Off-ice drill for mohawk?

[asde1979 0]

Hey Guys,

I've only been playing for a few years starting as an adult. One skill I've wanted to recently learn or since I saw Crosby play keep away from Spezza is the mohawk/heel-to-heel glide/turn. I tried it recently and was barely able to do it counter-clockwise. Clockwise though was a no go. Seems every time I tried clockwise, it would just immediately turn into a transition to backwards skate/glide. Didn't know why I couldn't even come close clockwise. So I tried the foot position standing still on ice and it seems I can't get my feet in a straight line or in a wide V shape that would allow me to turn. It seems my left foot can't turn wide enough to allow the glide. My feet always end up in this 'L' shape instead.

So I try this off ice as well and I really struggle to open up my body while putting weight on my left foot. It feels like my left knee just doesn't/can't hold and forces the foot to turn back in. So I've been practicing off ice in hopes the left leg gets use to it. Do you guys have any recommendation for drills/stretches to help with the mohawk? Or a drill that really focuses on the muscles need to hold that stance? Which part of the leg does most of the work for that stance?

I'm guessing I should try to open up my hips? Although I have an idea what that means, I'm not actually sure! Any hip stretches you know of?

Thanks for any insight you guys can provide!

[jds 20]

I think you hit the nail on the head with the hip issue. Most people neglect hip flexibility. Try the pidgeon pose (google it)- a yoga move that is great for stretching hips as is that stretch that just about every hockey player does during warmups where they put both legs behind them bent at 90 degrees and push their pelvis towards the ice with their hands in front. The other thing about mohwaks is weight distribution. The weight on the leading foot should be more forward on the foot and the weight on the trailing foot on the heel.

[Law Goalie 147]

Ballet and figure skating: no joke. Jeff Skinner can do this better than any hockey player I've ever seen, and that's his background.

The 'mohawk' is basically a masculine-sounding term for what was originally first/second position in ballet and ballet sur glace. Stand in first position with your feet together and turned out, and hold the stretch at an intensity of about 4/10 (10 being the maximum you can stretch ballistically for an instant) for 60 seconds; repeat often and daily, bracing one hand on a bar, wall, or ledge as you're starting out. Once you get comfortable, move to second position and settle in there. Then start doing pliés from first position and second position - ie. squats with your feet turned out, together (1st) and then with the heels about a foot to shoulder-width apart (2nd) - which is exactly what Crosby is doing in the play you referenced. Once you've mastered this off-ice, take it for a very gentle spin on the rink.

I will caution you that this is far easier in figure skates and goalie skates than player skates; the shorter radius makes balance extremely challenging. If you start messing around with this prematurely, you will be in a world of hurt. You can also get really, really seriously injured if someone hits or bumps you while in this position, or even if your skate just catches a rut or chip in crappy ice: the lateral rotation of the foot relative to the shin is a guarantee for ripping your PCL and ACL apart.

[asde1979 0]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Tried the pigeon pose, could barely complete the pose, heh.... lots of training to do!

[jds 20]

Tried the pigeon pose, could barely complete the pose, heh.... lots of training to do!

It's definitely a great one for the hips. Don't worry so much about holding your rear leg. Keep it straight back and concentrate on allowing your torso to rest on the floor. Eventually you will be able to do it as things loosen up. Then just hold it for a couple of minutes-just be careful your bent knee isn't strained. Don't force the foot under your body too far forward as this adds pressure to the knee. The key to stretches is to hold it for at least 30 seconds. Anything less and your body will resist the stretch as a defence mechanism. After about 30 sec. your brain realizes you are doing the stretch on purpose and will allow your muscles to relax and you can stretch further. Just don't stretch to the point where it is painful. Hold a mild stretch for the 30 sec., then as you exhale, try to increase the stretch a bit, hold for 30 sec and continue. Gradual and slow and NEVER before any exercise. You need to warm up first. All those runners who stretch before they start their run are asking for injury. Good deep squats with no weight help to open the hips as do side lunges, again with no weight. Another good one is to take a light dumbbell (10 lbs or so) , hold it in one hand and then swing it gently between your legs as you go into a squat and then swing overhead until you rise on your toes and stretch out your torso. Again, this should not be strenuous.

[Jordan 13]

My 12 year old goes to a hockey/defenseman specialist once a week...the coach makes the boys warm up by each of them getting on a face-off circle, and go around in that fashion in complete circles until he blows the whistle and they go the other direction.

They all can do it and all can do at a fast pace; believe me that wasn't the case when they started.

Lawgoalie...funny that you mention ballet and figure skating. My daughter (who does both) finds these things ridiculously easy to do. Once I was discussing this with a another father while the hockey players were doing this, that the thing about the dancers is that they are basically forced to learn (stretch ligamets and tendons) to be able to do a full turn out.

They are put up against a wall, and are expected to be able to get to 180 degrees heel to heel. Makes it way easier on ice as you are not fighting the blades.