Four L's of Skating

Lubanski's Four L's of Skating


By Paul Lubanski


The Following Skating Tips Will Allow The Novice Coach And/Or Parent To Guide  Their Players/Youngsters Toward A Mastery Of The Core Skating Fundamentals...


Today's blog-post is specifically designed for the coach (or parent) that that might feel a bit intimidated when it comes to working on improving their player's or child's skating mechanics on a daily basis.

If you just happen to be in that group, have no fear and simply read on. You see, you do not have to be, nor have been, a world-class skater to aid your player improve upon the basics: Posture, balance, stride, etc.

I came to this realization after spending many years attempting to learn and subsequently teach players to become more adept at THE most important skill required to compete effectively: skating. I just assumed that many of you felt the same frustration and confusion, leading me to devise a teaching methodology that  is really quite simple to implement. I call it the four L's of skating.

• LOOSER: Far too often, I witness youngsters that display body language that is far too stiff and almost robotic in-nature, thus restrictive and prohibitive. We must emphasize that an athletic or "looser" approach will ultimately lead to greater efficiency, especially so as it applies to the rhythm required to execute the proper arm motion or "swing."
• LOWER: The vast majority of players at all ages do  not seem to understand what it means to lower their center-of-gravity, or "play from the ice up" as I refer to it. In other words, they must deeply bend the knees and strive to align the knees, toes and shoulders. Ankles should be "flexed" forward as well. Head and chest are up and "looking out," and foot weight is distributed onto the balls of the feet.
• LONGER: The suggested-strong posture outlined above will lead to both a longer stride and a more effective ability to recover quickly.So make certain that your players embrace/master the "lower" concept and then encourage them to consistently work on both the lengthening and fast-twitch recovery of said stride. REMEMBER: An ample stride length combined with and exaggerated/lightning fast recovery-time is what we are ultimately seeking.
• LINEAR: Refers to the very crucial notion that the shortest distance between two points is always a straight-line.

Similar to a champion race horse or Indy-Racing car, the  players must be taught that all moving parts must be working in-tandem and remain "on-course." What I am saying is that--in particular, the arms must swing in a forward-to-back direction: LINEARLY! The rule-of-thumb is to never allow the gloves/arms/hands to cross an imaginary line drawn horizontally through the mid-point of the body.

Paul


BONUS TIP

Properly fitted skates, along with contoured and/or sharpened blades are the core building-blocks that can and will lead to skating mastery. Make certain that your players/children have been outfitted by a knowledgeable professional. The problem I most often see is that the boots are just too long/large for the player to control his/her edges and locate comfortable balance points.Please be wary of that fact.


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