With hockey season quickly approaching, it’s time to put some extra juice in your stride so you can blow by opponents. Dramatic speed improvement requires time in the weight room, making overnight results impractical. But here are a few quick tips to improve skating mechanics, which can immediately boost  your speed.

• Stride at a 45-degree angle and focus on cutting the ice with your toe at the end of each stride
• Strive for a full range of motion in your stride—return the skate to the center of your body and fully extend your leg outward to propel yourself across the ice
• Have one hand on your stick when skating at full speed
• Instead of swinging your arms side-to-side, pump them forward in a compact motion
• Starting in a V-stance, focus on executing three quick, explosive strides off the toes on your inside edges, then gradually lengthen your strides to continue accelerating
• Maintain steady hips, upper body and head to avoid wasting force that can be applied to the ice
• Keep your chest up and always keep your head up

Even with these tips, lightning-fast speed doesn’t come overnight. To develop truly explosive speed, you also need to hit up the weight room, particularly to strengthen your lower body. Want to get started on a hockey training plan? Check out these STACK-exclusive videos with Thomas Vanek and Shawn Horcoff.
Thomas Vanek Power Step-Up
Thomas Vanek 180 Reverse Bench Jump
Shawn Horcoff Clean Sequence
Shawn Horcoff Agility Ladder
Photo:  Mike Stobe/Getty Images