For many years, skating schools have been teaching the same principle of skaters having to push sideways, similarly to riding a scooter. New voices speak about the need to give up this obsolete habit that doesn’t provide the anticipated rate of success and efficiency and instead focus on doing all the pushing with the help of the supporting foot.
Tips For Quitting The Bad Habit
While you might have been used to relying on the supporting foot for carrying the weight of your body and your other foot to push to the side, it might be time to change your thinking and skating habits. If you want to improve your skills, win more contests or simply learn a new skating skill, you might want to pay attention to the following lines.
- Try to lose the old scooting reflex that makes you push to the side when skating. It is not as efficient as you might think.
- Try to use the weight of the supporting foot when doing the pushing. It might take a while to get used to it, especially if you have been skating for many years.
- When you need to push in a straight line, you will need to push with both feet on the ground, then use the foot supporting your body weight to push and bend your knees for better effects. Use a partner to practice towing and start speeding instead of pushing. Next, put the weight of your body on one foot and push sideways. Let your partner counter your power and switch so that your partner is towed by you, responsible for doing the drill.
Use Your Ankles For An Extra Boost Of Power
Make sure you properly mobilize your ankle and carefully control it to obtain a powerful push. Unless your ankles are toned, you may risk losing most of the energy in the pushing process. Remember your main goal here is to manage to send as much of the power of your push to the ground so you can fully benefit from the action-reaction principle in physics.
In order to obtain an even higher degree of efficiency, you should make sure that the foot that supports your weight will be the one exerting the push. Learn how to make your inside foot propel you at a higher speed. In order to cross over, your inside foot will need to push under the outside foot. Practice drilling while keeping your feet on the ground and make sure you manage to improve your technique so your cross-over can be done faster.
Rest Between Practices For Better Results
Like any other athlete practicing a performance sport, or a newbie trying to improve their skills, you will need to focus on getting enough rest after each practice or competition. In order to achieve the high-level performance you are striving to reach, you should avoid training in excess. Also, never taking time off for yourself is another common mistake.
Do the activities that relax you the most, just make sure they are outside the field of speed skating. So not feel guilty for taking some time off; your body needs time to rest, recover and repair itself. If you like to play poker or slots, you can check out the Australia Casino site and indulge yourself in a relaxing gameplay session. It doesn’t even have to be for real money, as most of the casinos the platform recommends offer their games in practice mode to get better acquainted with them. Test a few games around or go swimming, get a massage, do some yoga or learn how to do deep breathing exercises. You will not only feel more relaxed, but you should also get rid of some of the stress that has involuntarily captured your being. A relaxed body will help your mind see things clearer and help you learn new skating techniques and secrets with more ease.
Remember there is even an overtraining syndrome that athletes have a hard time recovering from, so do not ignore or downplay the importance of rest days. Get the extra energy your body needs to restore itself and you should notice a significant improvement in your overall performance. If you are experiencing any feelings of depression or staleness, they might be the direct effect of a lack of sufficient and proper rest time. Also, your sports performance may drop and you might blame it on something else. Get enough rest and feed yourself the right nutrients and you should soon start reaping the results.