If you look at the photos of Jason Zucker, you will notice his stride is practically perfect. These were also taken during the summer, so for technique to look this good, this early, it’s pretty impressive. While looking at the pictures, it should give you a better understanding of the three main elements that go into a stride: the load, the push and the extension. Although there is more that goes into a stride than that, I would like to revisit these three main components.  

The loading phase comes from loading all of your power with a bent knee on one leg. Similar to a one-legged squat jump or using a Russian box, power must be stored on the leg that is ready to push. The more power loaded, the more power that will be transferred to the push.  

In the first photo of Jason, you will notice how all of his power is loaded onto one leg. His power is ready to provide downward force into the ice. The key is to make sure your legs/skates are underneath you so you can generate power. You have to be able to “get on top” of your skates so you can really prepare to push hard against the ice.

After loading, the skater will then grip and push on an edge outwards, remembering that downward force creates speed. This means that the more the skater pushes against the ice, the more powerful the stride will be. Notice how in the second picture the push goes out to the side forcing the body to travel forward. 

This is sometimes commonly misunderstood because it looks like the skate is being pushed back, but is actually being pushed out on his inside edge. The skate will naturally go back on its own right before the return. 

Another common mistake on the push is not fully extending the leg all the way out. Some skaters cheat themselves out of being more efficient by picking the skate up too soon or getting a high leg-kick.  

The last component is the extension. Keeping your skate on the ice throughout the entire push will help make sure you get to full extension. In the third photo, you will  notice how he is not cheating himself by cutting his extension short. The extension is key and is much like a follow-through on a golf swing or when throwing a ball. It is the key to finishing this skill and finishing your stride. 

The technique can be improved on the ice, but the power and strength of each push can definitely be strengthened off-ice. You have to get your technique sound and then really have something to push with. This is why NHL players have such big, powerful legs as you can see Sidney Crosby clearly does in the fourth photo. Plyos and strength training are great ways to improve power, which in turn will help in having a more explosive, complete stride.  

Good luck and keep working.

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.