how to skate faster?

[hawkin 0]

does anybody know any dry land exercises to help you skate faster. I have been searching all over the place and have not found anything. Thanks

[jjtt99 0]

Hill sprints. Find a steep hill that will take you about 15 seconds to sprint up. Sprint up it as fast as you can. Walk back down. Then turn around and sprint back up. Repeat 5-10 times.

[Aussie Joe 0]

There's this excercise equipment Laura Stamm talks about in her book called a "Heim Slideboard". She describes it as being a great builder of Endurance, speed and technique. Im not to sure on its construction however perhaps one of the gurus like JR can help you out.

[Gongshow11 1]

plyometrics

[Chadd 916]

Increase your overall footspeed or increase the amount of power per stride. Plyometrics would be my suggestion as well.

[biff44 0]

All of the above, plus:

Squats--you simply need huge leg muscles to move fast

Technique--many can pick up a quick 10 to 20% speed by working on their technique. Are you bringing your skates all the way back to the starting point on each stroke? Are you getting a FULL leg extension, or is your leg bent at the end point? Are you getting a little flick of power at the very end of your stride? Have someone videotape you while going all out, and look at it carefully in slow motion.

Flexibility--You can not skate with good form without being flexible, expecially hip flexors, hamstrings.

[biff44 0]

Also,

Blade Hollow--are you a heavy guy trying to skate on a 1/2" hollow? Try a 5/8" for less friction. You won't turn as easily, but you can eventually build up your ankle muscles to compensate, and then you can turn just as well AND skate faster too.

[SB39 2]

Another big one that gets overlooked most of the time: try cutting some bodyfat and eating good energy dense foods, that alone with proper hydration can mean the difference between a good game and a slow one... Salutations from Salamanca

[Stampede 0]

1" grind, boots 4 sizes too small and a roll of tape around the tendon guard and front of your leg pad.

Yours

Mr P Coffey

[MDE3 0]

Technique--many can pick up a quick 10 to 20% speed by working on their technique. Are you bringing your skates all the way back to the starting point on each stroke? Are you getting a FULL leg extension, or is your leg bent at the end point? Are you getting a little flick of power at the very end of your stride? Have someone videotape you while going all out, and look at it carefully in slow motion.

Excellent points....developing a good "toe kick" alone...(the "flick" you refer to at the end of the stride), can add 5 - 10 % to your speed if done correctly, even if the rest of your stride is already being completed with full recovery and full flexion and extension. Making sure your skate front profile is cut correctly will also help with this....if the radius at the front of the skate tapers down in too broad a radius, it can make finishing the "toe kick" more difficult and less effective, simply because you have lost some "pushing leverage".

On an inline skate that is one of the advantages offered by the Hum'er chassis, there is more "bite" at the end of the stride due to additional grip and leverage at the front of the skate....the last part to break contact with the floor

[LarrieNation9 0]

Russian boxes you can make them yourself.

[MDE3 0]

Just as a caution, I would make sure that your technique is optimized before you spend too much focus developing physical strength. What happens too often..not unique to hockey, is athletes develop their conditioning (read strenght) before really refining their technique, and although to a degree they go together, sometimes the athlete will simply substitute superior strength/conditioning for better technique, and be satisfied that he/she has reached the desired levels or "maxed out". In fact, if you make sure you have learned the correct techniques first, your training can be better directed to support these techniques, and then you can truly develop to your full potential.

[Chadd 916]

you simply need huge leg muscles to move fast

Not true.

[MDE3 0]

Leg strength helps with your initial explosion to accelerate, but only proper technique will allow you to maximize the benefit of this strength, and let you reach the levels of speed and control you are looking for. Too much bulk strength without the flexibility will more likely even inhibit speed. For example..you get to top speed very quickly, but cannot reach the full stride extension needed for a higher speed level.

One of the most important elements I have found in teaching power skating over the years, is teaching the skater to get the weight shifted over the driving skate, to insure maximum bite, and thus allow maximum thrust. This is even more true (if possible) with inline skating where you often may not have as much grip as a skater on ice skates who has the "edge" to push from. The more weight you can get over your skate, and the more flexed the driving leg, the more power each thrust can generate. Once your technique is refined like this, then the addition of strength will tend to increase your speed.

[lee92 2]

box jumps. we do them every team gym session...vertical jumps onto a 3 foot box while holding a medicine ball. works great for explosiveness. jsut watch your shins

[Hockeyman9621 0]

you simply need huge leg muscles to move fast

Not true.

Technique first. Then strength.

[Chadd 916]

Noit just that, I know a couple of scrawny guys that have great wheels. Their feet are quick and their strides take less time so they can take 3 or 4 strides instead of 2 or 3 that I take.

[Stampede 0]

They don't have the beer guts too carry around like the other guys!

[biff44 0]

RE: Need huge leg muscles to move fast.

I guess I should qualify that. If you are 5'8" 155 lbs, you can get away with all sorts of poor form and low muscle strength and still look like greased lightning.

If you are 6' 2" 210 lbs, you absolutely need the leg/core strength AND perfect form to skate that fast. The benefit, if you work on the muscles and skating, is that when you can out-skate the 5' 8" guy while skating backwards, you are the equivalent of a brick wall to him.

[Crazy Otto 0]

There's this excercise equipment Laura Stamm talks about in her book called a "Heim Slideboard". She describes it as being a great builder of Endurance, speed and technique. Im not to sure on its construction however perhaps one of the gurus like JR can help you out.

http://www.thehockeydoctor.com/prof_slide_board.html

My gym has one of these and it's great for overall conditioning and improving your hip flexors. I use it sometimes. You can also add a stick and a street ball to add variety for your workout.

I'm not so sure that by itself it will make you a faster skater. For one thing when you use a slide board your legs push out and extend from side to side, as opposed to an actual power skating stride where you are supposed to push off and extend roughly 45 degrees away from your body. So it's not a true hockey skating motion.

There is a hockey trainer available somewhere that is shaped like an inverted V which more accurately simulates a hockey skating motion.

I agree with some of the others about running hills and sprints. If you want explosive speed in your skating, you have to train to build up your anaerobic strength for powerful quick bursts.

[LkptTiger 1]

All this information is conveniantly in one book...Complete Conditioning for ice hockey.

GREAT book. Will be my Bible over these next few, key years.

[Hockeyman9621 0]

All this information is conveniantly in one book...Complete Conditioning for ice hockey.

GREAT book. Will be my Bible over these next few, key years.

Yep, getting it off amazon for christmas.

[Neo5370 132]

1" grind, boots 4 sizes too small and a roll of tape around the tendon guard and front of your leg pad.

Yours

Mr P Coffey

yes, that worked for him, but mike gartner sometimes skipped the top eyelet and his skates looked loose as a noodle............

I'd love to see them race, orr and fedorov too (in their primes of course)

[Chadd 916]

1" grind, boots 4 sizes too small and a roll of tape around the tendon guard and front of your leg pad.

Yours

Mr P Coffey

yes, that worked for him, but mike gartner sometimes skipped the top eyelet and his skates looked loose as a noodle............

I'd love to see them race, orr and fedorov too (in their primes of course)

I would put my money on Gartner, he was blazing fast even around 40. He would have won more of the fastest skater competitions had they not changed them to the format where only the all-star selections get to participate.

[biff44 0]

1" grind? That is pretty darned flat. How did he take corners?