How to skate faster in hockey

Updated October 17, 2026

Fast skaters don't just move their legs faster. They push to the side with a long, full stride, bring the leg back quickly, and get going in three or four steps. Here's how to fix your stride, start faster, use crossovers and edges, and which drills and off-ice work actually help.

The stride, step by step

Hockey Canada calls skating the foundation every other hockey skill is built on. Most of your speed comes from a few basics, done on every stride:

1. Bend your knees. Start from your stance: feet about shoulder-width apart, knees and ankles bent, chest up, head up. When you glide on one leg, that knee should be bent enough to sit out over the toe of your skate. A deeper bend gives you a longer push.
2. Push to the side. Turn the pushing skate out, about 35 to 40 degrees in Hockey Canada's teaching, and push out and down into the ice. Pushing straight back is only for your first few steps.
3. Extend all the way. Straighten your hip, knee and ankle fully on every push. A half push gives you half the speed.
4. Finish with the toe. At the end of the push, snap your ankle so the front of the blade is the last part to leave the ice. Coaches call it the toe flick.
5. Recover fast. Bring the pushing leg straight back under your body, with the skate low to the ice. Don't kick your heel up high behind you. It makes the trip back longer.
6. Swing your arms forward and back. USA Hockey's coaching advice compares it to a sprinter's arms. Arms that swing across your body or in circles twist your shoulders and waste energy.
7. Stay level. Keep your shoulders square and relaxed, and don't bounce up and down. Your head should glide along at the same height.

When you're skating hard without the puck, you can carry the stick in your top hand and use both arms. Get both hands back on it when you need to pass, shoot or take a pass.

Quick starts

Races to loose pucks are won in the first few strides. Hockey Canada's key points for every start: lean forward, push off the inside edge, take three or four short, quick strides without gliding, then make each stride longer and push more to the side.

The V-start

1. Start in your stance, skates about shoulder-width apart.
2. Turn your heels in and your toes out so your skates make a V. Lean slightly forward so your weight is on the front of your blades.
3. Drive off one skate, then the other, with short, choppy steps. It's more like running than skating. Keep your skates low to the ice.
4. Let your strides get longer after three or four. Hockey Canada says you should be in full stride after about six.

Don't pop straight up on the first step. Stay low and let your body rise slowly as you pick up speed.

The crossover start

Use it when you're facing sideways, like after a stop or when a puck goes past you.

1. Stand sideways to where you want to go, skates a little closer together than usual, knees bent, weight on the balls of your feet.
2. Turn your head and shoulders that way and lean toward it.
3. Cross your outside leg over in front of your inside leg, low and quick, and plant it turned out, almost sideways to your path. Your inside leg pushes hard underneath as you cross.
4. Do just one crossover. Now you're in a V-start, so take short, choppy steps.
5. Practice it in both directions.

Crossovers

Crossovers let you turn and gain speed at the same time. Learn them on a face-off circle.

1. Lean into the circle from your hips down. Keep your inside shoulder up, and turn your head, arms and stick the way you're going.
2. Push your outside skate out to the side until that leg is straight, then bring it over the top of your inside skate.
3. Push your inside skate out under your body on its outside edge, again until the leg is straight. Hockey Canada stresses pushing just as hard with this under-push as with the outside push. Don't skip it.
4. Bring that skate back under you quickly and repeat.
5. Do the same number of laps in each direction.

Edges

Every skate blade has an inside edge and an outside edge. You push mostly with the inside edge, and you turn and stop a lot on the outside edge. Hockey Canada's coaching manual says weak skaters control only two of their four edges, and every player should aim for all four. Better edges mean sharper turns without slowing down.

• One-foot glides: glide in a straight line on one skate with the blade flat, for a count of five. Then switch feet.
• Inside-edge half circles: glide on one skate's inside edge in a half circle, then switch to the other foot.
• Outside-edge half circles: the same on your outside edges. They're harder, so go slowly.
• C-cuts: glide on one skate and push the other out in a C shape, forward and backward.
• Tight turns: lean hard into a turn around a glove or a puck on the ice. Hockey Canada suggests low markers like these instead of tall cones, so you can lean properly.

On-ice drills

1. Stride count. Skate from the goal line to the far blue line at a steady pace and count your strides. Then try to take one fewer stride, without slowing down, by pushing all the way out. 4 times.
2. Scooting. Glide on one skate and push with the other, again and again, fully extending every time. One length of the ice on each leg. Hockey Canada uses it to build pushing power and full extension.
3. V-start sprints. Start still on a line and sprint to the next line. 6 sprints, with full rest between them so every one is fast.
4. Crossover starts. Start sideways and race to the next line. 4 in each direction.
5. Circle crossovers. Two laps each way around a face-off circle, then figure 8s between two circles.
6. Stop and go. Stop at each line, facing the same side of the rink every time so you use both sides, then explode out with a crossover start. If your stops need work, see how to hockey stop.

Off-ice work that helps

Skating power comes from your legs and hips, one leg at a time, and much of the push goes sideways. You can train that at home with your own body weight. Do these two or three times a week after a warm-up, and stop a set when your form slips.

• Lateral bounds: jump sideways from one leg to the other, land softly on a bent knee and hold for a second. 3 sets of 6 each side.
• Split squats: one foot forward, one foot back, lower straight down and stand up. 3 sets of 8 each leg.
• Single-leg squat to a bench: on one leg, sit back slowly until you touch a bench, then stand up. 3 sets of 5 each leg.
• Side lunges: step wide to the side and sit into that hip, keeping the other leg straight. 2 sets of 8 each side.
• Single-leg glute bridges: 2 sets of 10 each leg.
• Planks and side planks: 3 holds of 20 to 30 seconds.

The hockey workouts at home guide has full routines. Younger players should stick to body weight and good form, and ask a coach or athletic trainer to check how they move. If anything hurts, especially your knees or hips during a growth spurt, stop and see a doctor.

Gear that matters

• Skate fit. Bauer's fit advice: standing with the laces tied, your toes should just brush the toe cap, then pull back slightly when you bend your knees. Your heel shouldn't lift when you walk. If it does, the skate is too big, and part of every push gets lost inside the boot. Skate sizes usually run smaller than shoe sizes, so get fitted at a hockey shop.
• Lacing. Snug through the middle of the boot so your heel stays locked in place.
• Sharpening. Dull edges slide out on starts, crossovers and stops. Bauer explains the depth of the sharpening cut simply: a deeper cut bites into the ice more, a shallower one glides more. The skate sharpening and lacing guide covers how often to sharpen and which cut to ask for.

Common mistakes

• Pushing back instead of to the side once you're past your first few steps.
• Short, choppy strides at full speed. Quick steps are for starting. After that, go long.
• Half extension. If your leg never straightens, you're leaving speed on the ice.
• Bending at the waist. USA Hockey points out that young players often bend their backs when told to get low. Keep your chest up and bend at the knees and hips.
• Standing too tall. Straight legs mean short pushes.
• A high heel kick on the way back.
• Arms swinging across your body.
• Gliding on the first steps of a start, or popping straight up.
• Only one direction. Crossovers and crossover starts need equal time both ways.
• Skates that are too big or dull.

Ask a coach or a parent to film you from the side for ten seconds. Watching yourself is the quickest way to spot a short push or a high heel kick. If something still feels off after a few weeks, ask your coach about a skating clinic or a power skating session at your rink.

On days you can't get to the rink, Brudvig Hockey 2027 is a free 3-on-3 arcade hockey game you can play in a web browser on a phone, tablet, computer or TV.