Need advice on how to stop using my "weak side" foot

[sabreshockey 0]

I am 32 and just starting playing hockey in the summer. I can stop just fine using my left foot, but when I try to stop using my right foot it just does not feel natural. The best I can do is cut in a circle. I can't even snowplow stop with my right foot so I am getting a little frustrated. A skating instructor told me that most people have one dominant foot and a "weak side" foot. My question is, does anyone have any tips to stop using my weak side foot? Also, how long did it take you before you were able to stop on both sides?

[thejackal 46]

right foot, 45 minutes

left foot, 3 years

so there ya go

[Chadd 916]

Use both feet when stopping on your weak side, eventually (with practice) you will be able to put more and more pressure on your weak foot until you can do it with one foot only.

[Spreedizzle 1]

You can try grabbing a solid hold of the boards, or the crossbar (if the net is properly anchored in the ice) and just start to slide your right foot out and away from your body. Get used to rolling from neutral to your inside edge, all the while keeping your left foot stationary. This will teach you muscle memory to learn how to roll your right foot into a slide and then catch it with your inside edge. It will take time and practice....so work with it and have a touch of patience. Good luck!!

[sabreshockey 0]

Thanks for the replies. Knowing that it has taken others a long time will help with the patience factor.

Spreed - I have done the "hold the boards and push the right foot" but nobody has really explained the mechanics of it all. I have just been trying to use my inside edge without trying to "roll" the blade. Thanks!

[Nov101775 0]

can you coast backwards and stop? if you can, try that and concentrate on stopping on your week foot, like Spreed said, muscle memory.

[fatwabbit 93]

only stopped on my right side from day one... took me only about 6 years before I started getting comfortable stopping on my left.

[Jordan 13]

Try a shallower hollow. It will make it much easier, then you can gradually return you normal hollow; or, even better, learn to skate on a shallower hollow than standard and you will get more glide.

[ktang 34]

Put the butt end of your stick on top of the ball of your weak side's skate and use both hands to push down on your stick. That should start you skidding towards your weak side. Practice this until you don't need as much pressure from your stick, and then start the boards / crossbar / snowplow progression.

Bending your knee over the ball of your skate may also help.

[Sven 1]

I had the same kinda problem when i was younger, tho the right side was fine and left was a pain in the -.

Just take your time and try. Remember, every one had to learn it and everyone fell on their nose, so dont be shy.

[chk hrd 164]

I am 32 and just starting playing hockey in the summer. I can stop just fine using my left foot, but when I try to stop using my right foot it just does not feel natural. The best I can do is cut in a circle. I can't even snowplow stop with my right foot so I am getting a little frustrated. A skating instructor told me that most people have one dominant foot and a "weak side" foot. My question is, does anyone have any tips to stop using my weak side foot? Also, how long did it take you before you were able to stop on both sides?

if you are just cutting circles it may be because you are standing up more on the stop and putting your weight on your heels. When I teach kids how to stop I make them remember: heels to turn / toes to stop.

[Super Star 0]

my advice is to practice and be fearless don't be afraid of falling, just practice over and over.

[Chadd 916]

my advice is to practice and be fearless don't be afraid of falling, just practice over and over.

That's why smaller kids progress so quickly, they aren't worried about how they look.

[pantherfan 0]

Yeh, but they also don't fall as far ;)

[revolutionz_s13 0]

Yeh, but they also don't fall as far ;)

true story. they also dont have 200lbs coming down with them either :lol:

I am still learning how to stop on my left foot, my right is my dominant. It takes alot of time to do it, i have been able to slowly stop on my left, but am nowhere near being able to stop quickly on it.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

When you stop to the weak side if you are doing a circle it's because you are sort of "letting" your skate go in that direction, which is natural for the skate. In terms or pure physics the skate doesn't want to stop. It wants to continue to flow through the channel or groove on the ice. You need to force the the skate out of the groove by more aggressivly throwing your hips and the following foot outwards, heel first (really the middle of the blade but it feels like the heel.). You really have to commit to the weight shift. Continue to apply the same downward pressure on the skate and don't let it come up, if you do you end up circling. As a previous poster said consider a shallower hollow. No more than 1/2 inch and even that may be too much for now.

I started skating 6 years ago (at 34) and also had a dominant side. I worked on it 3 - 4 days a week, bloodied the boards a bit and made sure I really worked in my elbow pads and pants! Now I stop in either direction without thinking about it. You have to commit to the sport as well as the weight shift and I'll tell you in my case it's 230 lbs hitting the ice when I fall. Ouch! Now, if anyone can help me find my right outside edge I'd appreciate it. If not I'm willing to sell mine as it is currently unused!!!

[Jordan 13]

One fairly easy way to get the feeling of skidding on your weak side is to skate straight ahead and with your well bent do a snow plow stop...toes pointed towards each other skidding on BOTH skates.

Afer you become comfortable with that, you can progressively use more and more bias toward your weak foot. Eventually, you will come to trust that side as much as the other and then you can do a full hockey stop on that side.

[jww83 0]

When I was learning I found that the easy part was being able to use one foot one each side to stop, but the hard part was learning how to do a proper two foot hockey stop. Maybe that is what the original poster is talking about?

I don't really have any advice on how to do it other than practice and get the feel for it. Have to really practice getting the outside edge of your 'back' foot to glide then cut in.

[sabreshockey 0]

if you are just cutting circles it may be because you are standing up more on the stop and putting your weight on your heels. When I teach kids how to stop I make them remember: heels to turn / toes to stop.

I've been pretty good about keeping the knees bent when trying to stop, but part of the problem (I think) is weight distribution. As in, the weight is on my heels as opposed to the ball of my foot/toes.

It is difficult to describe the mechanics of it all, especially since I am a beginner, but I feel as if my weak side ankle is truly lacking the proper muscle. It just doesn't feel as strong as my left ankle and almost feel like it will break. I guess that is why they call it the strong side and weak side eh? But as some of you have mentioned it may be a matter of building up the muscle memory.

When I was learning I found that the easy part was being able to use one foot one each side to stop, but the hard part was learning how to do a proper two foot hockey stop. Maybe that is what the original poster is talking about?

I am just looking to take baby steps...learn how to stop on one foot on my weak side, then progress to the full blown hockey stop. But learning how to stop on just one foot will help tremendously. It sucks to see the puck coming at me on my left side and not being able to get it because I can't stop on my right side :lol:

[chk hrd 164]

When you stop to the weak side if you are doing a circle it's because you are sort of "letting" your skate go in that direction, which is natural for the skate. In terms or pure physics the skate doesn't want to stop. It wants to continue to flow through the channel or groove on the ice. You need to force the the skate out of the groove by more aggressivly throwing your hips and the following foot outwards, heel first (really the middle of the blade but it feels like the heel.). You really have to commit to the weight shift. Continue to apply the same downward pressure on the skate and don't let it come up, if you do you end up circling. As a previous poster said consider a shallower hollow. No more than 1/2 inch and even that may be too much for now.

I started skating 6 years ago (at 34) and also had a dominant side. I worked on it 3 - 4 days a week, bloodied the boards a bit and made sure I really worked in my elbow pads and pants! Now I stop in either direction without thinking about it. You have to commit to the sport as well as the weight shift and I'll tell you in my case it's 230 lbs hitting the ice when I fall. Ouch! Now, if anyone can help me find my right outside edge I'd appreciate it. If not I'm willing to sell mine as it is currently unused!!!

it's because the weight is on his heels.

[Zamboni 6]

Use the technique Spreedrizzle posted, you will become comfortable with lead skate on yur weak side. After a few times out, once you're making prgress try this trick which is dificult but will quickly improve focus and edge awareness.

Skate forward a few strides and pick up a loose puck under 1 foot, your left if the stop will be done with the right foot leading. You may fall with the puck under 1 blade before even attempting to stop but will adjust quickly and learn the edges on your weak side skate. Do this strong side also, your weight will need to be farther forward than normal but this quick cheat forces you to centre weight on forward skate....the back/heel comfort area on weak side will be eliminated.

After you master that move on to 'jump stops'...that will ensure your stops are at 90* with a good knee bend.

[bbruins8 0]

When I stop with my weak leg forward I just stop with my dragging foot. Hard to explain but I can stop easily with the inside edge of my right skate/outside of left. When I stop facing the other direction, I stop on one foot (right) outside edge. This is completely due to my ACL repair in my left knee. I will probably never stop with that foot's inside edge again. Sucks, but at a high level beer league level it really doesn't matter anyways :lol:

[biff44 0]

There are two potential causes for this problem:

1) your ankle muscles are weak on that one side

2) your skates are too loose

Try strengthening the ankle muscles. Among other exercises, just balancing on one foot for a minute or so at a time does wonders. One trick is to always tie your shoes while balancing on the other foot.

I used to have a lot of trouble with skating on my left foot, but then I realized that I simply had a skate on that was too loose. A lot of people have two different sized feet! Get one of those wire skate-lace tighteners and really honker down on the skate laces on that one foot and see if the problem goes away. If it does, you need smaller skates.

[cmvondran 0]

Practice is all I can say with out saying what everyone else has already said. I could only stop on my right foot for the longest. I made it interesting to shot since I'm a right handed shot. So over the summer of 2006 I went to drop ins and open skates and forced myself to stop on the left side. Now I stop boths ways with out thinking about it.

My next project is getting good with edge work and really getting the left cross over down

[Methane 0]

Practice is all I can say with out saying what everyone else has already said. I could only stop on my right foot for the longest. I made it interesting to shot since I'm a right handed shot. So over the summer of 2006 I went to drop ins and open skates and forced myself to stop on the left side. Now I stop boths ways with out thinking about it.

My next project is getting good with edge work and really getting the left cross over down

How did you manage to ever take a shot? Being a left shot/left winger I've never been terribly concerned with being weak stopping left foot forward as it would put me on my backhand which sucks anyways. It only really sucks when close to the crease, makes it harder to setup facing the goal and not have my back to it.

Crossover to the left issues? Go to public skate! ;) I always wondered why they never reversed directions every hour or something.