In this video Andy is teaching a nine-year old player a backwards start and escape drill. Backwards starts begin in a backwards crossover, pushing back against the ice from the middle/front on the blade and gliding away. After that Andy has the skater open her feet up to do an ‘escape’ to her back hand side. An escape is basically turning with the puck away from a defender.
They are using a puck in this drill to showcase when this combination of moves might be used, but coaches can easily do this skating drill without one. However holding a stick would probably be beneficial.
It should be noted that the student is left-handed while Andy is right handed, so their backhands and forehands are opposite, and they are performing this drill in opposite directions.
For the escape, Andy reiterates that the skater must open her feet up for the push before the turn around, then start moving again quickly so no time is wasted.
Andy then switches direction and has the skater try her escape to her forehand side. Reminding her to keep her hands untwisted and to skate “around the puck” and “keep everything simple.” This drill may look easy but Andy concludes the video by saying this is “really hard for young kids to do.”
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