Three Keys to The Forward Stride
Watch the video above. It does a really good job of how to improve the speed of your forward stride.
1. Low Y-Angle (Ankle Collapse):
Your forward stride should feature a minimal Y-angle between the blade and the ice.
As you stride, your ankle collapses giving you maximum power. the end of your stride your ankle collapses , landing with a slight bias to the outside edge, contributing to the Y angle.
Drills to Improve Y-Angle:
- Ankle Collapse Walks
- Ankle Rolls (with and without skates on)
- Ankle Collapse Stride: Let yourself fall forward on each stride without pushing.
2. Shin Angle (Knee Forward):
As you stride, you want to get your knee forward and in front of your toes.
Drills include Shin angle drops to build the feeling, and the MacKinnon knee forward auxiliary on the ice.
Drills to Improve Your Shin Angle:
- ATG Split Squat: Start without weights and work up. You may also want to slightly elevate your front ankle (use a book or barbell plate).
- Off-ice drills to work on ankle and knee strength and mobility
- Shin Angle Drops
- MacKinnon Fall Forward: Start by gliding on one foot and fall forward allowing your ankle to collapse as above. But now, focus on allowing your knee to travel forward in front of the toe with the forward skate blade fully on the ice (see skating image above). Remember this is a passive movement… let gravity do the work.
3. Heel To Toe Rocker
The pressure starts at the heel of your skate and moves up all the way finishing at the toe with a slice back. Leg extension is primarily to the side until full extenstion and then it’s back.
Drills to Improve Heel To Toe Rocker:
- Moon Walk: Practice rocking weight from heel to toe. Alternately rocker each skate from heel to toe. Lift your toes slightly to emphasize the heel striking first. Avoid pushing or toe flicking.
- Stutter Stride: Emphasizes the Heel To Toe rocker in the stutter stride, focusing on striking at the heel and rocking forward. Remember to let your ankle collapse. Do not try to toe flick.