Learn how To Skate Backwards From A Stand Still For Beginners With Backwards Crossovers & The Lemon Drill
V Push off method
How to begin – Learning the V Push off method is a great way to build confidence while practicing how to go backwards
To begin stand of the ice with your skates in the V position (with feet around shoulder width apart) as shown in this image below, remember to have your knee touching and also to have them bent, this will give you more balance and control while practicing, this will also place your skates on their inside edges as you’ll need to be pushing with your inside edges.
Body weight?
You want the majority of your weight focused around the front portion of your skates blade, as you will be traveling backwards, if the weight was directed towards the back portion, this would increase the chance of falling backwards. To achieve this remember to bend your knees and also to lean slightly forward.
You need to then push your feet out to the sides (using your inside edges) from the V position, this will automatically make you go backwards. Once your skates reach around shoulder width apart, you then need to use your inside leg muscles to pull your skates back together again. Repeat this to get a feeling for going backwards and to also build your confidence skating backwards (if your not alone on the ice, be sure to glance behind you to make sure you don’t skate into anyone)
Points to remember are
- Skate in V start
- Bend knees
- Knees together to help put your skates on their inside edges
- Slightly lean forward
- Push both skates out to the side using the inside edges
- Use leg muscles to pull skates together again
Leaning how to backwards crossover
As you’ll already in motion, when getting ready to crossover, you need to use the inside edge of the inside skate (the inside skate is the skate that remains on the ice when your lifting the other skate over) to pull your other skate (the one that you will be crossing over) over the other. You can practice and develop these skates at a stand still and also in motion.
The first part of the blade that should contact the ice after the skate has been crossed over is the TOE, please watch our Backwards Crossover videos once you have mastered these points.
More on skating backwards below!
