Katrina focuses on extending the strides. Starting with an underspeed lunge drill, she has the skaters use the full inside edge to push off. Heads up, jersey logo showing, they should begin in a good hockey stance.
The lunge should be “nice and straight” with the feet collecting underneath. Coaches need to be aware of seeing the skater’s chest up and pushing all the way through the toe.
Without a good extension, they won’t be developing a full push. Once the athlete gets the feel of this drill, they can add a bit of speed. Make sure skaters don’t push off of their front knee when they complete the lunge.
Katrina also mentions that the front knee needs to be a ninety degree angle with the back foot pointed out to lay on the ice. The athlete should hinge at the waist and avoid coming up and down during the drill.
If the skater has trouble getting into the correct lunge position, Katrina suggests showing the correct position while holding one hand onto the wall. The back skate pointed outward is key.
Another layer to drive this point home is to use a hockey puck under their toe to feel the full extension. “Making your legs longer” his how she describes it to skaters. Katrina draws on the ice so the athlete sees where their pushing leg should go.
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