IS THIS ANOTHER WAY TO GET DISTANCE ON THE ICE?

[FSWer]

Hi everyone. Since you've all have given me good advice for my skating...I was wondering if spreading your legs apart on the ice while gliding is indeed another way to get distance? Does anyone know? Thanks.

 

[gkelly]

The way to get good distance on the ice is to get a good push, good stroking, whatever is the best technique for the particular kind of stroking you're doing.

If you're doing swizzles, you will need to spread your feet apart on the ice and then bring them together, because that's the way that particular kind of stroking works. It makes a pattern like this on the ice:
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If you're doing wiggles, also called slaloms, another kind of two-foot stroking, with both feet going in the same direction at the same time, then you'll get better power if you keep your feet closer together. That makes a pattern like this:

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There's also something called half swizzles that's kind of like a cross between those two techniques. Check with your coach about what you're doing and what technique they recommend to do it efficiently.

 

[purple skates]

@gkelly has given really good advice.

 

[overedge]

@gkelly has explained this very well. Also, in a swizzle, when you push your feet apart, don't push them too far apart. You are trying to use the energy from the push to move forward. If you push your feet too far apart, you will use a lot of energy pulling your feet back in, instead of using the energy to glide forward.

 

[Clarice]

I like what everyone has said here. I'm going to add that to get a long glide it helps to have good posture. Keep your head over your feet and don't lean forwards. Pretend you have a tail and let it hang straight down towards the ice. It shouldn't stick out behind you, and it shouldn't tuck under like a sick dog. Keep your eyes up and look where you're going, not down at the ice.

 

[FSWer]

The way to get good distance on the ice is to get a good push, good stroking, whatever is the best technique for the particular kind of stroking you're doing.

If you're doing swizzles, you will need to spread your feet apart on the ice and then bring them together, because that's the way that particular kind of stroking works. It makes a pattern like this on the ice:
( )
)(
( )
)(
( )
)(

If you're doing wiggles, also called slaloms, another kind of two-foot stroking, with both feet going in the same direction at the same time, then you'll get better power if you keep your feet closer together. That makes a pattern like this:

))
((
))
((
))
((

There's also something called half swizzles that's kind of like a cross between those two techniques. Check with your coach about what you're doing and what technique they recommend to do it efficiently.

Thank you Kelly...you've helped me out a lot.