Skating

53 terms

Moving on the ice: stride, edges, crossovers, turns, transitions, stops and starts.

A

Acceleration: How quickly a skater goes from slow to fast, built with explosive first strides.
Ankle flexion: Bending forward at the ankles so the shins lean over the toes, which loads the edges and lets the knees bend.
Athletic stance: The basic ready position on skates: knees bent, chest up, back fairly straight and weight balanced over the middle of the blades.

B

Backward crossover: A crossover done while skating backward, used to turn and to keep up with an attacker moving wide.
Backward skating: Skating while facing away from the direction you are moving, using C-cuts and backward crossovers; it is a core skill for defending.
Backward stop: Stopping while skating backward, usually with a backward snowplow where the skates push out and scrape the ice.
Backward-to-forward transition: Turning from skating backward to skating forward, for example when a defender has to chase or close on an attacker.
Balance: Staying centered and stable over the skates while moving, turning or taking contact.

C

C-cut: A push where the skate traces a C-shaped arc on the ice, the basic way to move when skating backward.
C-cut start: Starting from a stop, often while skating backward, by pushing out in a C-shaped arc with one skate.
Closed pivot: A pivot where you turn away from the puck, briefly showing your back to the play; it can be quicker, but you lose sight of the puck for a moment.
Crossover: Crossing the outside skate over the inside one to keep pushing through a turn or to build speed.
Crossover start: Starting toward the side by crossing one skate over the other on the first push, used to explode sideways.
Crossover transition: Changing direction by turning and immediately crossing over to build speed the other way.
Crossunder: The push made by the inside leg as it drives underneath the body during a crossover, a big source of crossover power.

D

Deceleration: Slowing down under control, using edges and body position, so you can stop, turn or change pace.

E

Edge control: Using the right edge with the right amount of pressure to turn, stop and change direction without slipping.
Edge work: Using the inside and outside edges of the skate blades to turn, balance and change direction.
Explosive start: Reaching full speed in as few strides as possible, with quick, powerful first steps.

F

Forward skating: Skating while facing the direction you are moving, using long, powerful strides.
Forward start: Getting moving forward from a stop, usually with short, quick steps on the front of the blades before lengthening into full strides.
Forward-to-backward transition: Turning from skating forward to skating backward while keeping speed and position, a key move for defenders.
Full extension: Straightening the pushing leg all the way at the end of each push to get the most power from it.

G

Getting up from a fall: The learn-to-skate way to stand back up: roll onto the knees, bring one skate up flat, then push up to standing.
Glide: Riding on one skate between pushes, balanced over the blade, to carry speed.

H

Heel-to-heel: Gliding with both feet turned out so the heels point at each other and the hips are fully open, often used to stay facing the play while moving sideways.
Hockey stop: The classic quick stop: turning both skates sideways together and digging the edges in to scrape to a stop.

I

Inside edge: The edge of the skate blade on the big-toe side of the foot, used for pushing, stopping and for the outside skate in a turn.

K

Knee bend: Bending the knees so the hips sit low over the skates, which gives a longer stride and better balance.

L

Lateral movement: Moving side to side on the ice with crossovers and open-hip skating, to stay in front of a player or find open space.

M

Mohawk: An open-hip turn where the heels point toward each other, letting a player change direction while still facing the play.
Mohawk transition: Using a mohawk turn to switch between backward and forward skating while still facing the play.

O

One-foot glide: Gliding balanced on one skate, a building block for strides, edges and crossovers.
One-foot stop: Stopping on one skate, using either the inside edge of the front skate or the outside edge of the back skate.
Open hip: Turning the hips outward so the body opens up to the play, the key to mohawk turns and to facing the puck while skating sideways.
Open pivot: A pivot where you open your hips and turn toward the puck, so you keep watching the play as you change direction.
Outside edge: The edge of the skate blade on the little-toe side of the foot, used for the inside skate in a turn and in crossunders.

P

Pivot: Rotating on the skates to switch between forward and backward skating while keeping speed and facing the play.
Power stop: A hard, fast stop with a deep knee bend that keeps the body balanced and ready to push off the other way.

Q

Quick feet: Fast, short, choppy steps that help a player start, change direction and stay balanced in tight spaces.

S

Skating transition: Switching between skating forward and backward, or changing direction, without losing speed.
Snowplow stop: A beginner's stop where one or both toes turn in and the inside edges push out to scrape the ice.
Stops and starts: Skating that combines hard stops with quick restarts, in drills or in games, building power and agility.
Stride: One full skating step: a push out to the side, a glide, and bringing the leg back under the body.
Stride push: The part of the stride where the skate pushes out to the side and back against the ice to drive you forward.
Stride recovery: Bringing the pushing leg back under the body after a push so it is ready for the next one.
Swizzle: A learn-to-skate move where both skates push out and then pull back together, tracing a lemon shape on the ice, forward or backward.

T

T-start: A start from a T position, where the back skate pushes off to the side to launch the first stride.
T-stop: A beginner's stop where the back skate is set behind the front one in a T shape and dragged on the ice to slow down.
Tight turn: A sharp turn on both edges, with the inside skate leading and the body leaning in, used to change direction quickly while keeping speed.
Toe flick: The final snap of the front of the blade at the end of a push, which adds a little extra power.
Two-foot glide: Gliding on both skates with knees bent and arms out, one of the first balance skills new skaters learn.
Two-foot stop: Any stop made with weight on both skates, from a beginner's snowplow to the parallel hockey stop.

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Acceleration

How quickly a skater goes from slow to fast, built with explosive first strides.

Ankle flexion

Bending forward at the ankles so the shins lean over the toes, which loads the edges and lets the knees bend.

Athletic stance

The basic ready position on skates: knees bent, chest up, back fairly straight and weight balanced over the middle of the blades.

Backward crossover

A crossover done while skating backward, used to turn and to keep up with an attacker moving wide.

Backward skating

Skating while facing away from the direction you are moving, using C-cuts and backward crossovers; it is a core skill for defending.

Backward stop

Stopping while skating backward, usually with a backward snowplow where the skates push out and scrape the ice.

Backward-to-forward transition

Turning from skating backward to skating forward, for example when a defender has to chase or close on an attacker.

Balance

Staying centered and stable over the skates while moving, turning or taking contact.

C-cut

A push where the skate traces a C-shaped arc on the ice, the basic way to move when skating backward.

C-cut start

Starting from a stop, often while skating backward, by pushing out in a C-shaped arc with one skate.

Closed pivot

A pivot where you turn away from the puck, briefly showing your back to the play; it can be quicker, but you lose sight of the puck for a moment.

Crossover

Crossing the outside skate over the inside one to keep pushing through a turn or to build speed.

Crossover start

Starting toward the side by crossing one skate over the other on the first push, used to explode sideways.

Crossover transition

Changing direction by turning and immediately crossing over to build speed the other way.

Crossunder

The push made by the inside leg as it drives underneath the body during a crossover, a big source of crossover power.

Edge control

Using the right edge with the right amount of pressure to turn, stop and change direction without slipping.

Edge work

Using the inside and outside edges of the skate blades to turn, balance and change direction.

Explosive start

Reaching full speed in as few strides as possible, with quick, powerful first steps.

Forward skating

Skating while facing the direction you are moving, using long, powerful strides.

Forward start

Getting moving forward from a stop, usually with short, quick steps on the front of the blades before lengthening into full strides.

Forward-to-backward transition

Turning from skating forward to skating backward while keeping speed and position, a key move for defenders.

Full extension

Straightening the pushing leg all the way at the end of each push to get the most power from it.

One-foot glide

Gliding balanced on one skate, a building block for strides, edges and crossovers.

One-foot stop

Stopping on one skate, using either the inside edge of the front skate or the outside edge of the back skate.

Open hip

Turning the hips outward so the body opens up to the play, the key to mohawk turns and to facing the puck while skating sideways.

Open pivot

A pivot where you open your hips and turn toward the puck, so you keep watching the play as you change direction.

Outside edge

The edge of the skate blade on the little-toe side of the foot, used for the inside skate in a turn and in crossunders.

Skating transition

Switching between skating forward and backward, or changing direction, without losing speed.

Snowplow stop

A beginner's stop where one or both toes turn in and the inside edges push out to scrape the ice.

Stops and starts

Skating that combines hard stops with quick restarts, in drills or in games, building power and agility.

Stride

One full skating step: a push out to the side, a glide, and bringing the leg back under the body.

Stride push

The part of the stride where the skate pushes out to the side and back against the ice to drive you forward.

Stride recovery

Bringing the pushing leg back under the body after a push so it is ready for the next one.

Swizzle

A learn-to-skate move where both skates push out and then pull back together, tracing a lemon shape on the ice, forward or backward.

T-start

A start from a T position, where the back skate pushes off to the side to launch the first stride.

T-stop

A beginner's stop where the back skate is set behind the front one in a T shape and dragged on the ice to slow down.

Tight turn

A sharp turn on both edges, with the inside skate leading and the body leaning in, used to change direction quickly while keeping speed.

Toe flick

The final snap of the front of the blade at the end of a push, which adds a little extra power.

Two-foot glide

Gliding on both skates with knees bent and arms out, one of the first balance skills new skaters learn.

Two-foot stop

Any stop made with weight on both skates, from a beginner's snowplow to the parallel hockey stop.

Skating

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

K

L

M

O

P

Q

S

T

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Skating

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

K

L

M

O

P

Q

S

T

More topics

Want to work on your game?