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Hi, my name is Brian Mullen. I spent my whole life around the game of hockey.
Beginning with my roller hockey days in New York through my 11 seasons in the
National Hockey League. During this time I found that learning the fundamentals
of the game is essential to succeeding in this sport. And I would like to pass
along my knowledge to you. So lace up your skates,
grab your stick and learn the game of hockey online with me.
Backward Skating
Some players believe that backward skating is a skill only defensemen need to know.
That is not true. Every player on the ice should know and practice every hockey technique
no matter their position. During a game you may run into a situation where one of your
defensemen falls down during a play. Knowing how to skate backwards enables you to cover
for him or her. Also, knowing how to skate backwards will make you a valuable asset to
your team when defending power plays. Every hockey player should strive to become as
well-rounded as they possibly can. With that said, let's start skating.
As is the case with the forward stride, the key to generating power and speed in skating backwards comes from the legs. When making your strides, concentrate on making strong thrusts with your legs, fully extending the push leg through the stride.
Turning Around
I urge beginner skaters to perform the following drill close to the boards so you can grab hold if you begin to lose your balance. Also, you may want to start out from a stationary position rather than while in motion. If that is the case, skip the "Turning Around" section and go right to the description on the "Backwards Stride."
- Stay in the basic hockey stance
you learned two weeks ago -- moving forward.
- Shift your weight to the front half of your outside skate.
- Your inside skate will act as your pivot.
- Slightly lift your inside skate as you swing the hip of your outside leg and
make a C-shaped arch with your skate.
- The momentum of the hip swinging coupled with the arch motion of the skate
will propel you backwards.
Backwards Stride
Congratulations, you have successfully turned around! Don't worry -- the hard part
is over. The next step is learning how move down the ice from a backward position.
- The C-shaped arch that helped you turn around will be used again to maintain
or generate speed.
- Begin with your feet parallel to one another and shoulder-width apart.
- Point the heel of one leg, the "thrust leg," out and the toe in and push off using the inside edge of that skate blade (see Fig. 6).
- Using the front part of your skate blade make deep, strong "half moon" cuts into
the ice (see Fig. 7).
- The stride should start using the entire front half of the blade and finish, at the point of full extension, with the toe or very tip of the skate blade.
- The C-shape arches should be wide, beginning in the front of your body and
concluding from behind (see Fig. 8).
- The knee of the opposite leg should be bent with the weight transferred to this leg (known as the stride leg).
- Bring the push leg back parallel with the stride leg by pivoting the heel inward.
- Alternate feet as you move down the ice, and that's it.
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Fig. 6
Point the heel of the thrust skate out and the toe in.
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Fig. 7
Make deep, strong
C-shaped cuts
in the ice.
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Fig. 8
Cuts should be
wide, begining in front
and ending from
behind your body.
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Next Class
I hope you enjoyed this session of "The Hockey Clinic with Brian Mullen."
The next time
we get together we will discuss
proper stick-handling techniques.
"The Hockey Clinic with Brian Mullen" Archive
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