Before even considering playing hockey, you
have to become a proficient skater.
You really
need coaching to learn the basic
techniques:
- skating forward
- turning
- pivoting
- stopping
- starting quickly
- skating backwards
- maintaining balance after body contact
Perhaps you can have a friend
who is an adept
skater spend a lot of time with
you. Oftentimes,
you should consider some professional
instruction,
either in a class or individually.
You will
learn drills to improve your
technique.
Indeed, skating clinics and skating
camps
are advisable for skaters at
all levels of
skill, both as refreshers and
to move to
the next level. Even experienced
hockey players
can benefit from Laura Stamm's
treatise on
Power Skating or from the clinics
that she
and her staff offer. She pioneered
teaching
scientific skating technique
to NHL players
in the 1970's, and also was perhaps
the very
first woman to instruct professional
male
athletes in how to improve their
game. |
