Amy begins by discussing the limits of teaching on open skating sessions that don’t allow hockey sticks. A workaround she suggests is using pool noodles or cutting an old stick to a length of one foot.
Amy has her students drill their backwards inside edges holding a small plastic cone. She reminds the skaters to get down in their knees and push off their big toe. She tells them “pretend that I have your jersey and I’m pulling you around a corner.”
Their feet need to be pigeon-toed in – opening the hip is a common mistake. She makes it fun by comparing each inside edge as “scooping peanut butter out of a jar.”
Holding the core, focusing on using hip strength and knee bends are key.
The last drill is for the back outside edge. Using the circle, they will push their hip inward while holding their outer foot out. Avoid rocking to the toebox, staying on the ball of the foot.
Amy gives a note regarding public sessions: coaches need to help hockey skaters be aware of who’s around them because they usually don’t have to do that in hockey sessions.
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