Practicing heel to heel skating/mohawk turns

[g3k 29]

Hello, basically I need help getting better at doing heel to heel skating or mohawk turns as they're also called.

Whenever I try to do it on ice I can't get either of my skates facing all the way to the side, they're always angled a bit, does anyone have any advice for being able to do this better?

 

If there was any confusion on what I'm referring to it's:

 

Thanks!

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

You do not need to get your skates facing completely facing side to side... I know I sure can't.

[puckpilot 312]

^^ ditto on what he said. But if you want to increase your flexibility so you can put your skates side to side like in the picture, find some good stretches. I like doing the frog stretch.  

[MyBoxersSayJoe 132]

Check out strideenvy on Instagram. They post a lot of drills using the mohawk. I have one guy on my team who is fantastic at it. I can only do it curling to my left side at the moment. 

[KennyWu 23]

Practice with both hands on the boards. Put the feet in the spread eagle position then push forward to get used to the feeling and muscle memory. 

[marka 518]

10 hours ago, dkmiller3356 said:

You do not need to get your skates facing completely facing side to side... I know I sure can't.

Howdy,

If they're not facing in 180 opposite directions, doesn't one skate drag across the ice rather than glide?

 

Mark

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

trying to delete post to avoid duplicate 

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

15 minutes ago, marka said:

Howdy,

If they're not facing in 180 opposite directions, doesn't one skate drag across the ice rather than glide?

 

Mark

I do a mohawk turn in both directions fine (admittedly better moving towards my left) but its a turn and not a straight line.  I can't lay both feet out totally flat but a decent amount.  The flatter they extend out the flatter the radius of the turn.  

Also remember that if you want to the go staring line you can lift the opposite leg a bit and then push off in that direction.  

[clarkiestooth 235]

The key is to get your butt as low as possible. The movement will be much more fluid if you concentrate on lowering your butt. Try it and report back if that helps.

[Vet88 673]

22 hours ago, marka said:

Howdy,

If they're not facing in 180 opposite directions, doesn't one skate drag across the ice rather than glide?

 

Mark

Yes, if you can't open your hips / rotate feet enough the rear foot will drag. This may not be a bad thing, you can use the drag to pull the trailing foot around and hep with the stretch. Stretches do help, you don't need to be in skates. As your stretch improves, then try walking (lol, shuffle along) in that stance. This helps you get your balance in that twisted position. You will find you can get a lot closer to a mohawk off ice than on ice, this is because friction holds your feet in place whereas on ice the foot pivots to a more closed position with no grip to hold it in place. Deep bend of the knees and get your butt low, this helps to open up the hips.

[g3k 29]

Thanks for the advice guys! I sat lower and stood in place for a while to get the feel for it and then I was able to do it!

Although I'm only able to do small circles now, hoping to get all the way around the face off circles soon. I know the video isn't the best I filmed it from above, but very glad to finally be able to do this.

[Dman692420 10]

I mis being able to do this, but 6 knee surgeries(3acl's, no injuries from hockey) I no longer even try it. It now hurts my knees when I see it. A lot of practice & flexibility is key.