Transitions Tips

Transition moves in hockey are extremely important in one's development into becoming a great skater. It is one thing to be comfortable skating in both forward and backward motions.

But in order to become a great skater, you must be able to make a quick transition from the forward to backward motion, and from the backward to forward motion. Transition moves require a lot of patience and practice. Apply the proper transition techniques and you will be on your way to becoming a much more complete skater.

Proper Technique - Forward to Backward

• Bend your knees deeply.
• Keep your back straight, head up and eyes pointing forward.
• As you get into the transition, turn your hips 90 degrees from your direction of travel (both hips turn simultaneously).
• Keep upper body centered over the top of your skates to stay balanced throughout the transition.
• The outside skate (planted on the inside edge) pushes a half moon (''C'') deeply into the ice.
• The inside skate is on an outside edge and gets you going in a straight line backwards as it pulls underneath the body extremely hard to full extension, forming a letter ''Y''.

Proper Technique - Backward to Forward

• Bend your knees deeply.
• Keep your back straight, head up and eyes pointing forward.
• As you get ready to make the transition, center all your weight over the turning skate (Plant the skate on an inside edge and it will automatically turn).
• Your other foot (the one you will land on) gets slightly lifted off the ice and forms and arrow tip position under your body.
• Push off with your pivoting foot and make sure to counterbalance against it to maintain the proper grip to get power and speed from your push.
• Once you have made the transition and have your momentum going forward, pop up on your toes and apply the technique of the quick forward start (''V'' start).

Tips

• Practice until you can make transitions without loosing any momentum.
• Make sure to turn hips 90 degrees when executing the transition (improper hip turn movement results in a loss of speed and balance).
• Always keep your head up and eyes facing forward while doing transitions.
• Make sure to have a firm knee bend to stay balanced and give you added power when making the transition.