the "hockey stop"

[avernus78 0]

Hey great advice Wolverine. I am actually going to start skating seriously for the first time in 17yrs (I am 30 right now). The last time I skated I could only do a "hockey" stop to my left and that was during a public session last year.

[scorer75 9]

Excellent points and advise in this thread.

If I could add one more that has worked for me and the people I have worked with, Once your are into the stop, get you weight as low as possible, almost as if you were sitting.

Images 4, 5, and 7 are excellent examples of this.

[Wolverine 0]

Excellent points and advise in this thread.

If I could add one more that has worked for me and the people I have worked with, Once your are into the stop, get you weight as low as possible, almost as if you were sitting.

Images 4, 5, and 7 are excellent examples of this.

Yes, excellent point. Get LOW. When you think you are skating, turning and stopping really low..... GET EVEN LOWER!!!!

Here is Kevin Porter, captain of the wolverines. Notice how low & staggered he is throughout this half stop/turn. He looks like he is only 4 feet tall..... very powerful & balanced. This takes not only practice, but conditioning!

[gagner89 0]

Where is most of your weight on a proper staggered stop? Evenly distributed between front and back foot?

[miller 0]

Whenever I try to do a staggered stop I stop dead in my path instead of sliding and it makes me weary of doing it at high speeds.

I should probably mention that I have got into the habit of approaching my hockey stop my turning my back foot into the stop first and then my front foot. This seems like it is the reverse of what other people do, but I can't seem to correct it?

[kk2 0]

Found this with a google search...

In Ice Hockey, as you are surely aware, the change of direction using the quick stop (both forward and backward) is a vital fundamental. You must consistently work on and practice this very difficult skill, no matter what your level of play, in order to see marked improvement. As well, you are going to need to do your share of falling down when practicing. But do not look on this as a failure, in fact just the opposite, this means that you are getting closer to stopping properly now that you are breaking out of your comfort zone.

Tips:

1. Bend your knees so deep, that it feels like your going to sit your butt back on the ice.

2. Keep your eyes forward, your chin up and your back straight.

3. Be sure to turn your hips 90 degrees (a 1-turn) from the direction you were traveling, with both skates turning at the same time.

4. The outside skate slides along the top of the ice on an inside edge, with the snow coming off the middle-front part of the skate (the ball of your foot).

5. The inside skate trails the outside one and also slides on top of the ice but on an outside edge. Again, the snow should be coming off the middle-front part of the edge.

6. Your feet should be wide and staggered at this point (not parallel), with the inside foot in front of the outside foot by a full skate length or more

7. Your feet should be wide apart from each other (at least shoulder distance) and also wide as in staggered or uneven.

8. The bodyweight should be distributed with the greater percentage to the outside skate (inside edge). If not, and you have too much weight over the inside foot (outside edge), than the skates will slide out from under you causing you to fall or lose your balance.

9. Be sure to counterbalance the stop with your upper body, by keeping your shoulders parallel to the ice, rather than leaning or dropping the inside shoulder down towards the ice.

From robbyglantz.com

[Chadd 916]

Please make sure you credit the source next time

[TheBeatGoesOn 0]

For the snow plow stop, is it correct to use your edges or the flat of the blade? Does it matter?

[AnthonyJTa 0]

For the snow plow stop, is it correct to use your edges or the flat of the blade? Does it matter?

I used the inside edge of whichever foot I was putting forward for a snowplow.

[TheBeatGoesOn 0]

Is it wrong to use the flat?

[TheBert 0]

I can't even imagine how you'd stop on the flat. THe flat of the blade is for gliding I'd think.

[AnthonyJTa 0]

Is it wrong to use the flat?

I would say you want to be on that inside edge... if you're on the flat or else you're not going to get much stopping power

[TheBeatGoesOn 0]

Newish question:

Both moving forwards and backwards, I can only dig in with my left foot to make a stop. If I do a snow plow stop going forwards, same thing. It's like my right leg is just putting pressure into my left leg which is the only one scraping ice.

What would be my error? I should probably try to find someone that can watch me and assess what's up... But maybe it's a common thing for n00bz?

[regularjoe 1]

Speaking as a beginner (less than one and a half years on skates), here's my experience.

I find that it's not the toes you necessarily want to be on but the area of the skate under the balls of your feet.

What you can practice is standing still and trying to slide one of your feet out without lifting them. Basically trying to scrape the ice with your skate. That's the feel you're looking for

But other advice here is good as well, particularly the part of not forgetting to turn your upper body. You can certainly stop without doing so but from my experience, it made it harder to learn.

Also, keep your head and chest up when while keeping your knees bent: trust your feet and don't look down at them.

[1q3er5 1]

great thread. If you really get good you can even stop using only ur inside foot (outside foot not touching the ice!)

I'm scared to death of spraining my ankle doing this :) Ya but i've seen some guys doing the inside foot only stop on youtube, hats off to them.

[english15x 3]

great thread. If you really get good you can even stop using only ur inside foot (outside foot not touching the ice!)

I'm scared to death of spraining my ankle doing this :) Ya but i've seen some guys doing the inside foot only stop on youtube, hats off to them.

it's just practice... nothing insanely special.

My friend can stop using both outside edges turned the other way. heels together and feet like this..

---- ---- ^^^^skating that way, skates turned and still facing that way when stopped.

[GoHawks 0]

Just thinking out loud here... I learned to stop on a deeper hollow, and I took my skates to a new place to be sharpened. They gave me a shallower hollow, and it made it easier to stop. Maybe if you got a larger ROH, learning to scrape the ice would be a little easier. I found when I was on the larger ROH, I could stop on my outside edge, inside foot (as mentioned above). Your cornering suffers, and it's not as easy to get a good push, but stopping is a bit easier (and I got some more speed).

[JJ Thompson94 0]

^^^^^^ What works for you may not work for some. I never remeber "learning" to stop on the right, I just kind of did it. Left took me a long while and I finally got it when the skates where very dull. Sharp skates kind of flipped me over, I couldn't get that scraping thing and i'd turn my skate and just flip. When the skates where dull I was able to scrap the ice untill my left leg got strong enough and the mucsule memory kicked in and just got it.

[TheBeatGoesOn 0]

Just thinking out loud here... I learned to stop on a deeper hollow, and I took my skates to a new place to be sharpened. They gave me a shallower hollow, and it made it easier to stop. Maybe if you got a larger ROH, learning to scrape the ice would be a little easier. I found when I was on the larger ROH, I could stop on my outside edge, inside foot (as mentioned above). Your cornering suffers, and it's not as easy to get a good push, but stopping is a bit easier (and I got some more speed).

I'm an idiot but I'm afraid I don't know what a hollow is and also what's an ROH?

[SolarWind 23]

I'm an idiot but I'm afraid I don't know what a hollow is and also what's an ROH?

ROH = Radius Of Hollow - basically the hole between the edges :)

smaller the radius is deeper the hole is & so the edges

so 1/4" is very deep

1" is very shallow

ROH is very individual & depends on what you want (agility or stability, speed vs control), your body weight & ability to use edges effectively

1/2" is a good place to start usually - I think this is still the most popular in the NHL, followed by 5/8

there's tons of topic on this subject

Also what I think wasn't mentioned in the technique (but is VERY important when learning how to stop in my opinion) is

a) you need to glide a bit before turning hips - this is to ensure edges don't dig too deep - as you improve you'll be able to stop without it

B) before turning the heaps you need to unload the weight by unbending your knees first & at the same time turning the heaps & skates - then immediately bending the knees again

so basically bent-unbent+turn-bent motion :)

it's also expected that one side is weaker then the other - always pay more attention to it

and of course before progressing to full hockey stop it's essential to learn snow plow (stopping using inside edge) & t-stop (using outside edge)

there's also few helpful videos on youtube

[TheBeatGoesOn 0]

I'm an idiot but I'm afraid I don't know what a hollow is and also what's an ROH?

ROH = Radius Of Hollow - basically the hole between the edges :)

smaller the radius is deeper the hole is & so the edges

so 1/4" is very deep

1" is very shallow

ROH is very individual & depends on what you want (agility or stability, speed vs control), your body weight & ability to use edges effectively

1/2" is a good place to start usually - I think this is still the most popular in the NHL, followed by 5/8

there's tons of topic on this subject

Also what I think wasn't mentioned in the technique (but is VERY important when learning how to stop in my opinion) is

a) you need to glide a bit before turning hips - this is to ensure edges don't dig too deep - as you improve you'll be able to stop without it

B) before turning the heaps you need to unload the weight by unbending your knees first & at the same time turning the heaps & skates - then immediately bending the knees again

so basically bent-unbent+turn-bent motion :)

it's also expected that one side is weaker then the other - always pay more attention to it

and of course before progressing to full hockey stop it's essential to learn snow plow (stopping using inside edge) & t-stop (using outside edge)

there's also few helpful videos on youtube

Ok, thanks.

So normally you can make a request on what size hollow you want at a LHS?

I actually think I made some good progress yesterday on learning the hockey stop, thanks to being advised to glide a little before hand. Definitely is helping. I can do the snow plow but I need to work on the T-stop.

[KevinVu19 0]

i know how to do everyone on the ice and i can't stop right side as good as on my left.

and i play CC lol

i always work on it. I am on the ice every 4 out of 7 days.

This is actually my first year playing hockey.

everyone says i got potential.

coming in try-outs i didn't know how to stand. But the third time i got the hung of it.

[SolarWind 23]

So normally you can make a request on what size hollow you want at a LHS?

I actually think I made some good progress yesterday on learning the hockey stop, thanks to being advised to glide a little before hand. Definitely is helping. I can do the snow plow but I need to work on the T-stop.

normally when you get your skates sharpenned you can request whatever ROH you want - the question is always whether you request was actually followed or not but it's a secondary issue :)

you can do a "penny test" - just put a penny in the hollow - if it fits snug & doesn't rock from side to side then it's 3/4 etc - I'm sure it was described before

one last thing for hockey stop - try different putting different percentage of body weight between feet - normally 60% is forward foot, 40% backward but it varies depending on game conditions

usually the reason why hockey stop is better one side then the other is exactly this - weight distribution is off.

If leading leg is loaded nearly 100% then it becomes one foot stop which is harder (especially with deep ROH when skates 'bite' the ice)

if there isn't enough pressure then you get 'chatter' so it's all about finding that sweet spot.

[TheBert 0]

I'm an idiot but I'm afraid I don't know what a hollow is and also what's an ROH?

1/2" is a good place to start usually - I think this is still the most popular in the NHL, followed by 5/8

NHLers do not commonly skate on 1/2" hollows. And as it relates to your advice, it shouldn't influence a beer league player on their choice of hollow. One is a professional with decades of skating experience, the other is a guy that plays to improve his game on the weekend.

[SolarWind 23]

NHLers do not commonly skate on 1/2" hollows.

where are you getting this info from? Many sources point that 1/2" is the most popular ROH - here's a link to one of them (probably not the most authoritative but still)

http://www.redi-edgeice.com/skate-sharpening-tips.aspx

there was plenty of discussion on this topic - Gretz used 1/2" for instance

And as it relates to your advice, it shouldn't influence a beer league player on their choice of hollow. One is a professional with decades of skating experience, the other is a guy that plays to improve his game on the weekend.

I completely agree with this statement & I tough I made it clear that ROH is very individual & depends on a lot of factors (experience being one of them), so by no means I was suggesting to use just whatever NHL guys are using

but it just happenes that what in my opinion is a good start (1/2") is also the most popular in pro hockey.