Crossovers are used in many ways – for lateral movement, in a running motion to accelerate, with shoulders facing in, with shoulders facing out, from a side start, from a back start, and when exploding in and out of turns. Fast powerful crossovers are essential for all players.
With all the above uses you can imagine how important edges are! All eight edges must be strong and used effectively.
The upper body is very important – core strength, posture and balance must be perfect.
What is Counter Balance?
The lower body leans with deep edges and deep knee bend. To counter balance this lean the upper body must balance directly over the skates (the centre of gravity). The skater “counter leans” with the upper body, keeping the shoulders level or even the inside shoulder slightly higher than the outside shoulder. We work on this posture a lot in our camps.
If you make the mistake of leaning in with your upper body it is easy to lose balance, lose an edge, or be knocked over. Also, you cannot move laterally if you dip a shoulder because you get “stuck” going in the direction that you are leaning.
It takes many years of training and practice to master balance on all eight edges!
The 8 edges of the skate blades are:
Right and Left Forward Inside
Right and Left Forward Outside
Right and Left Back Inside
Right and Left Back Outside
