Last week we got lots of great comments on the Heel to Heel transition video. Several people wrote in asking if we could do a slow motion / still frame breakdown of the technique. In this post, I've taken several still shots and included a slow motion video of a heel to heel transition - as well as included key points for various stages of the transition.
Slow motion video:
The below snap shot shows the beginning of the heel to heel transition. This starts from a basic backwards c-cut stance. Players should NOT crossover before entering the position shown below.
Key Points:
- Knees Bent
- Heels come together
- Hips open up the direction you're transitioning to
- Hands move the direction you're transitioning to (this will bring the stick there next)
- Weight loaded onto the pushing leg (my left leg in the photo above)
- Weight should be toward the ball of your foot to avoid catching your heel into the ice while transitioning
The next freeze-frame shows the extension of the pushing leg (left leg in the photo).
Key Points:
- Direct your energy laterally, and don't stand up (wasting your energy upwards)
- Hips and shoulders are now fully opened toward the new direction
- Complete extension of pushing leg (finishing with the toe of your skate leaving the ice)
- Hands moving in direction of the transition
The snap shot below shows all the weight loaded onto the pushing leg (right leg in this photo).
Key Points:
- Head leading the transition (looking to where you're going)
- Weight fully loaded on pushing leg
The final set of snap shots show a complete 180 degree transition using the heel to heel technique. Again, this starts from a basic c-cut stance (photo 1), weight is loaded to the pushing leg (photo 2), and finally the pushing leg extends completely into the transition (photo 3).
