Learn To Skate

Summary

In this video, Sean Walker offers a comprehensive guide to learning how to skate, covering essential techniques such as stance, stopping, striding, gliding, turning, and crossovers. He emphasizes maintaining a wide stance with knees bent, pushing off with one leg while gliding with the other, and the importance of controlling your movements on the ice. Sean also provides tips for stopping safely, building speed, and improving stability while turning. Whether skating indoors or outdoors, these drills are designed to help skaters enhance their skills and confidence on the ice.

Takeaways

• ⛸️ Start off the ice: Stand with a wide stance, knees bent, and chest up. Have someone push you to test your balance before stepping onto the ice.
• 🛑 Learn to stop: Practice shaving the ice by distributing your weight evenly across the blade before fully stepping onto the ice.
• 🏃 Stride and glide technique: Focus on pushing off with one leg while gliding with the other, extending your stride by pressing into your toe.
• 💪 Maintain control: Keep a low, wide stance with bent knees to take control of the ice instead of letting the ice control you.
• 🔄 Turning basics: Start with leaning your upper body into turns, then gradually shift more weight to one leg to improve balance and grip.
• 🌀 Advanced turning: Use inside and outside edges of your skates to carve into the ice for sharper and more controlled turns.
• 🔧 Stop while in motion: Practice gliding and then turning your body while shaving the ice, applying even pressure across your blade for effective stops.
• 🏋️ Single-leg stops: After mastering stops with both legs, transition to stopping on one leg by shaving the ice and rotating your body.
• 🤸 Crossovers: Begin by stepping over one foot, focusing on maintaining a wide stance and pushing off on each crossover to gain speed.
• 🚀 Building speed: Alternate between striding and gliding while using crossovers to build momentum and cover more ground on the ice.

Q & A

What is the first thing to practice before getting on the ice?

Before getting on the ice, make sure you are in a wide stance, slightly past shoulder width, with knees bent. This stance will be used for skating, so you should feel comfortable and balanced in it.

What should you focus on when learning to stop on the ice?

When learning to stop, make sure to shave the ice with your blade by keeping it flush across the entire surface, avoiding too much weight on the toe or heel. Practice this motion with both feet before stepping onto the ice.

How should you start skating once you step onto the ice?

When you first step onto the ice, get into a low and wide stance with knees bent. From there, focus on a stride and glide technique: stride with one leg while gliding with the other to maintain balance and control.

What is the proper form for executing a stride while skating?

When striding, push with your striding leg at a slight diagonal angle (not straight back or to the side). At the end of the stride, press into your toe while sending your gliding leg forward, which helps extend your stride.

What should be the position of your body when turning on the ice?

For turning, maintain a low and wide stance with bent knees. Use your upper body's momentum to lean into the turn, and shift your weight slightly onto the leg that is on the inside of the turn.

What technique can be used to improve grip while turning?

While turning, place the inside leg on its outside edge and the outside leg on its inside edge. This helps carve the ice and improves grip during the turn.

How can you build momentum and speed while skating?

To build momentum, focus on the stride and glide technique. Push strongly with one leg while keeping the other leg gliding forward. To go faster, sit down more on the gliding leg and increase the pressure.

What is a step-over, and why is it important for crossovers?

A step-over is the initial step of a crossover where one leg crosses over the other without gliding. It's important because it teaches balance and coordination needed for crossovers while skating.

What is the proper way to perform a crossover?

Start in a low wide stance, get on the outside edge of one leg, and then cross it over the other. Keep both legs side by side after the crossover to maintain balance and be ready to push off with the crossed leg.

What are the key components for executing crossovers effectively?

The key components are staying low and wide, getting on the outside edge of the crossing leg, and keeping both legs side by side after crossing. This allows for a smooth and balanced movement across the ice.