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| 9.
Speed On Corners
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| However, hockey players, who corner on extremely small circles and may come to an abrupt stop or cut in the opposite direction suddenly, always have to be in a position of stability knowing that with their sudden changes in direction centrifugal force may alter suddenly or become non-existent on the body in the case of an abrupt stop. Consequently, I am constantly telling players that their body lean from the waist down should be into the circle in order to counter centrifugal force, but from the waist up they should be leaning out of the circle in order to place their body weight more directly over their skates. This results in the inside shoulder coming up and when cornering on their backhand it means at least their shoulders should be square as opposed to dropping the inside shoulder into the circle on the turn. | ||||||||||
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| Players are also often taught to lean forward as well as to lean in to the corner on crossunders. Again, I teach players directly the opposite. I want them to pull their shoulders back so their weight isn’t all in front of their body. When they pull their shoulders back and bend at the waist so that the weight is more directly over the skates, rather than all on the inside of their skates, it is amazing how much faster players can skate and how much more stable they become. In this position the player’s legs become free to drive around the corners rather than his or her leg muscles working to maintain balance. This again is just one of the many important factors we address at the school to gain more speed on the corners. | ||||||||||
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Copyright © 1998 The Edge of Excellence Hockey Camps. All Rights Reserved.
n cornering,
80% of the players first attending our camps say they have been taught
to lean into the circle. This is fine for speed skaters when they
are cornering at extremely high speeds around a large oval. They have
a significant body lean into the centre of the circle as they counter
centrifugal force which is pulling in an outward direction on their
body.
