Hockey stop?

[92hatchattack 0]

Hey guys, just got myself a pare of Nike flexlite 9's to start skating around in. I think i got a good deal. They were originaly $200, but i got them for $120 with free baking and sharpening at my LHS.

Now i got out on the ice yesterday and started skating around, and eventualy slowly started trying to do a hockey stop. Now, i was pretty much succesful, at slow speeds that is, and even got a few very slow stops down on my unnatural side.

Now ive read on this a lil before i went out and seems guys say that weight should be 60% front, 40% back. But it seems that i was putting most of my weight on my front foot, and if i put any real weight on my back, i would catch the edge and nearly break myself.

Is this bad, or just normal when beggining, or is it simply the fact that i am a heavier guy and there is no need to apply pressure on the rear foot at lower speeds, where the extra grip is only needed when higher speeds are obtained??

Thanks for the help in advance guys!!!!

[LkptTiger 1]

I can't say I ever really think about my weight-distribution (eventually, everything you do will be pretty-much auto-pilot, and you'll be able to think about other things - for example: I played in some bullshit high school summer league two years ago and would actually sing/hum any song that I might have had stuck in my head during the day while I was on the ice - if the game is more serious, you might want to buckle-down a bit more), but I'll try to help.

I guess it depends on what I am doing. I think if I am stopping to get myself into position in a passing/shooting lane, or if I am fighting for position against someone along the boards or infront of the net, most of my weight is going to be on my front foot. However, now that I think about it, whenever I am making quick directional changes, I usually go with my back foot and actually start to bring my front foot across to "cross-over" and start going the other way before I even stop spraying ice/snow.

I'll have to pay more attention...I'll get back to you ;)

[Guy Incognito 0]

One thing I learned... get a good sharpening. I was chattering like a son of a gun until I paid a professional to do it (my ROH was too deep). Now it's smooth as silk because the cut was done for me and my needs. I thought I was doing something wrong (e.g. improper weight distribution), when in actuality the sharpeners at my rink suck.

[DamnLocust 0]

One thing I learned... get a good sharpening. I was chattering like a son of a gun until I paid a professional to do it (my ROH was too deep). Now it's smooth as silk because the cut was done for me and my needs. I thought I was doing something wrong (e.g. improper weight distribution), when in actuality the sharpeners at my rink suck.

bingo! I had the same experience, and the right hollow is everything.

I put a lot of my body weight on my lead foot when stopping; sometimes i'll even stop only on one foot. like tiger said, when I'm looking to quickly change directions, the other foot gets more involved.

It will soon become natural, but your sharpening plays a big part in getting it right.

[92hatchattack 0]

i had the sharpened at the lhs where i bought them. How good they are i dont know. And really i would not have a clue as two these are my first skates and i have nothing to compare them against...

and does ice condition play a role??? The ice where i was at was absolutly horrible imo. it was of course, a partials outdoor rink, and being that it had reached temps of 70 degrees durring the week, and was currently 60 degrees and raining, even when i was skating straight itfelt like the surface was unever. As if i was skating on gravel.

[LkptTiger 1]

and does ice condition play a role???

Absolutely.

[BK 0]

and does ice condition play a role???

Absolutely.

Yup.

I went to a pub skate in SLC yesterday.. Softest ice I have ever skated on. It made a big difference in pretty much everything I did on the ice. My arena uses VERY hard ice.

[hapamatt122 0]

you could practice T-stops to get used to weight on that outside edge of the back foot. start w/ barely any weight and just gradually add more weight as you become more comfortable with it. after a while, you'll be able to stop on one foot using only that back foot! I need to take my own advice because I can't do that on both feet.. LOL

[Jake 0]

you could practice T-stops to get used to weight on that outside edge of the back foot. start w/ barely any weight and just gradually add more weight as you become more comfortable with it. after a while, you'll be able to stop on one foot using only that back foot! I need to take my own advice because I can't do that on both feet.. LOL

Same.

I find my stopping ratio is around 70-30 between left-right. I think one leg is slightly shorter than the other and thus more weight naturally is carried on my left leg. Need to practice stopping with the right more.

[92hatchattack 0]

t stop??? meaning keep the right foot straight and the left foot in the stoping position with weight on the outside edge???

[mew1838 0]

BTW, how many of you guys can only stop on one side comfortably?

[Fletch 219]

BTW, how many of you guys can only stop on one side comfortably?

I can stop on both, but I have to say my right side feels more comfortable.

[DamnLocust 0]

I stop more naturally on the left, but if im not thinking about it I can stop on my right nearly as well.

I have a hard time stopping and quickly changing directions on the right side, but I've got it down to a science on the left.

I'm a left hand shot (and left handed in general) and it seems most people are able to stop most easily on their dominant hand/stick hand side. I know of some who are the other way around though.

[repus 0]

For those that love the pain, suicides are the best for practicing your stops.

If you want to start getting fancier, practice stopping on one foot and then practice stopping on your inside edge and your outside edge on the other foot at the same time.

-dave

[mew1838 0]

For those that love the pain, suicides are the best for practicing your stops.

If you want to start getting fancier, practice stopping on one foot and then practice stopping on your inside edge and your outside edge on the other foot at the same time.

-dave

The prob with me is that when I want to use my right outside edge, it just digs in and throw me off balance. Thats why when I stop while facing right I can only use my left inside left, like doing a snowplough. This is hurting my game as I'm a left hand shooter.

[Alias81 0]

The way I learnt it was doing tight turns and moving the front foot sideways slightly, and eventually do it more and more, I can't remember if I did anything in between to fully learn it becuase I did it many years ago but edge control is the key, becuase it gives you confidence and balance and that can really help you learn new things.

Try doing outside edge circles when you go skating next.

[LkptTiger 1]

BTW, how many of you guys can only stop on one side comfortably?

When I was younger, my father would quite often pull me out of school to go to the rink for the day. We knew of this one rink in the area where I was usually pretty much alone on the ice. If there is one of these "sessions" that I remember it would be the one when I was about seven and my dad pretty much put me through a full practice, but I was not allowed to stop on my right/strong side. After about three hours, I had it down cold.

Just keep working on it.

[chk hrd 164]

"The prob with me is that when I want to use my right outside edge, it just digs in and throw me off balance. Thats why when I stop while facing right I can only use my left inside left, like doing a snowplough. This is hurting my game as I'm a left hand shooter. "

your probably standing up a little or putting weight on your heels when you are stopping. That will cause you to loose balance andgo into a tight turn or spin.

Remember: heels to turn / toes to stop....that is were the weight should be.

[hapamatt122 0]

For those that love the pain, suicides are the best for practicing your stops.

If you want to start getting fancier, practice stopping on one foot and then practice stopping on your inside edge and your outside edge on the other foot at the same time.

-dave

The prob with me is that when I want to use my right outside edge, it just digs in and throw me off balance. Thats why when I stop while facing right I can only use my left inside left, like doing a snowplough. This is hurting my game as I'm a left hand shooter.

you just have to take it slow and learn the feel of how much pressure you can put without catching that edge.. this is while doing a T-stop, not a snow plow.. its like learning to drive a stick-shift car, u have to learn where the clutch engages and then just practice around it.. in this case, let your foot have enough pressure to barely glide across the ice w/o catching edge, and just exploit that by adding more and more pressure until you are successfully putting enough weight on that leg to have it effectively be working in your stop. easier said than done.

[DamnLocust 0]

The prob with me is that when I want to use my right outside edge, it just digs in and throw me off balance. Thats why when I stop while facing right I can only use my left inside left, like doing a snowplough. This is hurting my game as I'm a left hand shooter.

You may want to try a slightly shallower (higher numerically) hollow, which will let your blade slide a little more. It will also give you a bit more glide on straightaways.

[ultraman7k 0]

i shoot left, i can stop on both sides, but i'm more comfortable stopping on the right side...not sure why....

[mew1838 0]

"The prob with me is that when I want to use my right outside edge, it just digs in and throw me off balance. Thats why when I stop while facing right I can only use my left inside left, like doing a snowplough. This is hurting my game as I'm a left hand shooter. "

your probably standing up a little or putting weight on your heels when you are stopping. That will cause you to loose balance andgo into a tight turn or spin.

Remember: heels to turn / toes to stop....that is were the weight should be.

I think this is exactly my problem. I can stop facing left because I can rotate my left ankle so that the weight is on the ball of the foot and not the heel but I can't seem to do the same with my right ankle, its like my right ankle is not as flexible as my left. Anyone have tips to get the weight of the heel and onto the toes or ball? (I know bending the knees is one way but its not really working for me)

[chk hrd 164]

as bad as it sounds, just force yourself to do it. most people will try to do it slowly our ease into the pivot which just makes it an off balance turn and you end up on your ass. Take some time, wear your gear and force yourself to do it quickly on one foot only (so you don't try and cheat with the other foot). You will end up on your but a few times but then will start to pick it up. Then try it on 2 feet.

[bulletproof_funk 0]

I don't know how well your skates fit your feet, but when I was working on my two-footed stops (both sides) a few years ago, I could not do them well because my skates were too big for my feet (badly chosen by me) and no amount of tightening would fix that. After I bought skates that were a much better fit, I had alot more confidence that my skates weren't going to shift around on me, and that helped me get over my problem.

That, and my hollow was too sharp for me. If you want to work on stops, try a shallower hollow for a while if you're afraid that you'll catch an edge when working on that back foot's outside edge. Your pitch may also be something you want to adjust if possible since that will also affect your balance.