I began play hockey at the early age of 6. I actually began ice skating two years earlier. Ice skating always came naturally to me so I never really thought about everything that goes into properly skating. I never thought about technique or power, two very important things when it comes to ice skating.  Hockey players accelerate by using the edge of their blades to dig into the ice. Using your edges while turning really helps one “grip” the ice and create traction on a slippery surface. However, all hockey isn’t played by using your edges. Hockey players don’t constantly accelerate so to be able to keep up their speed and the low friction of the skate blade with the ice allows players to glide at high speeds across the surface.

One actually performs the act of skating by pushing off the ice perpendicularly from their skate blade. This propels the players forward. If the player wants to accelerate faster he/she then pushes off the ice with a greater angle.

Aside from going forward, skating backwards is vital to playing hockey. Backwards skating is a vital skill to have especially as a defenseman. A defenseman will skate backwards while defending against forwards who are on the attack. As the opposing forward  gets the puck the defense will then accelerate forward, after a few steps he will transition to backwards skating. To keep up his/her speed the defenseman will move his skates in “S” shapes. The “S” shaped pattern requires the defenseman to push off the ice at the top of the “S” shaped pattern.

After a certain point the skater can no longer travel any faster no matter how much force he/she tries to exert. The speed of the player depends on his/her strength and the speed they can move their feet.

Even though I spent 12 years of my life playing hockey without thinking about the scientific part of the game I’ve realized the importance it has to the game. Without the science of hockey players wouldn’t be able to improve on their skating to a point that would make them the best they can be.

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