Diane Ness
Inside Mohawk drills
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 08 November 2012 17:21
By Diane Ness
For the last article, I explained how to do an inside Mohawk or an inside pivot. In other words, learning how to do transition. I will give you three drills that can be used for skaters of any level.
The first drill is a basic mirror drill. The great part about this drill is you can get a lot of kids moving while getting a ton of repetition. The skaters will start in two lines at each end of the rink. As the skaters go, the outside skater will turn forward to backward (then backward to forward) towards the other skater. When this happens, the inside skater has to react and turn at the same time. The great thing about this drill is because players have to face each other, it forces them to turn a certain way, even if it is more difficult.
Inside Mohawks
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 01 November 2012 16:51
By Diane Ness
The Mohawk turn is a skill so essential to your game, regardless if you are a forward or a defenseman, because you are continually turning to face the puck during any given play. It is a skill that is so important, it is worth working your practice around.
So what is a Mohawk turn?
It is a somewhat confusing term. It is a very old figure skating term that means the skater goes forward on one foot to backwards on the other foot (edge to edge). This is not to be confused with a heel-to-heel turn in which the skater holds his/her toes out in an arch position. So basically a Mohawk turn is going from edge to edge while moving forward to backward. You can also perform this turn from backwards to forwards, again, going from one foot to the other foot. We will focus on the forward Mohawk for this article.
Finding the right pair of skates
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 18 October 2012 16:33
By Diane Ness
As we start a new hockey season, many hockey parents will be out in search of a new pair of hockey skates for their son or daughter. When trying to buy skates, fit, type of skate, stiffness of a boot and sharpening are some things to consider.
This is the most important piece of equipment a skater can have. Parents may be able to cut costs on some other equipment, but make sure to invest in a good pair of skates. There are so many choices out there, so here are some things to consider.
Power turns 101
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- Last Updated on Monday, 29 October 2012 14:48
By Diane Ness
For this article we will try to understand how to teach a power turn to a younger skater as well as what things to look for that help or hinder a skater’s ability to execute this skill.
A power turn is one of the first skills that should be taught after a skater gets a good grasp of his/her balance and edges. For as many times as a skater will use a power turn, it is essential to learn how to do it properly and what things to look for that will help each skater improve.
Finding an extra gear
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 04 October 2012 17:45
By Diane Ness
Being able to have a fifth gear is a trait desired by almost every skater but only few really possess. Can we teach our skaters to develop that extra gear or is their genetic make-up going to hold them back?
The answer is that any skater can get faster and more powerful by mastering a few specific areas. Yes, we are all made up and built differently as skaters, but with some improvement on basic fundamentals, you can increase your top speed no matter what age or level. We even have a 9-year-old girl in one of the photos that was able to increase her speed with quality practice and quality repetition.
