By Andy Ness

When we talk about edges and balance, we are really talking about what we call the “foundation” for skating. We use the analogy of building a house. We all want to see the bells and whistles that go with a home, but without a solid foundation to stand on, the extra stuff won’t matter. Much like skating, we all want to work on the advanced skills, but without having a solid grasp of the skating fundamentals, it’s not going to matter. If you can’t do a power turn, you’re not going to be able to do a spin-o-rama.  

When looking at skating, how important are edges? Do we really need to do edge drills during our practices? What edge drills should we do during our practices? These are all questions that I receive regularly throughout a season. There are many different variables like age and ability of a team, practice length and time of year to consider, but one thing is for sure, players who can really skate will open up so many more options for the coach to work with.  

The first and most important thing to remember is that every push, turn or corner you do comes from our edges. Edges and balance are our foundation. It is simply more difficult to teach skaters difficult maneuvers with weak edges. Edge strength goes beyond the two standard edge drills. It goes beyond doing basic edge drills at quarter-speed. It is the cornerstone of how good a player is able to skate.

We know that outside edges can be the most challenging. Holding a strong outside edge is the key to any strong turn or crossover. As you can see in the photo, the skater is able to hold one skate on a strong outside edge with speed. Remember, the width of an edge is about as wide as a strand of hair, so if a skater’s edge cannot support his/her weight and speed, the skater will be taking a lot of falls and hard spills.  

A great drill to have your skaters do is to have them build their speed by skating top of the circle, bottom of the circle and head into the neutral zone circle diagonally. At full speed, the skater will trace the circle on an outside edge, holding only on one skate solidly into the ice. Most players will fall at some point, so doing it in the neutral zone gives them space so they don’t crash into the boards. This is a great way for a skater to gain confidence on their outside edge. With repetition, the skater can greatly improve on body positioning, a lean, blade positioning, knee bend and most importantly building a stronger outside edge.  

One other difficult edge drill you can do is to have a skater start on the goal line and take about five hard strides, then try to execute a tight 360-degree turn on one leg. The skater should hold that outside edge on the ice completely throughout the turn. As the skater comes out of the turn, he/she will take another five strides then attempt another outside edge hold on the other skate. This is a tighter turn than the first drill and is very difficult at first. Both of these drills should be done by attacking with speed. Going beyond the basic C cuts is key and is really the way to challenge skaters.

Most of us watch NHL and college games and see guys executing all of the skills that I write about weekly. What a lot of people don’t see is the breakdown and relentless work of these skills the skaters work at daily. Improvement never ends and when you are done improving, you are just that, done. There is a reason why skaters at the highest level are where they are. They are not only talented, but willing to pay the price to get better. It doesn’t matter if it is July 30 or November 30, the attitude of improving is the key to success. 

Andy Ness is the head skating and skill coach for the Minnesota Wild. He has also been an assistant skating instructor for the New Jersey Devils, the University of Minnesota men’s and women’s hockey teams and the U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team.