the "hockey stop"

[TheBeatGoesOn 0]

The stop coming back is real bad (not even a hockey stop) but the stop going out is better I think. This is my first skate session of making progress on the hockey stop but I realize it's real shitty. The basic concept is coming to me I think though. Opinions/suggestions?

[DCott 0]

put on gear so you're not afraid to go for it. Also, try to turn into it less, and lead with both feet closer together.

[SolarWind 23]

put on gear so you're not afraid to go for it.

agree with this 100% - we're not kids anymore & if we fall it usually feels for quite some time :)

also re your video - I'd say bent your knees more & apply deeper edges other then that I think you've got it.

[GoHawks 0]

I agree. It looks like you're very close. Like solar was saying, get a deeper knee bend, and I'd try to turn my hips a little more, it looks like you're coming out of it before you're stopped. When you're practicing, and you get the hang of it (should be really soon), try stopping, and holding your balance (don't skate away) for a couple seconds. Good luck, it looks pretty good so far

[TheBeatGoesOn 0]

Sweet. Thanks for the pointers.

And yeah, I am coming out of it before I'm completely stopped. I kind of noticed that while I was doing it. Not sure why I'm not getting a full stop. I guess I'll try to get more knee bend and turn the hips a little more and hopefully something will come of it.

I need the rest of my gear so I can attend stick n pucks... =/

[iceangel 0]

i can do with both side. i wonder is there any way i can improve left hockey stop.

[RadioGaGa 162]

i can do with both side. i wonder is there any way i can improve left hockey stop.

If your technique is right, all you can do is practice...if technique is the problem...you have to get that down at slow speed first...then practice up to full speed.

[CarlosRH 0]

The way I learned was by learning how to snow plow stop first. Then I just progressively turned my body more and more until the snow plow just became a hockey stop. Have you tried that yet?

[SolarWind 23]

The way I learned was by learning how to snow plow stop first. Then I just progressively turned my body more and more until the snow plow just became a hockey stop. Have you tried that yet?

I have suggested the same approach - starting with basic snow plow & t-stop before progressing to hockey stop

I think ability to use outside edge of the trailing foot is quite important (hence t-stop first) otherwise many people kind of do one-footed stop using inside edge of the leading foot only, which takes half power of the stop right there

[Aussie Joe 0]

Im working on that issue myself right now, I can only do it when Im not thinking about it (ie: Split second decision in a game.)

Incidently I'd like to thank everyone on this thread. It has been the BEST read in my many yrs on this board.

[sinkhole84 0]

I'm gonna look like a major cluts today.

eh everyone has to learn don't they.

[tomz 0]

yeah, its the best way to learn though.. Your lucky you don't have to do it with 400 people on the same rink!

[P5man 0]

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

Nope. Penny test is for 3/8.

[TheBeatGoesOn 0]

The way I learned was by learning how to snow plow stop first. Then I just progressively turned my body more and more until the snow plow just became a hockey stop. Have you tried that yet?

Yep, that's actually what I've progressed from. It has helped.

[ktang 34]

Try to spread your skates apart as you stop, and move your chest straight down instead of forwards. That widens your base and lowers your centre of gravity.

[SolarWind 23]

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

Nope. Penny test is for 3/8.

thanks for catching this typo - I meant 3/8

[raygunpk 0]

Didn't wanna make a new thread so..

Does anybody tips for two footed stops? I can stop fine out the inside edges using just the right foot, when I try to use my left foot and dig in with my outer edge it just doesn't catch. It's like I can't put any strength on it..

Even trying to rub my foot on the ground it seems weak, like it's only your groin muscle pulling it, rather than driving your whole leg into it. I can't even imagine doing a spray with that little power.

(left foot inside edge is a work in progress)

[ktang 34]

If you have a good tight turn to the left, do one of those but skid your left (leading) skate while the right skate still glides the turn.

It might be easier to do this if you move your knee forward a bit, and put the weight on the outside front of your foot.

Then, the 2-foot hockey stop is the same position (left skate leading), but with both skates skidding.

[pantherfan 0]

If you have a good tight turn to the left, do one of those but skid your left (leading) skate while the right skate still glides the turn.

+1 Thats how I've always told people, seems to be the best way and doesn't result in them catching edges either.

[raygunpk 0]

But in a tight turn, don't you put your weight on the heels? That's how I do it , and stopping it's more on the ball of the foot.

[lotus 2]

But in a tight turn, don't you put your weight on the heels? That's how I do it , and stopping it's more on the ball of the foot.

That's how I do it. But then again, I'm weak on my left side, I can't stop on the left unless I'm going rather slow, and I cannot pivot on my left either.

I think I'm going to pull out $50 or so from my bank account and promise myself that I'll get stronger on the left side using that money on stick and pucks. Should force me to get it done. Especially if I just don't bring a puck :P

[pantherfan 0]

But in a tight turn, don't you put your weight on the heels? That's how I do it , and stopping it's more on the ball of the foot.

Correct, but once you can at least shave the ice with your front foot when turning all you need to do is add the back foot and thats pretty much it. Doing it this way is just going to help you learn to put weight on your outside edge in a stop, making the transition from doing this on your heels to your toes should be fairly simple.

[ktang 34]

But in a tight turn, don't you put your weight on the heels? That's how I do it , and stopping it's more on the ball of the foot.

Correct, but once you can at least shave the ice with your front foot when turning all you need to do is add the back foot and thats pretty much it. Doing it this way is just going to help you learn to put weight on your outside edge in a stop, making the transition from doing this on your heels to your toes should be fairly simple.

If you have a good tight turn to the left, do one of those but skid your left (leading) skate while the right skate still glides the turn.

+1 Thats how I've always told people, seems to be the best way and doesn't result in them catching edges either.

Similar to what pantherfan says a few posts above, I think the hip, skate, and torso positions are more similar between the glide turn and the hockey stop than they are between the snowplow stop and the hockey stop. Skaters who learn the snowplow stop first seem to have a harder time learning the proper hockey stop because they want to leave the outside-edge skate behind their centre of gravity, instead of having it in front.

Didn't wanna make a new thread so..

... when I try to use my left foot and dig in with my outer edge it just doesn't catch. It's like I can't put any strength on it..

Even trying to rub my foot on the ground it seems weak, like it's only your groin muscle pulling it, rather than driving your whole leg into it. I can't even imagine doing a spray with that little power.

I can picture what you're trying to do in my mind, and my groin muscle and ankle hurts in sympathy. I think you are snowplowing on your inside edge skate and trying to drag your other skate behind you and trying to angle it so that it bites with the outside edge.

If you are doing a hockey stop properly, especially a short stop from your top speed, you would be using your large butt and quad muscles in your outside edge skate's leg, not the groin muscle. This is because your outside edge skate is ahead of your centre of gravity.

From a safety point of view, suppose you are trying to win a race to the puck along the boards. If you start the stop with your outside edge skate in front and you catch a rut, you have enough time and body balance to "topple" onto your inside edge skate and finish the stop standing up. If you start with your inside edge skate first and catch a rut, once you "topple" there is no way that you can get your other skate in position to keep you from falling head-first into the boards. It's even worse if you are being chased, because then the other guy could inadvertently add to your head-first into the boards problems.

[raygunpk 0]

ktang, you hit all the points. I did start to learn snowplow before transitioning to inside edge on one foot. And yes my outside edge skate is ALWAYS behind me when I do a stop.

So you're saying the outside edge should be in FRONT of the inside edge skate , and it should be the one that starts to dig in first?

[ktang 34]

When learning the drill that pantherfan and I are thinking and writing about, the outside edge skate starts the stop and is in front, yes. You see this kind of stop in the games a lot; it's easy, and the inside edge skate magically skids and gets magically pulled into the proper position to finish the stop. When you get used to this, you can try some spinneramas; it is a stop starting with the outside edge skate first, a slight spin skidding on both skates until your back is facing your original direction of motion, and a crossover to get going again.

Once you get the hang of this drill, then you can start the stop with both skates simultaneously. In this kind of stop, the skates are roughly parallel to each other, and roughly perpendicular to your direction of motion. To stop even faster, at the end of this stop you sit down more and push your skates apart to lower your centre of gravity and add more friction.

Then, finally, you can try the stop with the inside edge skate first. At this time you will know where to put the outside edge skate; when I do this stop, I have to push and sometimes lift my outside edge skate into position before putting weight onto it.

In game situations, most of the time you would start the stops with the outside edge skate. You would use the stop with both skates skidding simultaneously when you want to stop really fast, e.g. you are coming down the wing ahead of all your team-mates and want to buy some time with an escape move. When you are defending along the boards and the other player pulls a fast one on you, sometimes you are in an awkward position and you need to do a stop starting with your inside edge skate first. In this stop you may have to cross over the other way and not even use your outside edge skate to skid.

NOTES: I am not a power skating instructor! and I am not currently on the ice in my skates! I'm trying to go by memory, and I usually never think about these things (I just do them)! Maybe others have some ideas too.

I think the 2nd Robbie Glantz video has a very good section about stops. The old TSN hockey openings used to have a quick segment of Steve Yzerman doing 2 escape-move stops along the boards, starting each stop with his outside edge skate.

Other vids that come to mind: there is (was?) a Hockey Canada rules emphasis vid where Chara and a forward are going towards the boards battling for the puck, nudging each other, and they start their stops with the outside edge skates.