How do I do a hockey stop and a snowplough stop?

Question

Well the good news is I can skate fast... the bad news is I can't really stop..

I have been watching experienced skaters do their instant stops with envy..

Do you need special skates to do this stop? or is it technique?

I can see their skates turn outward and the whole blade just scrapes against the ice stopping them completely.

When I try and do this... I am skating forward and I want to turn my blades to my right..... but instead of scraping my blades just make me turn right.

Do I need to turn my feet sharply sideways or is it a smooth movement? do I need to take my foot off the ground and plant it sideways to execute a stop??

I can't do it.... and its frustrating.. if I can just pull it off once then I'll master it..

Do I need heaps of speed to do this instant stop? whats a safe way to learn how to do this stop?

HELP

Answer 1

It is all about the angle of your blade to the ice.  Think of an n (lowercase).  That is what your blade looks like on the ice.  You can't slide with both in contact with the ice.  You need to stand at the wall with your hands on the wall and find the angle of your skates by moving them sideways back and forth.  Once you find the angle find it with your other skate as well.  Practice this going faster and faster (from really slow to really fast)  This is not an instant process, it takes a few weeks maybe months.

Answer 2

Both the snowplow stop and hockey stop feel the same as skiing stops do to me, although they are much harder on ice skates. But if there's any chance you ski and know these stops, the motion and pressure is basically the same - just less forgiving on the ice than on powdery snow.  (Incidentally, my skiing has improved 1000 times since I started ice skating a few years ago!)

Snowplow: you're making a pizza wedge shape with your blades, putting pressure on the inside edges but not enough to grab the ice and turn you.  It sounds like you're catching that edge.  It's a delicate balance and should skid across the ice.  It's not uncommon for beginners to need a long stretch to stop fully as you skid to a stop.

Hockey stop: I would describe the movement as this.  Imagine you've got a grocery bag on one hip, a toddler on the other, and you need to close your car door.  You bang the door closed with your hip in a quick, decisive movement.  Oddly enough, to me the movement in a hockey stop feels the same except that you let that quick decisive movement radiate all the way through the heels of your feet. It's really the inside edge of one skate and outside edge of the other, but the important one is the inside edge of the leading foot.  Advanced skaters even stop with the back foot off the ice!

One more thing:  all stops are harder if you've got freshly sharpened skates, unless you have a really expert sharpener.  So if you have new skates, it's going to be challenging until they dull up a little.

Answer 3

Snow PLow Stop

you feet have to be in a parallel position about shoulder with apart. With enough pressure, both feet should press against t he ice as you slide to the sides ending in a V position.

HOCKEY STOP

Glide forward on two feet with your knees slightly bent. With raised knees , both feet are turned to the side. You must keep your hips and shoulders square.. Keep your weight balance.