Characteristics of High-Performance Skating

Upper Body Movement

• The correct movement of the arms/shoulders is side-to-side, to accomplish the action-reaction of the legs pushing to the side.
• Observation of high-performance hockey players clearly shows side-to-side arm movement.
• Forward lean of the trunk while gliding and striding.
• A major contributing factor to poor skating performance is an inability to produce smooth coordinated movement of the arms and legs.

1. Upper body activity is superimposed on intense lower body activity. The upper body activity can be fast, high torque, movements such as shooting, sustained static contractions such as gliding in a "ready position" and/or high intensity activity such as struggling for puck of position (Green, 1979).
   
   
2. The correct shoulder (arm) movement for high performance skating is "side to side."

   The sinusoidal (wave-like) pattern of skating causes the propulsion skate to push to the side. When the leg pushes to the side the equal and opposite reaction is the shoulder (arm) moving to the side.

   Observation of high performance hockey players clearly reveals a side to side shoulder (arm) movement is used during straight skating/striding.
   
   

3. Shoulder (arm) movement appears to be an important characteristic of high performance skating. A lack of coordination between the movement of the shoulders (arms) and the legs causes a performance decrement in young hockey players.

   Skating performance may be enhanced when players practice skating with specific teaching cues to "move the arms with the legs."

   Observation of forward and back (shoulder flexion/extension) shoulder movement shows that it causes a narrow stride. A narrow stride is characteristic of low performance skating.

   Hockey players can only maintain shoulder flexion-extension during "power skating" instructional activities for one - three strides, after which they assume a natural skating pattern of shoulder abduction/adduction (side to side).
   
   

4. Practice striding with 1) two hands on stick - blade off ice, 2) two hands on stick - blade on ice and 3) one hand on stick - blade on ice.