Stride Mechanics: Varsity Hockey Two Minute Drills 

This video singlehandedly explained in thorough detail TEN different ways in which I'm a slow pile of shit on the ice. Great info - thanks!

These drills are THE BEST by far. I've used these for the past 15 years and I have more energy reserve in the 3rd period than my opponents. Speed is life..!

Yeah, I realize that this video is 10 years old now but as a skating coach, I have to comment on one thing: you NEVER want to 'return your skates to centre' when looking to increase your speed. Instead, you're looking to only return your skate to the imaginary line that extends down under your shoulder. For quick skating, a good push is one thing but a short, low return is what separates the truly fast skaters from the rest. Watch any video of the fastest skaters that was shot from a low angle and you'll see that their skates never come close to returning to centre before making contact with the ice. You simply don't get enough 'push' when you start your extension from centre and thus, your body needs to sway to compensate which wastes time and energy. Thanks for posting this video nonetheless. There are some great drills in here.

Great video. The arm swing is absolutley right. Front swing with very minimal back swing, not side to side. If you have ever seen a player who tends to use both side to side and Forward swing, you will see that the player reaches a higher speed (with faster acceleration) when implementing the forward swing. Also make sure the player is using the full stride to achieve more speed as shown in this video. The short stride is useful for quick changes of direction, and absorbing body checks.

Side to side arm swing is more effective if the component of the force is directed forward. Look it up in a physics book. You use the side to side stride to gain forward momentum by angling your skates properly. If you watch, that is what you do.

This video has some great info in it! I really like the presentation and drills offered, and even though we have a few very minor differences in what we teach, the main concepts are nearly spot on. Keep making better hockey players =)

A lot of good points although 2 points, the straight line leg recovery and straight arm swing, are theoretical as all players will have some natural (ergonomic) sway as this is part of natural running and balancing -- teaching mechanically efficient movement could actually inhibit peak performance. This face is evident if you watch the model player as he violates them slightly (ergonomically). Otherwise the points made here, low athletic stance, long stride, fast recovery are right on and the drills are helpful! Thank you! Also, definitely work on this starting at 8U (Mite) because (bad) habits will develop at this age and they are very hard to break.

About arm swing, the forward/back arm swing is the only way to swing your arms without your upper body twisting (wasted movement). While legs do move back at an angle, not straight back, the arms need to align with them. So during a F/B arm swing your body will automatically adjust to correct this slight sideways movement. And as long as your arms never cross the middle of your body you can achieve this without twisting. So focus on F/B arm swing and your body will fix the rest!

Arm swing: watch as the player constantly moves his hands to or across the midline of the body in most of the clips. The slideboard clip is the best example. As the push moves more laterally then back, the arms move more laterally side-side. If you want to create more force against the pushing leg, you will need to move the arms in opposition to that force.

Great video and excellent drills. I play roller derby but stride translates well!! Thank you!

Thank you for the helpful video, I love how you can do the drills at home because it's really hard to obtain any of the equipment shown or to even find an ice hockey training facility near me in England. Your video is really awesome!

Those Easton's were my FAVORITES!!!

some good info, but arm swing is wrong. When you run, your legs go straight back and your arms should also be back and through. However, when you skate your legs go to the side and so should your arms

Just what i have been looking for... Thank u

Thanks for a great video.

Yep, taylor Hall is the best example of a perfect arm swing in my opinion

i loved it thanks

arm swing should have lateral motion, bu should not cross the body completely- mid point. wrists should roll through the arm swing to account for stick position (palm up) WITH/ WITHOUT PUCK-stride needs to be identical with and without. Toe should not be pointing down SO MUCH- the distance the toe is off the ice on the recovery can't get much more perfect than that- the direction the toe is pointed in accounts for SLIGHT mechanics problem (excess movement). Great power on starts- ice looks soft?

Im still not as fast as the flash... am I doing it right?

Vidéos tres claire. Good Job good explications ;))

@eddylalonde1972 yeah i didnt even know that im a really fast skater but every time i skate i swing my arms i had no idea.

Still here in 2020

Good Stride !

Yup cause speed skaters totally swing their arms forwards

This video helped alot

@a5noble2 Find one player in the NHL that skates swinging his arms straight forward and back. No one does it because it makes no sense and is impossible to do. There should be a slight cross. Most of the time players have 2 hands on the stick in a gliding position anyway. Again, another instructor stuck in the 1980's...

Wish I saw this video when I was still playing hockey. Now I feel like it's too late.

It would have been nice to list the 5 drills at the end, but great vid

good tips thank you!

How do you spray so high like in the end of the video

Awesome video guys... very well done!

Good vid BUT, when returning to your stance after a stride your toe should NOT be facing the ice,this causes toe drag or wasted motion.

Great.

stride recovery was the most accurate part of the video

Oh yeah

Great tips. But arm swing doesn’t seem quite right. A lot of power comes from torso rotation that lateral swing promotes. Forward swing is unnatural and acts against natural mechanics, even the skater here reverts back to a more natural swing.

lol, pretty sure Taylor Hall swings his arm like crazy!

If I can vent my problem, I'm 6'2 165 lbs (Yea pretty skinny) I've begun to fill out more recently. My height comes from my legs, when sitting, I'm about as tall as my dad who's 5'8. Basically, I'm supposed to have the upper hand on skating because of my longer legs, but it just makes my stride worse. I do squats and deadlifts twice a week, because with long legs its actually so much tougher to get those knees bent and ass out. Anyone got tips on drills to improve the stride of someone like me with weaker legs? Sometimes it sucks being tall.

this is true

Ovechkin doesn't recovery his strides at all

Haha, funny.