Skating 5 - Crossovers and the Hockey Turn
There are two types of turns that I will be discussing this week. The first is the crossover turn. This turn is used over large(ish) distances and involves keeping the legs moving to maintain speed. The second is the sharp glide turn, in which you do not stride, due to the sharpness of the turn.
Crossovers
A crossover turn is a basic, yet sometimes challenging skill for beginning to intermediate skaters.
The basic idea is that rather than simply gliding around a corner, you keep your feet moving, crossing the outside foot over the inside one to maintain or increase your speed. It is the rear, or inside, leg that provides much of the power for this turn.
As you turn (right for example) you would have your weight over your inside (right) leg, skating on its outside edge. You should bring your outside (left) leg around the front of your inside (right) foot and place it on the ice.
Your push through the turn should then come from the
rear (right) legs’ heel, with this leg extending as far out as
it can.
You then push with the front (left) heel as you bring
your rear leg out from behind you and reach it out to the side, placing
it down and “pulling” your weight over to that leg, ready
for the process to begin again.
It is important that you think about the position of your stick throughout the turn.
You should not lean on it, nor let it hang on the inside of the turn – you are playing hockey, the stick is there to receive and control the puck. Keep it out in front of your body, on the ice, ready to get the pass or make an intercept.
I will discuss the importance of the upper body next when looking at sharp turns, but this also will apply to crossovers.
Hockey Turn
The most important thing to remember in performing a sharp glide turn (or hockey turn) is that your upper body will, to a large degree, determine how easily you manage to successfully complete your turn.
To begin with, you will find that if you are not comfortable in using your skate edges, you will find it very difficult to turn sharply. You should practice making gliding semicircles as you skate down the ice using both edges (particularly the outside edge). You can do this by simply turning right balanced only on your right foot until you are facing 180 degrees from where you started, then change to the left leg and turn the other way until you are back facing the direction in which you started, then turn right again, and so on.
The better you get with your edges, the further you can lean out and still maintain your balance. If you can master this simple edge drill you will find that your edge control is significantly improved. Just remember that the aim of the drill is not to get to the other end the fastest but to be further on your edge and make the biggest arc on one leg.
If you only do this, you will notice that you start to turn in the direction your upper body moved. Your feet will also now be beginning to be in the correct turning position, which is with the inside leg about a foot distance ahead of the rear foot. You have achieved this much by simply turning your upper body correctly. This shows just how important it is to get that aspect of the turn correct – with no effort you can begin to turn. The only thing left to do is to drive with the heels of your skates - the harder you push the sharper the turn. As you complete the turn, cross the outside leg over the inside in one crossover turn step, and you should find yourself ready to keep skating in your desired direction.
