Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Backward Swag Techniques in Ice Skating


A backward wag, as some call it, is the act of skating backward. When ice-skating backward, you must wiggle your hips, similar to the way a dog wags his tail. This helps to propel you backward while maintaining your balance on the ice.
Identification
Ice-skating backward is also called a backward wag or wiggle. Your hips wag from swiveling and rocking them side to side to side. This movement helps you maintain your balance. Before trying to ice-skate backward on the ice, some people chose to practice using regular skates on solid ground to minimize injury. Learning to backward wag correctly will help you skate backward faster.
Practice
A common backward skating drill for ice skaters or ice hockey players is to run backward. Run backward while keeping your feet as close to the ground as possible while swaying your hips in a backward swivel motion. Increase the complexity of your drill by putting each of your legs directly behind your body while swiveling your hips and running backward.
Executing the Backward Wag
Skate in the shape of a loose S when skating backward. Your feet should never leave the ice when skating backward. Hold your arms out in front of you and bend your knees slightly. Face your skates inward and push against the ice with your right foot, while the left foot glides. Follow this by pushing against the ice with your left foot and gliding with your right. Swivel your hips in the S shape while doing this. Start slowly and with lots of practice you'll be able to gain speed.
Considerations
When skating backward, keep your head up and your body erect. Also, keep your shoulders back and square. Skating backward with your legs too far apart will, shorten the length of your stride, which in turn can affect the amount of thrust you generate. If you've bend too much it will throw off your balance. Do not look down at the ice at any time when skating backward. Looking down can propel your body forward causing you to lose balance.

 
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