Skating skills and moves in the field specialist Karen Olson continues a discussion of power pulls. In Part 1, she discussed ways to make power pull practice more interesting, ankle and knee bend timing, and vocabulary misunderstandings. In this video, she shares additional insights to help those who struggle with the basics, and she suggests specific technique that can help later skill development.
Karen begins this video with a discussion of the fundamental concept of continual energy transfer, without unnecessary pauses or stops. Trying to make power pulls “continuous” will generate more power and flow and look more rhythmical. For skater that struggle with basic edges, Karen recommends more two-foot slalom exercises, possibly with a hula hoop or hockey stick to learn to twist the upper body properly. She demonstrates the timing in detail. Coaches need to keep an eye out for the common error of one edge being stronger than the other, typically caused by fear, ankle engagement, or stiffness in the core and upper body.
Karen acknowledges that many coaches teach power pulls while keeping the shoulders neutral and square. This method isolates the lower body and sometimes improves ankle and knee action and edge pressure. But Karen prefers to use shoulder twist when teaching power pulls, as the twist comes in handy when learning more difficult skills like cross strokes and choctaws.
When switching feet with pulls, Karen suggests pushing onto an inside edge for forward pulls and pushing onto an outside edge for backward power pulls. This feels the most natural, and it allows for a solid push which helps with flow.
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