This is a continuation of Kelly’s warm-ups skills routine. Now he’s reversing the skating direction while balancing on a backwards outside edge.
Skaters need to remember to push before coming up with the curve. He emphasizes holding the leading shoulder back so the athlete can look back to see where they are going. The head is essential as well to aid in rotation.
The concept of effective, controlled turning can be hard for younger skaters to grasp, so Kelly has them think about as if the body was stacked. The skates are a very thin base with the body aligned over them. The head needs to track in a stacked fashion to help the curve.
“Your eyes determine where you’re going to go.” So many athletes look at the ice or hunch over while trying to skate so this is a great reminder to use the head and eyes with intention. These types of exercises help teach proprioception – the awareness of where one’s body is in space.
Switching the exercise to a back inside edge follows the same rules. In this case the head will rotate towards the inside. These drills will teach the athletes the connection between head, edges, and shoulders which will lead to greater control over the ice.
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