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STOPPING
Stops and Starts are the most explosive part of the
game and will take a player to the next level if done properly. Once
again, Balance & Agility are the cornerstones to stopping and
starting efficiently and to be able to get back in the play quickly.
A good hockey stop is a must have for all hockey players as the game
can change in an instant. Nine times out of ten a player utilizes
a stop to change direction which is why it is so important to master
these skills. A quality first step starts with a player getting low,
setting a solid base with wide feet, and a low center of gravity.
This is important as hockey is a contact game and a player may be
hit and forced to the ice at any time in the game, even when stopping.
If you stop with your feet close together the chance of you getting
knocked over are pretty good, and fairly easy to accomplish, and
the chances of winning an important battle are pretty slim.
Ensuring a player understands the fundamentals and edges involved
in proper hockey stop is important as this will help them choose
the appropriate stop for the situation at hand and to help them better
control the stop. A players lead foot must be on the inside edge
and their trail foot must be on the outside edge. The trail foot
is often forgotten at all levels of skating and is so important to
completing the correct hockey stop. The trail foot on the outside
edge will follow the lead foot and stay opened in the opposite direction
setting a player up for a better stop and go in the opposite direction.
It is important for each player to have proper knee bend to be more
explosive and powerful in every skating move you do in hockey, especially
stops and starts. This is why staggered feet and knee bend are so
important as they create a more explosive start by lengthening the
stride, creating more power, and increase ones balance and agility
at the point of attack. If a skaters’ skate chatters while
stopping they do not have their skate angled properly on the ice.
It is important for the skater to ‘sell-out’ that boot
while stopping to attain the proper angle to the ice and edge control
during the stop.
To teach a proper stopping technique a coach must first focus on
the technique, in BOTH directions, and then have each player practice
this stop hundreds of time. Once a player masters the technique,
it then comes down to a comfort level issue. And let’s be honest,
stopping on a pair of skates is not a natural thing. It often times
feels very weird and uncomfortable, and some people may feel a lack
of trust in the boot and/or edge to properly hold them during the
executed stop. Reinforce their proper techniques and let them do
a couple hundred stops until they feel safe.
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