The Illusion of Speed: Understanding Skating Techniques in Ice Hockey
Triphasic Training Coaching Mistake 4
As a strength coach working across 14 sports, I was captivated by performance testing and any data I could gather to assess athletic ability. However, I often noticed that performance numbers did not always align with widely held beliefs or assumptions in sports. My journey from being a college football player and wrestler, to strength coach for 14 sports and then specializing in hockey performance—a sport known for its dynamic demands—revealed a surprising number of misconceptions about key performance indicators. One of the most prevalent myths I encountered was related to skating speed. Early in my career, even I was fooled by the illusion of speed on the ice. It turns out that even elite coaches and veteran NHL scouts with decades of experience often struggle to accurately identify the fastest skaters based on visual perception alone.
A Surprising Discovery
Let me share an example to illustrate this point. A few years ago, I was talking with three NHL scouts who were observing my hockey team. During our discussion, they shared their thoughts on who they believed was the fastest skater on the team. Fortunately, I had objective speed data available. The scouts listed several names they thought were the fastest, but none of them mentioned the actual fastest skater. In fact, the player they identified as the fastest ranked only 14th in measured speed. Meanwhile, the true fastest skater didn’t even make their top 10.
How could this happen? How could a skater ranked 14th in speed look faster than the number-one skater? The answer lies in their skating techniques. To better explain, I’ll refer to these two players as “Glenn Glide” and “Johnny Chop.”
The Two Skating Techniques
Johnny Chop’s Technique
Johnny Chop gave the illusion of speed due to his fast leg turnover. His feet moved quickly, which impressed the scouts. However, his strides were short and inefficient. His blade traveled only about 6 to 8 inches on the ice with each push. In a sprint from the goal line to the blue line, Johnny Chop took 8 to 9 strides and finished 0.14 seconds slower than Glenn Glide.
Glenn Glide’s Technique
Glenn Glide, on the other hand, used a technique that emphasized longer, more efficient strides. His blade traveled between 3 to 3.5 feet with each push. In the same goal line-to-blue line sprint, Glenn took just 4.5 strides and reached the finish faster than Johnny Chop, despite appearing slower. Glenn’s technique allowed him to maintain and build speed with fewer strides, making him objectively the fastest skater on the team.
Blade Contact and Stride Efficiency
A crucial difference between these two skaters was how long their blades stayed on the ice during each stride. Johnny Chop’s blade made short, ineffective contact with the ice, limiting his ability to generate and sustain speed. In contrast, Glenn Glide’s blade remained in contact with the ice for a longer duration, allowing him to cover more ground with each stride and accelerate efficiently.
When analyzing the ice marks left by their strides, Glenn’s trails were long and continuous, while Johnny’s trails were short and fragmented. Over the first three strides, Glenn covered more than 10 feet on the ice, whereas Johnny needed five to six strides to reach the same distance.
Insights from a Renowned Skating Coach
This phenomenon was brought into sharper focus through my collaboration with Barry Karns at Karns Skating Dynamics, a renowned skating coach with over 23 years of experience developing elite skaters that played at the University of Minnesota. Barry’s system, which emphasizes gliding technique, has consistently produced some of the fastest skaters in both men’s and women’s hockey. While skaters using the chop method can achieve respectable speeds, Barry’s research and testing have shown that the glide method is more efficient overall.
Barry conducted a an analysis with a group of high school athletes who initially skated with the chop method. After just five weeks of training in the glide technique—skating only twice a week for one hour—the athletes showed significant improvements in speed and efficiency, despite the limited practice time. This underscores the transformative potential of adopting a more efficient skating style.
Pre and Post 3rd party testing results
Notice the Athlete Slowing with the Johnny chop Skating compared to below with the increase of speed on the Glenn Glide method of Skating
Pre Training Testing
Notice the athletes were still accelerating at the last 5 yards with the glenn glide method versus above were slowing down.
Power Output and Speed Correlation
With many years of testing numbers also examined how power output, measured through vertical jump tests, correlated with skating speed. For skaters using the chop method, vertical jump scores were a reliable indicator of potential speed. These athletes needed strong explosive power to generate speed through rapid, short strides. However, for glide skaters, vertical jump performance was less critical. Athletes with lower vertical jump scores could still achieve high speeds in Skating by maximizing efficiency through longer, smoother strides.
The group also analyzed the relationship between skating and running speeds. Although an earlier research study claimed there was no correlation between the two, the data reviewed —spanning over 23 years—found a strong correlation when athletes had proficient skating technique. Improvements in running speed often translated to faster skating times, particularly for glide skaters. In some cases, glide skaters could even skate faster than they could run over comparable distances of 18 to 20 meters. This was not the case for chop skaters, whose skating and running speeds were closely matched.
Why Scouts and Coaches are Fooled by the Illusion of Speed
The scouts were misled because Johnny Chop’s rapid foot movement created the illusion of speed. His quick, choppy strides gave the impression that he was moving faster than he actually was. In contrast, Glenn Glide took fewer strides but covered significantly more distance, making him the true fastest skater. This highlights the importance of understanding different skating techniques when evaluating players.
While speed is crucial in hockey, it’s not the only factor in success. Elite players often rely on game sense, positioning, and skill to compensate for any perceived shortcomings in speed.
Additional Benefits of the Glide Skating Method
Over the years, I’ve observed that the glide skating method can offer significant advantages for athletes who struggle to produce high amounts of power. For example, athletes with a higher proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers—those who may naturally be slower sprinters—can benefit greatly from this technique. Slow-twitch fibers require more time to generate force compared to fast-twitch fibers. The glide method allows the blade to remain on the ice longer, giving these athletes the opportunity to push for an extended period and apply more force with each stride. This can help them achieve greater speed, making the glide technique particularly effective for athletes who are not naturally explosive.
Another important benefit of the glide method is its impact on long-term physical resilience during a demanding hockey season. Hockey players endure significant physical stress throughout games, and this method reduces the wear and tear on the body due to its efficiency. In my experience, athletes using the glide technique tend to have lower heart rates during games compared to those using the chop method. This suggests that the glide method allows for more efficient skating with less cardiovascular strain. Additionally, I have observed a reduction in groin-related injuries and general muscle fatigue among players who adopt the glide technique. These benefits highlight the glide method’s potential to improve both performance and durability over the course of a season.
Final Thoughts
Both skating techniques have their place and can be used strategically. The glide method is generally preferred for maintaining efficiency over the course of a long season, but there are scenarios where the chop method can be beneficial and must be used. Coaches and scouts should become more aware of these differences to make more accurate assessments of players’ skating abilities.
In conclusion, I hope this article helps coaches, general managers, and scouts pay closer attention to skating techniques on the ice. By understanding the mechanics behind skating speed, we can improve talent identification and player development.
