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M H J O N L I N E . C O M | J A N / F E B 2 0 2 2 14 by Shane Frederick STRIDE RIGHT Tips The goal is to create muscle memory— good muscle memory. "We have skating habits and repeat them to really strive to make muscle memory," Ness said. "And then you have your hockey habits as well. But if kids start getting up to high school and you see the same mistakes over and over, it's really hard to retrain that." It doesn't have to be complicated at young ages, he added. "Obviously as kids get older and a little more mature, they become a little more self aware of their game. But just building even little habits into younger skaters is really important." USE WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED When the skating drill is done, don't forget what you just worked on. Put those habits into your hockey game. Connect the dots, Ness said, and put it all together. "Not only are you looking at your body position, your posture and your footwork, but now you're looking at the hockey part," Ness said. "Is your head down? Are you looking right at the puck? Or are you looking just straight ahead where you ANDY NESS ENJOYS WORKING WITH HOCKEY PLAYERS AT ALL LEVELS, and you never know what rink you might find him coaching in. One day he might be working with the Minnesota Wild's injured players in St. Paul or their minor leaguers in Iowa. Another day he might be instructing 8U. And still another he might be coaching his daughter's 10U team. "I love it," said Ness, the Wild's skat- ing and skills coach and director of the ProEdge Power hockey camps. "It's such a variety. It keeps us fresh." While there's a big difference between the youth players and professionals, Ness says that one thing that's the same is the importance of developing habits. "I think the biggest thing at all lev- els—and we're talking 8U through the pro level—is habits. At every level, there are certain habits that you just have to ingrain yourself with." Here are some tips from Ness to help develop and maintain good skating habits: RINSE AND REPEAT Keep the basic elements of skating in mind as you play hockey. Don't just practice them during skating drills. "When we talk about skating, we talk about balance, edges, knee bend," Ness said. "Knee bend is a great example of developing a habit. Getting down low, turning, crossing over, transitioning, getting your hips down, getting your knees bent. And that starts at 6U/8U and goes all the way up to the pro level." Photo / Jim Rosvold, Matt Krohn Skating Tips with Wild Coach Andy Ness "At every level, there are certain habits that you just have to ingrain yourself with." Elite hockey players are constantly working on their skating skills.