LATERAL SPEED / COD – OPEN HIP EMPHASIS

Lateral Speed or Change oof Direction (COD) drills are also commonly described as quickness or agility. Occasionally you’ll get that rare opportunity to showcase Linear Speed. We focus half your speed training program on linear speed because of the huge crossover and benefits in improving skating mechanics. But more often than not, and this is true for a lot of sports, speed is defined as your ability to get one step ahead of your opponent on a 10 yd distance. Positioning and combative strength are also relative, but the ability of an athlete to efficiently stop, change direction, and explode in another direction, is critical to athletic success.

Because skating is specific in nature requiring an athlete’s ability to utilize either inside or outside part of the foot (inside or outside edge of their skate) to generate power, we separate our Lateral Speed training into two separate categories based on two specific ways to start. An Open Hip Start, or a Crossover Start. How to apply force and footwork for each of these starts is very important.

OPEN HIP STARTS

An Open Hip Start can be defined by an athlete, from an athletic position, simply opening or externally rotating, the lead hip 90°. Our Open Hip Step mechanics will teach how to properly stop and load the hip to change direction, how to transfer weight and energy rapidly and efficiently in a different direction, and the foot work necessary to accomplish both actions.

Open Hip Starts: Single Leg (Trail Leg / Lateral) 3 Bound Start to Sprint

• Start standing in a Single Leg Position, Weight on your Trail Leg, Lateral to path of intent
• Posture is leaning slightly forward, in-line with trail leg and foot
• Arms bent at 90°, Trail arm is swung back, Lead arm slightly forward. This is the Load Phase
• From this Starting position, explode aggressively pushing off the trail leg
• While at the same time, externally opening up the lead leg 90° in preparation of landing and transferring of power.
• Take three powerful bounds to start your sprint, attempting to cover as much ground as possible in the shortest amount of time.