Any tips on improving weak side - skating

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

I know the general answer is always "practice"

I am taking the first hockey clinic I've ever taken this summer. I have been playing for a couple of years, but didn't do a clinic because I didn't even know how to skate when I started, so wanted to get some basic skills down so I could at least try to keep up.

Anyway, the format for the clinic is 4 zones, skating, shooting, dekes and game situations.

In the skating portion I'm really really noticing my weak side deficiencies, when skidding on the flats of the blades, centering myself properly, things like that.

I know like in most sports, soccer being the one I'm most familiar with, you can have your weak sides.

Are there any extra drills, on or off ice I can employ to help overcome my weak side.

When I'm centered over my left leg, I'm fine, stopping crossing over, edge work, but centering balance on my right leg I'm a wobbly shaky mess.

I feel like zoolander, only able to turn one direction

[Jason Harris 31]

A guy once told me something his coach told him -- trust your skates.

What he meant was bend your knees and trust your edges. It helps me occasionally to recall that.

[HattrickSwayze 3]

Something that might help, if you can do it, is to video tape yourself skating. Sometimes having a weakside is just getting over a mental block, while other times it's little changes in your skating posture/technique that are throwing you off. Even if you can just set your cellphone on the bench and skate circles in front of it, you might be able to pick things up that you normally wouldn't. I've solved problems before like that, whether it was watching a tape of my game or looking at myself in the boards.

For instance when I do hockey stops, I have a strong and a weak side. On my weak side, I tend to keep my inside leg a little too far under me, and I don't stagger my legs enough. It was something I picked up on from practicing, but watching myself back on a tape made it really apparent. If you can do that, maybe you can pick up something you're doing wrong.

[TomMc#4 0]

*practice* however when you do your basic drills for your weak side, try to do them a bit slower than normal to start with. this forces you to spend more time on your uncomfortable edges and increase your confidence in doing the maneuvres. speed comes with perfect practice. perfect practice makes perfect ;)

[armada 0]

What helps me to progress my weak side skating is to spend about 15 minutes prior to exercises working on edges.

[Goonsquad 209]

A guy once told me something his coach told him -- trust your skates.

What he meant was bend your knees and trust your edges. It helps me occasionally to recall that.

Power skating techniques usually helps develop your confidence. I recommend taking a Laura Stamm or the like course. ONe Guy I played with recommeneded doing figure skating just to develop the power in your strides..

[NuggyBuggy 0]

Did you do the obvious and ask the coaches running the clinic for specific advice ? They probably have a bunch of teaching points they need to get over in a short amount of time, so they might not be able to address your particular problem or issue for very long. None of us can know what you're doing wrong, but your coaches should.

[Jordan 13]

VOLUME.

The weakness on one side that you are experiencing is common in all sports when you are learning. You are feeling the very same awkwardness that accomplished skaters a9who make it look so effortless) felt when they 6 or 7 years old.

Stick with it, and skate as much as possible. One final piece of advice...don't avoid weak side manouvers, make yourself start and stop to your weak side and crossover that way also.

[tamtamg 12]

don't be afraid to fall or make an arse of yourself is probably the best advice any one can give you. just keep going to your weak side. here's a

. Take a look at the video, practice some of the turns, then try to describe where you're messing up to us. Maybe we can give you some better advice from there. Also, I'm down at kettler a lot for stick and pucks and adult public skates, if you see me down there I'll be more than willing to give you some pointers.

[starsfan71 9]

A guy once told me something his coach told him -- trust your skates.

What he meant was bend your knees and trust your edges. It helps me occasionally to recall that.

+1

I had a coach that told me just to trust my edges and have a mental block of a skating weak side.