Beware of Some Foolish Training Devices
No problem with watching that again (or several times), because I’d like every single eyeball to be in agreement with me: that the skates thrust outward on the straight-aways, and the arms and shoulders move in equal and opposite reactions, or from side to side.
One side note… It’s especially noticeable that the last skater pumps his arms forward and backward on the take-off, and that’s true of all elite skaters. In other words, only in the beginning is a hockey player moving much like a runner, but after anywhere from one to three strides, the accomplished hockey player shifts into “skating mode”, or thrusting outward while pumping the arms from side to side.
Here’s an even better view, as one of the NHL’ fastest skaters flies straight towards the camera…
A funny thing, perhaps, is that most hockey folks believe in the slideboard, and a good many would also go along with strengthening the stride by jumping from side to side.
Okay, now one of my biggest fears is that non-scientific folks awe inexperienced players, parents and coaches with things that may seem exciting, but really aren’t. And that can be true of devices that are based on the belief that hockey skaters primarily thrust backward — at a 45-degree angle — while pumping their arms forward and backward.
Now, let me tell you how a crazy idea like that so often comes about… As I suggested already, a good many ideas like I’m about to describe originate when a very non-scientific individual trusts his or her eyes for what’s taking place in a given hockey movement. In the case of the basic hockey skating movement, they seem to only notice that each skate trails backwards on a thrust. But, that’s exactly what happens: The skate thrusts outward as the player shoots forward from that outward thrust, then that skate quite obviously trails back a ways, until it’s ready to come up and around to support the skater.
Anyway, it’s from that kind of faulty observation that the inventor of a gadget like that shown above arrives at the belief that a hockey player thrusts backward at a 45-degree angle. Worse yet, some unknowing hockey folks get all excited at using such a device. Thus a new wives’ tale begins. And, it’s likely to be years before the truth gets out and around.
There are a number of scientific papers published by PhDs, and none is better than the following. It’s not necessarily an easy read, but it is as scientific and as true as they come…
Arm Action in Hockey Skating- Is It Being Taught Incorrectly?
Marion Alexander, PhD, Julie Hayward, BKin, Carolyn Taylor, MSc
Sport Biomechanics Laboratory, University of Manitoba, copyright, 2010
Please let me end by saying it all in another way, warning everyone in our game to be careful about trusting every device that comes along. Oh, it can be shiny and exciting, but beware of the foolish gadgets, and beware of perpetuating something that might continue to hurt players for many years to come.
