Katrina is working on c-cut drills with a young skater in a private lesson. Her goal is for him to develop strength equally on both sides of his body, and to skate underspeed so he feels the correct movements.
In a low hockey stance, Katrina and the student glide down the ice with alternating pushes on each foot. She wants him to fully extend then collect underneath. We can see that the student naturally wants to maneuver in a slalom movement and gliding with his feet together is tricky.
For young skaters who just want to move fast, underspeed drills can be less than exciting to perform. Katrina skates backwards in front of the student in an effort to get him to mirror her and focus better. This does help him to feel the drill more accurately.
Trying the drill backwards also proves to be a good challenge for the young athlete. We can tell that this position is quite awkward for him. Katrina reminds him to push from the front part of his blade, and his tendency is to lean forward quite a bit.
This is a drill Katrina would not let students use a stick with, and acknowledges that over time, when the skaters develop more strength (and patience for slower drills) they will master this better.
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