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Posted by on Sep 22, 2013 in COACH'S CORNER |

The Slingshot Pass

The Slingshot Pass

By Sue Ellis, Olympic Medallist & US National Head Coach Passing, especially at high speeds is a very difficult skill that requires planning, intuition, timing, power, and technique. There are so many different types of passes on can use, and so many different situations to use them in. The January 06 tip featured the inside pass, and the February 06 tip featured the outside pass. If you haven’t read them I would suggest you do so now as the articles explain the basics of passing. The slingshot pass is a highly effective pass because of the whip or slingshot effect you feel in your speed on the exit. On a normal track you punch through centrifugal force between the apex block and block 6. By going deeper down the track and wider you are able to punch through centrifugal force before the apex block allowing you to gain even more speed on the exit as you are no longer fighting centrifugal force by that...

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Posted by on Sep 22, 2013 in COACH'S CORNER |

Taking Care of the Little Things

Taking Care of the Little Things

By Sue Ellis, Olympic Medallist & US National Head Coach I am often asked by athletes what they can do to improve, and often the answer comes down to one simple little thing. But then the athlete will say, “Yes coach, but what else can I do to improve?” And the answer is – nothing until you take  care of that one simple thing first. Seemingly simple things such as an incorrect arm swing can make so much difference in the athletes ability to use the core to apply pressure, prevent rotations, carry the hips forward, etc. And those things can’t be properly assessed until the arm swing is correct. And many times just correcting the arm swing corrects a multitude of other problems that stemmed from the incorrect arm swing. A simple thing like keeping the eyes up can have a major effect in body position and the ability to bring the hips under, apply pressure, keep the pushing going in the right direction, trajectory in to and out...

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Posted by on Sep 21, 2013 in COACH'S CORNER |

Training for Starts – The First Push

Training for Starts – The First Push

By Sue Ellis, Olympic Medallist & US National Head Coach Ah, the elusive fast start! You want it, you practice and practice, but it just isn’t  getting better. Yes, there is hope! The three main components of a fast start are: 1) TECHNIQUE 2) POWER 3) SPEED OF MOVEMENT Having good speed of movement without power and technique means you’ll be spinning your wheels on the line. You may be the strongest person on the line, and that won’t guarantee you get there first if the movements aren’t efficient enough to use your power. You may have great technique, but if you don’t move through the sequence of motion fast enough, you’ll be left behind too.  To develop a great start you need all 3 components – Technique, Power, and Speed of Movement – training the Technique first, then introducing Power, and then finally Speed of Movement. Training starting technique and power is often very difficult to do on the ice because it is hard to slow down the movements enough...

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