backwards crossovers

[kovalchuk71 212]

any tips on how to improve mine? Im greta one way, but the other way, i seem to try to do it, but my leg dosent want to cross under and I fall......any help?

[chippa13 1844]

practice, practice, practice

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

practice, practice, practice

I second that...

[chippa13 1844]

Chippa's right, but to know some points, etc:

http://www.robbyglantz.com/tips.html

Practice is great, but if you don't know what your doing or if your practicing wrong, your not doing jack. It would be better to get tips from a competent coach on the ice as well.

This is no different from how some skaters have trouble learning how to stop both ways. It is simply a matter of practicing and training yourself how to do the crossovers both ways.

[Crazy Otto 0]

Learn the correct technique and keep practicing. You might want to go to open skate some time to work on it. Don't be afraid to fall down! Somebody else posted a link to Robby Glantz. That is a good power skating clinic and if you ever get a chance to do it, it's worthwhile.

[MDE3 0]

any tips on how to improve mine? Im greta one way, but the other way, i seem to try to do it, but my leg dosent want to cross under and I fall......any help?

I do not know if you are actually doing this already or not....but backwards cross overs are actually "cross unders" . You should be reaching well into your turning direction with the lead leg and pulling it back "under" your front leg (in this case the trailing leg as you are going backwards)....Your trailing leg should only change angle slightly with each stride...you may be trying to put too much weight on your "power leg"..the one that crosses under...finding the correct weight balance on both feet is the secret....enough weight on the leg crossing under to maintain edge "bite" and not too much for your ankle to collapse.

[Accord 0]

any tips on how to improve mine? Im greta one way, but the other way, i seem to try to do it, but my leg dosent want to cross under and I fall......any help?

You sound exactly like me. My entire hockey life, I have always been able to do great effortless crossovers one way but was TERRIBLE the other way.

I attribute this to open skating at rinks, because open skating at most rinks you always had to skate a certain way around the ice (in my case, counter-clockwise) in which you're pretty much always doing crossovers only one way.

People can tell you to practice practice practice, but it's kind of hard to practice when your rink forbids you to do something as simple as skate the other way around the ice during open skating. If most rinks switched up the direction of skating after every shaving, I think a lot of people would be better skaters.

I play in an adult league and we don't have any practices, so i've basically got to do everything on my own, it really sucks not having a coach telling me if i'm doing something right or wrong and how to fix it like when I was younger.

Good luck.

[stevoc 0]

After much trying and not being very successful, I asked the coach of our local hockey 101 class the secret to backwards crossovers. He said it was all in the lean to the direction you were trying to crossover to and being comfortable on your edges. We all know that we must be comfortable on our edges, so I practiced skating backwards and just tried leaning to each side. My right side came fairly easy, but my left side was horrible. I just kept at it, and as I could tell my leans were becoming more stable, I tried crossing my legs. I think with the backwards crossovers, your leg doesn't cross as far as it does forward.

Anyways, I have improved in my crossovers and continue to work at it....but I think the key is in the lean and being comforable on your edges going backwards.

Just my 2 cents. Hope this helps.

[Eazy_b97 1]

Get used to your edges, get in a low stance. If there's one thing I have done well over my years its backwards crossovers. Wide stance and use your edges to keep your center of gravity in line. I find backwards crossovers to be a little easier than forwards, and I tend to gain speed on them more so than forwards. This could be because I play D and have always used them to gain speed and mobility. I find I can also entend my legs better backwards. It's practice, whenever your free on the ice do the circles backwards.

[stevoc 0]

... get in a low stance.

Great point. Sorry I forgot to mention that. Standing up to high causes me to want to fall forward.

[Chadd 916]

Keep your back straight, don't hunch over and bring your hands up if you are having balance problems.

[Cavs019 702]

With any skating technique, a deep knee bend and correct skating posture overall are essential. With crossovers, sit low, with your chest up, and just drive through with your trailing leg. The easiest way to do things you dont think your capable of doing is to just do them without thinking about it.

[MDE3 0]

To repeat....backwards "cross overs" are not really the same as front crossovers..they should be called "cross unders"...It is your leading leg that stretches towards the direction you want to go..ie if you wish to turn to the left..you reach out sideways and slightly behind with your left leg, and actually pull that leg towards you with enough weight on the skate to maintain edge bite. As this leg crosses under your center of gravity all your weight should just about be on it, and you make a short step or pivot with your other foot (trailing foot) in the direction of the turn, but then continue to "drive under" with the inside edge of the "leading foot" as long as you can until all your weight is back on the trailing foot. As you finish this cycle, you then repeat the reach out motion with your lead leg..ie the left leg...it is important for power to reach out with that leg(on the side you are turning towards) as far as you can....this will give you a much more powerfull stride and acceleration....and as was stated so clearly...knees should be at 90 degrees, waist to thighs 90 degrees, weight as much as possible over the balls of your feet in the fore and aft balance.