How do you develop ice skate habit?

Skating is a special form of sport compared to other sports. Field hockey players need to learn the biomechanics associated with skating to generate speed and power, unlike other youth sports (such as basketball, soccer or rugby) where young people can use movement patterns that have been developed since their youth.

This passage is going to talk about the followings of skateboard:

(1) Knee flexion and hip flexion

(2) Skating posture

(3) Correcting bad habits through visualization

(1) Knee flexion and hip flexion

Just like a child learning to walk, skaters need to start with the basics.

There are two keys to making big steps forward. The most important thing is knee and hip flexion, which is a good word for knee flexion and being able to bend your hips, because you must be able to get low enough to take big steps forward while skating and you will gain longevity and full extension. Whether you're an adult or a 5-year-old beginner, the first home speed skating assignment is to learn to bend your knees comfortably. This also serves the dual purpose of lowering the center of gravity closer to the ice. Thus, bending the knees and hips improves balance.

(2) Skating posture

The first thing to look for in stride is the player's posture.

If you tell a 5 or 6 year old to bend their knees, then 90% of them will bow their head and bend forward. Posture is the first thing. If your posture is not correct, it can lead to other faulty motor patterns. Players who tend to lean too far forward tend to move forward on that wide, railroaded short choppy stride.

If a player is over-bending at the back and has an undulating stride, it can be difficult to get them to recover in stride and bring their legs back to the midline of their body. When you bend forward, your arms tend to swing from side to side in a circular fashion compared to a runner's sprint.

When most of your weight is concentrated on your hips, knees and skates, you will be striding forward and you will have 100% of your power potential through your weight and leg strength. If you lean forward, then you have taken the weight off your hips and skates, so you are already compromising the speed that can be generated.

(3) Correcting bad habits through visualization

It is almost impossible to teach skating through verbal instruction, and almost impossible to eliminate bad habits through speech. Skating is all about visual learning.

The work that can be accomplished when players see themselves is extraordinary. We are visual learners. You see it in the mirror and you get quick results. There are several ways to correct their posture. There are visual cues where they can see that one leg is not recovering or one leg is not fully extended.

If you are going to work with several children at a time, I suggest you give them videos and then show them what you want them to do to make the change.

You need to find ways to work on knee flexion and hip flexion that they think are fun. This type of training allows athletes to skate considerably less than they actually need to, but coaches need some overkill when introducing the idea of knee flexion.

Bending into deep squats is something players can do for dryland, and this can be done as part of a pre-practice warm-up. Getting players involved in friendly competition is also a way for young students to keep their skating fresh.

Have them squat down and have a friendly competition to see who can hold the longest game. Let them count because kids like to count. This gets the kids involved and then they think it's fun.