By always focusing on what our lower body is doing when we skate, we sometimes forget about our upper body. A skater’s upper body is so crucial when talking about skating in general. Whether moving forward or backward, or moving laterally, your upper body and stick positioning will either help or hinder how efficiently you can move. 

When teaching skating, we always use the analogy of riding a bike. In order to turn, you need to turn your handlebars and lean in the direction you would like to go. The same principles apply for skating. You rotate your stick, shoulders and head, and then lean on your edges. We try to keep the movements as simple and as efficient as possible. 

The next time you are on the ice, you can try this. Take a couple of strides, glide forward and turn your shoulders. Once your shoulders rotate, you will notice the rest of your body will easily follow behind. The difficulty becomes when young skaters try to turn left and their shoulders are facing right. The turn then becomes extremely difficult to execute when you have one part of your body going in one direction and one part going in the opposite direction.

When looking at stick positioning, look at the above photos of New Jersey Devils forward Travis Zajac. It is important to notice where his stick is when going to his forehand as opposed to going to his backhand. Notice the common theme is still that his trunk is rotated. Also, notice that he is not in a “puck protection position.” He is skating without a puck (as skaters typically skate without the puck the majority of their shift) which makes the upper body rotation that much more important.

Notice in the below photo that I am performing a power turn. Again, notice how the stick, shoulders and head are rotated. Remember, when you are turning, you are going to look where you are going and not where you currently are. This is important to remember on all turns, crossovers or anything done laterally. If you look to the ice you’re taking, you can see what’s in front of you, especially if it’s a defenseman ready to lay a body check. That’s definitely something you want to see coming.  

I will also be discussing upper body movement in conjunction with a forward stride and backward skating in future articles, so stay tuned. Remember that stick and upper body positioning will greatly either help or hinder a skater’s balance. Skating 101 makes it very simple: Rotate the body in the direction you are going and you will be in good shape. Good luck.

Andy Ness is the head skating and skill coach for the Minnesota Wild. He has also been an assistant skating instructor for the New Jersey Devils, the University of Minnesota men’s and women’s hockey teams and the U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team.