muscles need. A lot of muscle cramps are caused by one of the following:

-Muscle fatigue

-Dehydration

-Depleted magnesium or calcium stores or other metabolic abnormalities

-Medications

Make sure that you have a good diet and always stay well hydrated. My secret was to eat a banana or two about 2 or 3 hours before a game. You can also just take some magnesium and/or calcium supplements to help with the cramping, but eating right will do a lot for you.

As far as the back pain goes, I am not going to repeat what others have already said above.

Practice makes perfect but don't over do it. If your body is getting too sore during one session then take it easy. A lot of bad habits can be formed when your body is tired and you change your style to lessen some pressure on sore muscles and/or joints.

[thejackal 46]

Work on your knee bend for sure. I had the exact same problem when I was 9 or 10. Upright upper body but use your legs like springs/shock absorbers.

[Cavs019 710]

as said previously, skate with a deeper knee bend and a straighter back. Skating is a very unorthodox motion for you body so it can take months for you to get used to the motion.

[Gongshow11 1]

sore claves is from skating backwards, thats when i feel it ont he ice and ive been skating since i was 2

[MDE3 0]

PS..my response is based on years of teaching power skating..and the problems you are describing are very common...even for inline skaters who take up inline hockey.....the lower back problem is definitely related to skating technique....once you correct that, the problem will go away.

As one comment indicated the calf pain could also be from skating backwards, but I think the player would notice that immediately..while it was happeneing. I do think it's a balance related problem, caused by feeling insecure on your skates, and bending over causing the feeling of falling forward. Because of your lack of comfortable balance, the tension from feeling "awkward" and pushing back with your toes will cause the calves to cramp.