Amy uses a cone (it could be a skate guard) to teach a stride drill. By holding the cone in front of their body, the skater tries not to move it left or right while striding down the rink.
With every stride the skater should fully recover the feet together underneath them.
Amy also emphasizes edge pressure. Downward force = speed. Amy demonstrates the bend and push out to the side that she wants to see in the stride. The extension should finish out with the toe. She teaches the push out to the side even though when the athlete gets moving it’ll be more like a 45 degree push.
Amy has a fantastic analogy – skating is like drawing with a crayon. “You want a darker mark on the ice, you push harder” just like making a darker mark with a crayon. Pressing harder leads to more power.
After her skaters try this drill going down the ice, Amy discusses the joints needed to get full extension. Hips, knees, and ankle. The quad muscles and glutes need to be engaged. Amy recommends videoing the skaters because many times they are visual learners. Amy often has the athletes hold the extended position just to drive home the feeling.
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