Is your athlete struggling with a specific skating move, slow to pick up speed…or maybe even lacking the confidence to get-after-it on the ice?
Does your athlete dream to play on travel teams, summer leagues for player development, juniors or collegiate hockey one day?
There comes a point in every athlete’s career where the game begins to out-skate the athlete.
But it doesn’t have to.
ON ICE TRAINING
For athletes ready to perform to their potential on the ice
through stronger and faster skating
Our personalized coaching is guaranteed to enhance your athlete's skating skills and give your athlete more confidence every time they step on the ice.
Booked through monthly commitments, pop-up lessons or travel sessions, our coaching team is ready to take your athlete’s skating skills to the next level.
The Impact of Skating Skills
Skating skills make the difference between every level of athlete from squirts to bantams, to juniors to the NHL.
Christian Koelling said it best:
“Skating is at the very core of skill development in hockey. Skating ability determines the ability threshold for puck handling, passing, body contact and shooting. It is important that young players focus on learning the proper skating fundamentals, and that skating is continually worked on as a player progresses.”*
We believe the sooner athletes start developing the proper skating fundamentals the greater their skill development will be. Our programming is always age/skill appropriate and progresses as the athlete progresses… and don’t worry, there is no shortage of skating skill drills for any athlete!
Simply put, if you can’t skate you can’t play the game.
So what are skating skills?
Think forward and backward skating, edges, crossovers, mohawks, stops, transitions and more. As simple as that may sound - it’s much more than ‘just executing’ a move… it’s the body position, the knee bend, the posture, with or without a puck, in or out of pressure. Exposure to training techniques to develop all of the above is important for every athlete.
There are many variables when it comes to skating efficiently and effectively, all of which we teach through our coaching.
Our coaching process will develop
strength and balance in your athlete’s edges
teach proper body alignment
build a powerful skating stride
develop quicker transitions
train with us today and see the impact of our coaching for yourself.
Coach Mallory Olson is one of the most professional and knowledgeable coaches out there when it comes to skating mechanics.
“Coach Mallory Olson is one of the most professional and knowledgeable coaches out there when it comes to skating mechanics. Not only do we feel she brings a wonderful knowledge of skating skills and drills, but her connection with the kids creates a positive and motivational atmosphere both on and off the ice…”
- Dakota Roots Hockey School
On Ice Training
Our on-going lessons are booked via monthly commitment. Families can choose between one, three and six months. Because our athletes who’ve completed six month commitments have shown the greatest improvement, we recommend a six-month commitment for all. If you are unsure the right amount of time for your athlete, reach out for guidance. To book your spot, all families must fill out our athlete intake form during our enrollment period (two weeks in September). To learn more, click here.
Pop-up lessons occur at various times through each season. These lessons can be with any academy coach and are 30 minutes in length. Pop-up lessons are not continuous but rather a great opportunity for a quick refresh on skating skills or to tackle one specific area of trouble. Pop-up lessons are first offered to Oka Skating Academy members before the public. To be notified of pop-up lessons, join the list here.
Travel sessions are for programs desire power and edge training for their own athletes. Coach Mallory will travel to you, handle registration and provide lessons for your program athletes. This is great opportunity for athletes to learn from a pro and implement new technique into their own training. Reach out today for more info!
