Making Stridz Athlete Development has worked quite closely with the athlete below in regards to his forwards skating mechanics. During the initial skating assessment it was evident that the athlete showed a 10 degree asymmetry between his left and right sides during the push off. Specifically, the athlete showed 36 degrees of hip abduction on the left side and only 26 degrees of hip abduction on the right side. This asymmetry resulted in a hitch in the athletes skating stride as the left leg was performing a long powerful push off while the right push off was very short and choppy in nature. The image below shows the athlete’s initial filming session at the top with limited hip abduction and the improved hip abduction present during the second filming session.
This athlete was able to make significant changes in his skating stride by working on a specific movement correction program which focused on the quality of movement over the quantity of movement. This program was facilitated by a strength and conditioning specialist who focused heavily on improving the athlete’s hip mobility and stability as well as improving the athlete’s core stability. This program was important for improving the athlete’s range of motion which was then translated onto the ice during the athletes skating stride. The image below shows the similar discrepancy in the athletes skating stride with the top image being the initial assessment and the bottom image the post treatment filming session.
It is also important to note the improvement in the athletes knee flexion as he was able to increase the range of motion or the length of his skating stride. The athlete still has room for improvement in his skating stride as there continues to be a 10 degree asymmetry between the left and right sides. This discrepency will continue to be monitered with a greater emphasis placed on improving the funtion of the athletes right hip. For more information on the exercise program and how you could experience a significant change in your sports performance please contact us at shackel.brian@gmail.com or 780-932-2903.
