What allows McDavid to skate so much faster than his peers?

[hotcabbagesoup]

He's nuts.

Is it his technique? Leg strength? Leverage? Diet?

Click to read more...

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Genetics, sprinkled in with loving the game which allows him to develop and take full advantage of those unique gifts. The elite athletes, especially when talking about distinct physical advantages, are simply built different than normal human beings.

 

[Fanned On It]

He's nuts.

Is it his technique? Leg strength? Leverage? Diet?

All of the above PLUS training at an extremely high level from a young age. Like... training way more and way harder than his peers. And not just strength training... technique as well.

There might be some genetics involved but I don't think they are the MAIN reason for his advantage.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Why he is so fast isn’t a big mystery - he is a freak at doing linear crossovers which makes it a nightmare to defend him compared to conventional skating.

He can bang out like 14-18 linears on a rush when most players can do half that.

Why he does it better than anyone to ever play is I assume a combination of leg strength, mobility, training and genetics.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

One of those sports physics shows really ought to do some sort of analysis on it. I think everyone has wondered this.

Not trying to get into a debate as to who is “the greatest”, but I can’t recall a player making everyone else look like junior players in my lifetime the way McDavid does on a near nightly basis in terms of skating. The only player (not in my lifetime) I can say did similar was Bobby Orr.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Why he is so fast isn’t a big mystery - he is a freak at doing linear crossovers which makes it a nightmare to defend him compared to conventional skating.

He can bang out like 14-18 linears on a rush when most players can do half that.

Why he does it better than anyone to ever play is I assume a combination of leg strength, mobility, training and genetics.

I totally agree, but he's also straight-line faster than anyone else I can remember. Last night's OT shift was an example where he started shoulder-to-shoulder with a defender and gained like 10 feet from blueline to blueline.

I suspect that if we could access the specs of his brain, we would find that he has some really incredible perceptive abilities. Things like incredibly fine-tuned motor coordination and a top-tier sense of balance, which would feed into the ability to get the absolute most out of his edges on every stride.

I assume he also has insane core strength. Like really insane.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I totally agree, but he's also straight-line faster than anyone else I can remember. Last night's OT shift was an example where he started shoulder-to-shoulder with a defender and gained like 10 feet from blueline to blueline.

I suspect that if we could access the specs of his brain, we would find that he has some really incredible perceptive abilities. Things like incredibly fine-tuned motor coordination and a top-tier sense of balance, which would feed into the ability to get the absolute most out of his edges on every stride.

I assume he also has insane core strength. Like really insane.

Ya his straight line speed is video game stuff.

His linears are what makes him so lethal though, because they allow him to stickhandle the puck while he’s gaining speed, and instantly change directions while forcing defenders to try and mirror him.

If they did some kind of study on McDavid, I’m 100% sure they would find he has legendary skating power, which is basically the ability to time his strength perfectly.

Lots of people mix up strength and power, but they are different things.

His power has to be off the charts like no one in this league has ever had.

 

[hamzarocks]

Hes not fast your just slow

- whoever is Mcdavid's number 1 hater

 

[VainGretzky]

All of the above PLUS training at an extremely high level from a young age. Like... training way more and way harder than his peers. And not just strength training... technique as well.

There might be some genetics involved but I don't think they are the MAIN reason for his advantage.

So true sprinters in the Olympics are not just born and run 100 m in under 10 seconds without training extremely long hours and chopping off 1000th of a second per week for years before they can achieve it. McDavid like Gretzky lived and breathed hockey as a child. Gretzky trained with pylons at
a young age over and over why he was so elusive with his dekes and his angle cuts was sublime. McDavid set out at a very young age to accomplish what he wanted to achieve in the NHL, he has hit them all but 2 1000 points and a cup are the two that are left.

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

I remember thinking the same thing watching Paul Kariya with the Ducks.

Obviously, you can't compare the two, but guys like that make it look so flawless..

 

[silkyjohnson50]

So true sprinters in the Olympics are not just born and run 100 m in under 10 seconds without training extremely long hours and chopping off 1000th of a second per week for years before they can achieve it. McDavid like Gretzky lived and breathed hockey as a child. Gretzky trained with pylons at
a young age over and over why he was so elusive with his dekes and his angle cuts was sublime. McDavid set out at a very young age to accomplish what he wanted to achieve in the NHL, he has hit them all but 2 1000 points and a cup are the two that are left.

You could give 1000 random newborns an identical upbringing as McDavid and you’re not getting another McDavid.

Training and practice is obviously necessary to take advantage of and develop the skills, but without the genetic disposition it can only take one so far. I promise you that Gretzky and McDavid weren’t the only two who lived and breathed hockey since birth.

But likewise, there are people out there who have the genes to develop into something special, but lack the training, practice, desire, etc. to do anything with it.

We as fans get lucky when both come together and that genetic freak just so happens to be passionate (borderline obsessed) about the sport and has the type of upbringing that allows them realize that potential.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Ya I remember reading how Mcdavid’s mom said he would be bewildered/angry in Pee Wee when kids would talk about video games and such on the bench during games.

He thought they should be talking about strategy and what they were seeing out there, etc.

Kind of like how Gretzky would watch HNIC and map out where the puck would go so he could find patterns.

 

[JoeSakic13]

He's nuts.

Is it his technique? Leg strength? Leverage? Diet?

No, you got it right off the bat.

It’s his nuts.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

No, you got it right off the bat.

It’s his nuts.

Like, aerodynamically?

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

DRS

 

[Laodongxi]

This video explains some of the things McDavid is doing that is a game changer if you're not aware of it already. It's "aggressive" heel pressure and forward shin angle combined with a wide stance. He talks about arm and shoulder rotation and hip rotation in other videos which is also crucial. Heel pressure and shin angle applies to all situations, including linear crossovers or "cross-unders" which is a better term because that is where the real force is coming from and it is also driving through from the heel. The control and power you get on the ice from aggressive heel pressure and forward shin angle is really astonishing. Give it a try. It changes everything. Even the sound. You'll be ripping up the ice, effortlessly.

 

[ryan callahan]

I don't believe he's that much faster than everyone else. His credentials let him get away with an insane amount of floating (and rightfully so because he has proven times and times that he is splendid at his role). No effort in D zone = More energy on the counter.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Genetics and skill

I don't believe he's that much faster than everyone else. His credentials let him get away with an insane amount of floating (and rightfully so because he has proven times and times that he is splendid at his role). No effort in D zone = More energy on the counter.

lol....trash take

 

[McFlash97]

I don't believe he's that much faster than everyone else. His credentials let him get away with an insane amount of floating (and rightfully so because he has proven times and times that he is splendid at his role). No effort in D zone = More energy on the counter.

McDavid is not only fast. He is quick. He is efficient. Doesn't waste energy grinding through the ice. Your right He does float. Float on the ice like no one. Barely touching the ice. Got to love some of these fans man. So out of touch.

 

[JackSlater]

Ya I remember reading how Mcdavid’s mom said he would be bewildered/angry in Pee Wee when kids would talk about video games and such on the bench during games.

He thought they should be talking about strategy and what they were seeing out there, etc.

Kind of like how Gretzky would watch HNIC and map out where the puck would go so he could find patterns.

There was an article not that long ago that referenced how when McDavid was growing up teammates would bust his balls because he didn't look athletic enough to do the things he does. I'd imagine that he is deceptively strong but also has some intuitive understanding that allows him to process what is happening on the ice a bit faster than everyone else.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

There was an article not that long ago that referenced how when McDavid was growing up teammates would bust his balls because he didn't look athletic enough to do the things he does. I'd imagine that he is deceptively strong but also has some intuitive understanding that allows him to process what is happening on the ice a bit faster than everyone else.

Ya that’s why I’m fairly certain it’s his power and not his strength that makes him so remarkable.

A guy like Kasper Bjorkqvist pretty much would lift McDavid under the table on squats and deadlifts, but McDavids power is why he’s video game cheat mode fast.

A lot of that power I’m sure comes from training, but there has to be a genetic part in play that no one else has taken advantage of like him.

His IQ has to be up there with the all time greats as well, especially making plays at that kind of insane speed.

 

[Sky04]

For a guy his size to have the acceleration he does is crazy, usually you either have really good top speed with strong but slower strides and or fast acceleration with quick feet, he has both.

 

[Mrb1p]

There's some people that are just genetically predisposed for some things. McDavid is fast, what makes him great is that his hands are just as fast and his perception is also crazy fast.

We've seen players just stand above everyone else before, Crosby and Gretzkys mind, Lemieux and Lindros's physical tools, Ovi shot and Orr and McDavids speed. The first two are harder to recognize, I reckon, and that's why we hear a lot of people say that McDavid and Lemieux are the most impressive players they've seen. It is tangible, this guy goes faster than the other.

A combination of passion, genetics and work ethic made these guys who they are.

McDavid isn't really "faster" physically than the really fast player we've seen before. Think Barzal, Larkin, Mackinnon, Cournoyer, Bure, Gartner, etc. There's a physical cap on how fast a human can be. (In running it's 4.20 seconds on a 40 yards dash, you can assume something a tad slower on the ice, I guess ?) What we can't really measure though is how McDavid can play at the speed he plays.

TL;DR: I don't think McDavid is that much faster than the fastest skaters in the history (Technology, nutrition and technique not included.), I think he's better at it than the fastest evers though, and he learned to apply this with great results.

Fast people are going to be fast. I ran a 4.64 40 yards dash as a 5'11/220 Lbs teenager after training very little, my friend Hakim ran a 4.4 and he wasn't an overly sporty guy, we were just good in all sports because we were athletic. McDavid is the same, if he was a slacker like me, he could brag about the sub 5 40 he ran when he was 17 in football camp. Note that not unlike me, McDavid has long ass legs, thats a great factor in speed, just like Usain Bolt too.

You can’t teach speed: sprinters falsify the deliberate practice model of expertise

This article is a good read on speed.

Experts are born, then made: Combining prospective and retrospective longitudinal data shows that cognitive ability matters

Does cognitive ability matter in the development of expertise in educational and occupational domains? Study 1 reviewed prospective longitudinal data …

www.sciencedirect.com

This is more general but also a very good read on "experts"

 

[WarriorofTime]

What allowed Usain Bolt to run faster, Michael Phelps to swim faster, etc. etc. etc.

He's just better. Simple as that.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

There's some people that are just genetically predisposed for some things. McDavid is fast, what makes him great is that his hands are just as fast and his perception is also crazy fast.

We've seen players just stand above everyone else before, Crosby and Gretzkys mind, Lemieux and Lindros's physical tools, Ovi shot and Orr and McDavids speed. The first two are harder to recognize, I reckon, and that's why we hear a lot of people say that McDavid and Lemieux are the most impressive players they've seen. It is tangible, this guy goes faster than the other.

A combination of passion, genetics and work ethic made these guys who they are.

McDavid isn't really "faster" physically than the really fast player we've seen before. Think Barzal, Larkin, Mackinnon, Cournoyer, Bure, Gartner, etc. There's a physical cap on how fast a human can be. (In running it's 4.20 seconds on a 40 yards dash, you can assume something a tad slower on the ice, I guess ?) What we can't really measure though is how McDavid can play at the speed he plays.

TL;DR: I don't think McDavid is that much faster than the fastest skaters in the history (Technology, nutrition and technique not included.), I think he's better at it than the fastest evers though, and he learned to apply this with great results.

Fast people are going to be fast. I ran a 4.64 40 yards dash as a 5'11/220 Lbs teenager after training very little, my friend Hakim ran a 4.4 and he wasn't an overly sporty guy, we were just good in all sports because we were athletic. McDavid is the same, if he was a slacker like me, he could brag about the sub 5 40 he ran when he was 17 in football camp. Note that not unlike me, McDavid has long ass legs, thats a great factor in speed, just like Usain Bolt too.

You can’t teach speed: sprinters falsify the deliberate practice model of expertise

This article is a good read on speed.

Experts are born, then made: Combining prospective and retrospective longitudinal data shows that cognitive ability matters

Does cognitive ability matter in the development of expertise in educational and occupational domains? Study 1 reviewed prospective longitudinal data …

www.sciencedirect.com

This is more general but also a very good read on "experts"

If you train for speed properly, you will definitely get faster.

But you will be a faster version of yourself pre-training, not McDavid freak speed in almost every case.

For hockey there are too many variables involved to fully understand it. How much of Mcdavids power was trainable and how much was genetics?

His stride length, recovery, skating stance etc are even more factors.

If he didn’t do mobility training would he still get low enough to be this explosive?

If you take away an aspect of his training when he was younger, maybe he would still be this fast, it’s hard to know.

“Anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of a certain athletic capacity could be determined by your genetic inheritance” - Farshid Guilak

That suggest to me that McDavid has rare genetics, but without the training he wouldn’t be this crazy fast.