Hockey Stops

Hi everybody. I am having trouble learning the hockey stop. I can get the foot that ends up being in the front turned in the correct position but the back foot I'm having trouble getting turned. Does anyone have any suggestions or any good videos that you can recommend? And by the way, do any figure skaters ever do the hockey stop after they pass Basic 1-6. I see lots of hockey players doing it but it seems like figure skaters tend to do T-stops and One-Foot Snowplows more often. Thank You!

It's useful on a practice session if you want to stop quickly. You probably won't use it in a program or getting in position for a performance.

sarahspiral said:

Hi everybody. I am having trouble learning the hockey stop. I can get the foot that ends up being in the front turned in the correct position but the back foot I'm having trouble getting turned. Does anyone have any suggestions or any good videos that you can recommend? And by the way, do any figure skaters ever do the hockey stop after they pass Basic 1-6. I see lots of hockey players doing it but it seems like figure skaters tend to do T-stops and One-Foot Snowplows more often. Thank You!

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I don't think figure skaters ever really do hockey stops. I would say I do the tango stop about 90% of the time, and other stops 10%, but never hockey. Same goes for the other figure skaters at the rink. That being said, its still good to learn how to do them, because if you can't hockey stop it probably means your other stops could be improved.

I like to think of a hockey stop as a combination of a snowplow and a T-stop. Your front leg will be in the snowplow stop position,and your back leg will be in the T-stop position. So you will be "shaving" the ice with your inside edge on your front leg and an outside edge on your back. This is why you can stop so suddenly with the hockey stop. Its because you are basically doing two stops at once! A snowplow and a T-stop.

Another thing to remember is you have to learn how to shift your weight when you stop to manipulate how much edge pressure you put on the ice. This is tough to do as a beginner. When you watch people or coaches do hockey stops at your rink, pay attention to their body position. If they are going fast and stopping suddenly, they will generally be bending deeply in the knees and have a pretty noticeable body lean. You will also need to feel comfortable with this body position to do a really good hockey stop.

Figureskaterdude I've never heard anyone explain that the hockey stop was sort of a combination of the snowplow and the T-stop. That sounds like a good way to look at it and hopefully, it will help me b/c I'm able to do both of those stops fairly well! Thanks for that advice. And GKelly, thanks for confirming my suspicions that figure skaters don't really use a hockey stop most of the time. I'm sure it will be helpful for me to know how to do it but I don't see myself using it very often once I've mastered it!

Kids like to do it at practice to throw snow on other skaters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIdr6KOX8uQ

I used to be able to what I considered one footed hockey stops, on the outside edge of the back leg, and stop on a precise spot doing it. I didn't skate for a long time, so I would have to re-learn doing it without grabbing the wall to keep my balance. Maybe there is another name for that kind of stop.

treesprite said:

I used to be able to what I considered one footed hockey stops, on the outside edge of the back leg, and stop on a precise spot doing it. I didn't skate for a long time, so I would have to re-learn doing it without grabbing the wall to keep my balance. Maybe there is another name for that kind of stop.

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Isn't that simply an advanced T-stop?

tstop4me said:

Isn't that simply an advanced T-stop?

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The one footed stop requires the same positions and motions that are required to do hockey stops. T-stops are just straight forward stops, no leaning or turning, plus the defining characteristic of a T-stop is a T, which can't be done with just one foot.

sarahspiral said:

Hi everybody. I am having trouble learning the hockey stop. I can get the foot that ends up being in the front turned in the correct position but the back foot I'm having trouble getting turned. Does anyone have any suggestions or any good videos that you can recommend? And by the way, do any figure skaters ever do the hockey stop after they pass Basic 1-6. I see lots of hockey players doing it but it seems like figure skaters tend to do T-stops and One-Foot Snowplows more often. Thank You!

Click to expand...

Hockey stops are essential to learn as a beginner.

Honestly I have to tell you that I haven't done one of those in many, many years.
It's T Stops, one footed stops for me.

treesprite said:

The one footed stop requires the same positions and motions that are required to do hockey stops. T-stops are just straight forward stops, no leaning or turning, plus the defining characteristic of a T-stop is a T, which can't be done with just one foot.

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I've watched skaters do a fast T-stop in which the braking is done on the outside edge of the rear foot, aligned perpendicular to the line of travel. The front foot is aligned along the line of travel, forming a T with the rear foot; however, the front foot is raised clear of the ice. I did a quick web search; there are several variations of one-foot stops.

Thanks everybody for all of the feedback. I practiced my hockey stops some more today and I think they are getting better. As I'm gliding with both feet (right before I start the hockey stop) I tried putting what will become the back foot on a slight outside edge before I turn for the hockey stop and that seemed to help.

Dropping a line to say that learning hockey stops is really a wise choice.:2thumbs:

Skate Canada's reworked CANSkate basic skating program has strict requirements for a full set of stops in all directions including hockey stops, even for those heading towards the figure skating track. It's a significant ice safety and liability issue.

http://www.milezerofigureskating.ca/documents/Canskate-ReportCard.pdf

Video to instruct coaches teaching basic stops: https://vimeo.com/album/3318708/video/120410391

Should note that in Skate Canada clubs and events, skaters are required, absolutely without exception, to wear helmets until they have passed the complete CANSkate Stage 5, which they cannot do without being able to do all the stops both CW and CCW. Stage 5 'Control' includes two-foot forward stops [i.e. hockey stops] in both directions.

Skaters who have not passed Stage 5 even have to wear helmets if taking STARSkate figure skating tests/assessments or at STARSkate competitions. Judges are instructed not to penalize skaters for wearing a helmet, and we see quite a few skaters who are lagging in their stops in one direction or other wearing helmets while being judged.

Thanks for your reply, TGee. I'm in the U.S. so the link that you posted for the Canadian "report card" that lists all of the skills to pass each level was interesting. Thanks for posting the link to the video of stopping as well.