Why Some Players’ Skating Never “Grows Up”

23 Jun Why Some Players’ Skating Never “Grows Up”

One of the most consistent patterns I’ve seen over 30+ years of teaching elite power skating in the GTA is that many players never fully transition their skating from “survival mode” into true performance skating.
Early on, new skaters are simply trying not to fall.
That stage is completely normal. At that level, skating is reactive. Movements are quick, choppy, and often overly cautious. Players use short, rapid steps just to stay upright—what I often describe as a kind of “on-ice doggy paddle.”
The problem is that many players never outgrow that stage.
The Transition Most Players Never Fully Make
As players get older and stronger, especially moving toward their draft years, skating must evolve.
At that point, skating is no longer about balance and survival—it has to become about power production, efficiency, and separation from opponents.
The key transition is this:
From skating to not fall → to skating to produce force
Players who fail to make that shift tend to stay stuck in inefficient movement patterns that limit their long-term development.
The Core Issue: Lack of Edge Confidence
In my experience working with elite players through private power skating lessons in the GTA, the issue is almost always the same:
The player is not confident enough on their edges to allow movements to finish.
When a skater is unsure, they rush everything:
Strides become short
Crossovers become choppy
Recovery is premature
Weight shifts are unstable
Instead of committing to a full edge and letting force develop into the ice, they cut movements short to stay “safe.”
That safety mindset is what keeps skating from evolving.
Example: An OHL Draft Player
I worked with a player one summer who had just been drafted to the OHL.
On paper, he was an elite athlete. Strong, fast, and highly skilled.
But his crossover mechanics were inefficient.
He would take what should have been one powerful crossover and break it into two or three smaller, choppy movements. Instead of generating force through one full cycle, he was constantly resetting his feet.
Three crossovers where one should have existed.
The issue wasn’t effort. It was timing and confidence on the ice.
He was removing his non-driving leg too early, which disrupted the ability of the working leg to fully finish force into the ice.
The Analogy That Changed Everything
I explained it to him using a simple image:
It’s like a swimmer pulling one arm out of the water too early while the other arm is still trying to push water past the body.
The result is instant panic mechanics—what I call “doggy paddle energy.”
Everything becomes rushed, disconnected, and inefficient.
The Technical Fix: Allow the Skate to Finish
The correction wasn’t about telling him to “try harder” or “move faster.”
It was about changing timing and structure.
We focused on:
Hinging the knee upward during crossovers instead of leaving the leg straight
Allowing the pushing skate to fully finish its contact with the ice
Keeping the non-driving leg off the ice longer
Letting force fully transfer before recovery begins
Once the player stopped rushing the recovery phase, the stride immediately became longer, cleaner, and more powerful.
What Actually Changes Skating Long-Term
When players finally break out of the “don’t fall” stage and learn to trust their edges, three major things happen:
Movements become longer and more efficient
Power transfer increases dramatically
Speed becomes sustainable instead of chaotic
The biggest change is not physical strength—it’s confidence in edge control.
Final Thought
After decades of working with elite players, one pattern remains consistent:
Players don’t usually fail to improve because they lack ability.
They plateau because they never fully transition from survival skating to performance skating.
Once that shift happens, skating stops looking rushed—and starts looking intentional, powerful, and controlled.
Send topic #3 when ready. If you keep going like this, you’ll quickly have a full cluster of SEO pages that can actually compete with those big GTA programs.