If its your first time learning how to skate backwards, try not to focus on learning how to crossover until you are able to balance and create the momentum of skating backwards.
Stance
Like anything on the ice you’ll need to remember your athletic stance:
- Wide base (skates shoulder width apart)
- Knees bent over toe caps of skates
- Head up
- Chest up and square to the ice
If your having trouble building the momentum of going backwards, try to start with both hands on the barriers (still in your athletic stance) use the barriers to push to get you moving backwards.
Using the barriers to create your backwards momentum
Push off the barriers to get you moving backwards
Weight
You’ll want your body weight around the balls of your feet, avoid having your weight around your heels because it will increase your chances of falling backwards as you’ll be off balance. To direct your weight over the balls of your feet, lean a little more forward while in your athletic stance.
Keep pushing yourself off the barriers until you are comfortable and confident moving backwards. Once you get use to doing this, try to add some lemon exercises in. The lemon drill or exercise is performed by pushing your inside edges out to the side while drifting backwards then pulling your skates inside edges back together, this in out motion will create the momentum for you to go backwards with.
Skate blade edges
Lemon drill (pushing out)
Lemon drill (pulling skates together again with leg muscles)
