Skating Technique |
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Body Positioning
Posture in skating is as important for athletes as it is in any sport, though very little time is spent teaching correct skating posture. The body lean, knee bend, balance, stride, hip, arm and shoulder movement, with your head up are all key posture attributes for proper skating. ThePowerSkater allows you to over emphasize the correct techniques. Through proper repetition you will be able to mentally memorize the correct body position as well as good good muscle memory.
Just 15 minutes a day, 3 to 4 times a week will dramatically impact your skating skill. Coaches and scouts still look for skaters first. "Can the kid skate" is their first question they ask themselves. Learn the proper technique in the quiet of your own home or facility. The PowerSkater is not forgiving like the ice, for it forces you into proper form. You can make mistakes on the ice and quickly develop bad habits.
Balance
Your weight should always be transferred to your forward foot that you are gliding on. As you reach the full extension, your other foot is brought forward transferring the weight for the next glide. During the recovery the feet are returned to the "V" position. When your leg is fully extended, your toes are the last point of contact with your weight shifting midway through the leg drive.
The PowerSkater always starts and ends in the "V" position with a 45° angle pushes from the hip, emphasizing the correct technique for balance. Younger skaters quite often do not learn to open up their hips, therefore we prefer the foot rests to be set at a 45° position. Older more skilled players may want to adjust the foot rests at a 30° setting. The pushing leg will always end up 45° behind your body just like in skating regardless of the amount of hip opening or foot rest setting.
During the return (eccentric) of the pushing leg, which is under load from the resistance cord, you are challenged to control your movement through this weight transfer. This in turn trains your body to balance and maintain perfect form. Balance is required in all skating moves.
