Learning to go faster before learning to stop
quicker.
Pushing mostly toward the back -- instead of toward
the side.
or prehaps even better: slicing the skate forward.
Trying to get propulsion power only by direct
pushing by the leg muscles -- missing the possibility of adding power
by shifting the body strongly side-to-side
Setting the foot down already a ways out toward the
side it's going to push toward -- instead of close in near under its
hip.
or perhaps even better: across on the other side of its hip from the side it
will push toward.
Trying to get good at skating up hills, before
learning to control speed going down them.
Thinking that skating is like running but with each
step directed diagonally at a 45° angle to
the side and back, and with a little glide-rest in between steps --
instead of discovering the magic of skating.
Trying to get maximum use of major leg-extension muscles
without first flexing the ankle deeply forward.
Confusing deep knee-bend with deep
forward-ankle-flex. Or confusing leaning the head and shoulders way
forward with with deep forward-ankle-flex.
Gliding passively for a moment after set-down --
instead of immediately beginning active push out toward the side
with little-known muscles on the outside of the leg.
Trying to skate up a steep hill the same way as
skating on the flat.
Timing upper-body side-shift moves to absorb and
soften the leg-push force instead of strengthen it -- resulting in
less propulsive power than if just kept the upper body
relaxed.
Trying to learn by concepts and self-perceptions --
without adding objective video observation and external coaching.
Swinging arms mainly forward-backward instead of
mainly side-to-side.
Finishing the extension of the leg-push by carving
with the knee-extension muscles -- without also adding
ankle-extension to push with ball+toe of foot.
(except that ankle-extension does not work on non-klap
ice skates)
Starting the next leg-push immediately after
current leg-push ends -- instead of setting down the next foot early
and already starting the next push before current leg-push
finishes.
Starting upper-body side-shift moves too early --
so the acceleration adds to force through leg-push, but the
deceleration comes so soon that it fails to add force to the next
leg-push, or even cancels out the gain from acceleration.
Thinking that the leg-push of skating is basically
simple -- instead of looking for creative ways to enhance each move
and each phase.
Not seeing how the leg-Recovery phases can already add
propulsive force -- not just prepare for future propulsive phases.
Moving the skate thru the correct new curved path
-- without making a new kind of push which engages new
muscles.
Symptom of this problem: Saying that
double-push increases my endurance, but doesn't increase my speed much.
Leaving other aspects of stroke-cycle unchanged --
instead of radically re-working the leg-recovery and set-down phases
and arm- and torso-swing timing, to take advantage of the new
possibilities opened up by double-push.
