My skating has improved, still need to work on stopping. I made a great hockey stop once when me and another guy almost collided- but when I try to practice it I can't seem to get it, I stop but it's not always pretty.
Well, stopping needs to be learned in a progression. You just can't get on and turn sideways. You have to understand the mechanics and how to shift your weight during the stop. If you don't learn how to shift it correctly, it will seem like you are trying to stop and a dime and at this stage of the game, it impossible.
So here is the progression in stopping......
Now, before we start, understand this. Each blade is made up into 9 main sections. The are as follows: Front of the blade, Middle of the Blade, Back of the while balancing in the blades.
Then you have an inside edge of the blade that's made up the same: front inside edge, middle inside edge, back inside edge. Then you have an out edge of the blade that is made up the same
First, you have to go over to the boards and place your hand on the boards for balance. Then you are going to bend both knees so that the weight is even on both skates...kind of like a hockey position.
Now, once you at this point, you want to transfer ALL of that body weight to your left skate. To learn how to do this, I want you to pick up one leg and told it off the ice and count how long you can balance. At first, it will be about 3 second or so, then once you get the hang of it, it should take you about 8 to 10 seconds on one leg. Then do this to the other leg.
Remember we are just working on balance which you will need to stop. Now, once you have that 10 sec down pat on both legs, I want you to transfer all of your weight again on the left skate.
Then with your right skate only, because there is no weight on this skate, I just want you to take off a little layer of ice by have the right leg extended just a little more then the left bent knee and use the middle of your inside edge to shave the ice.
Then, I want you to start to transfer the weight from the left leg to the right skate...very slowly. As you transfer this weight, you will gradually shave that top layer off. If you do this correctly, you will shave off a fine layer of ice, but if you do this incorrectly, you skate will act like it is trying to stop in little moguls. If you transfer the weight to fast, your inside edge will dig hard into the ice and you will not be able to shave that ice. Now make sure you can do it on both legs...not just one and keep doing this until that scrapping is nice and smooth.
Now, one of the main properties of stopping is this so called shaving of the ice when you stop. When you stop, you have to allow the skate to shave the ice when you stop. If you don't allow this shaving, again you are going to fall.
So, the next thing you are going to do is what's known as a Snow Plow stop. To do this effectively, you must be positioned in a hockey stance. Then, with the weight on both blade, I need you to shift the weight to the back 1/3 section of the skates. Because your skates have a rocker, by just picking up your toes just a little, will allow that weight to shift to the back 1/3 of the blade.
Now, once the weight is on the back 1/3 (center blade) The shift will allow you to keep you heels weight towards the back and allow you to shift the weight to the back inside edge.
Now, this next thing is a multi-functional evolution that you will need to do and you will use this technique from now on when you stop.
Now that the weight is on the back 1/3 of the blade, at the same time...you need to shift the weight to the inside back 1/3 of the blade. To do this, you kind of need to leave your skates where they are at and allow your knees to come together...just a little, this will allow that weight to shift to the inside edge.
The next thing you need to do at the same time, is turn the front end of your skate point 3 or 4 degrees toward the center. No, I didn't say together, I said in the director towards the center.
Now, here's the hard part. You have the weight shifted to the back inside edge and you are moving your toes toward a center line by 3 degrees. At this moment, I need you to picture in your mind what you would look like if you were riding a bike and the hand brakes went out and you are on a downward incline with your feet on the ground to stop you. You would use more weight on your heels then on your toes...right?
Ok, so that the same time, I want you to keep the weight shifted toward the back and that the same time, push outwards like you are going to stop and just at this point, you need to shift the weight from the back of the blades to the inside middle of the blades. This will give you balance. The only reason why you had the weight shifted towards the back was ONLY to allow you to move those toes towards that center line by 3 degrees and that's it.
Now, you should be able to stop in a Snow Plow. The once you understand how to do this correctly, you can stop. How, you are saying? You just learned the weight technique it takes to stop.
So, let say you want to stop in the left direction. Balance goes all of the left leg, with the skate in the coasting mode, you turn that right skate ONLY but 3, then 5, then 10, then 20,30,40 50...90 degrees towards center. Once you get to about 20 degrees, the left skate will gradually start to follow the direction of the right skate....allow this to happen. But all of they weight is still on the left leg and you are gradually shift more weight to the right skate as it moves towards 90 degrees.
If you shift that weight to fast, the right skate will not shave and you will only turn. Make sure that you keep the weight on the left skate and gradually transfer the weight to the right skate a little bit at a time. Once you get this down, you will no longer need to use the left leg to balance with.
At that point, when you are stopping with both skates, then it's time to teach you how to stop on one leg on both inside and outside edges on each leg.
Hope this helped.
Head coach
