I Got a List of Demands

I feel like I know the double push well, and have been doing it for years. That said, I think many people jump right into trying to learn the double push, thinking it's this magic technique that's going to shave an hour off their A2A time. Most of those people would benefit more from working on their classic technique and making that more efficient before moving on to the double push. The best thing you can do is attend a workshop that focuses on classic technique. Eddy's "Skate Farm" workshops spend a lot of time on classic technique and also cover the double push. I try to attend one of his workshops every year. In addition to learning a lot, it's a seriously fun weekend. If I had to pick one drill for someone to work on, it would simply be gliding on one skate, with the supporting leg bent as much as possible. (90 degrees is a good goal to work towards.) Everything in classic technique and double-push builds off that position. So if you don't have good balance in that position, your technique is going to suffer. I looked over the drills you linked to, and I'm not all that impressed. I don't think someone would be able to teach themselves double-push by following those. (Step 6 isn't bad, but the stuff leading up to that is very useful in my opinion.) If you want to get faster, work on classic technique. It'll be time well spent. Eddy hasn't posted his workshop schedule for next year yet. Last year, he started off with a workshop in February in Ft. Lauderdale. The skaters down there are pretty cool, and you can't beat Florida in February, so that might be a good one to attend. We'll be trying to get Eddy back to NC, but that probably won't be until March or April. Not in time for your race, I suspect. I'll also be teaching a workshop in Raleigh sometime in March. I usually try to time it to be a few weeks before Eddy's. I teach many of the same drills as Eddy, so it gives people a taste of what to expect from Eddy's workshop. (And hopefully they'll get more out of it that way.) - SM -

Eddy's workshop was $260 this year. That may seem high, but keep in mind you're getting 2 full days of great instruction from someone who has won A2A more than anyone else. (I think.) There are usually some freebies (like bearings) included in the workshop. Details on Eddy's workshop can be found at: http://www.skatecentral.com/ My workshop is just one day. I do it as a fundraiser for Tour to Tanglewood, which benefits MS Society. So the cost to participate is an $80 donation to MS Society. I also give discounts if you sign up for TTT or recruit someone new to do TTT. Details on my workshop can be found at: http://www.skatestrong.com/ If you can only do one, I'd pick Eddy's over mine. It really is *that* good. But I also think that if you're able to do both, that you'll get more out of Eddy's workshop if you do mine first. For the one-legged gliding, just keep trying to increase the amount of time you're able to hold the position. And also work on increasing the amount of leg bend. Eventually, you should be able to glide for 30+ second with your chest practically on your thigh. Hockey skating drills may help. In my experience, hockey skaters tend to "toe push" a lot, which is one habit you'll definitely want to rid yourself of. But another thing to keep in mind is that hockey skaters don't have to worry about skating for 6, 7, 8 hours... They're more interested in raw sprinting speed and maneuverability. So they might sacrifice efficiency for a little extra speed. That's fine if you're skating a 2 minute shift. But it's not necessarily what you want for an 87 mile skate... - SM -

...was the slogan of the Nike ad using that song. It ran a couple of years ago and might have been the rudest sounding spot to have graced the public airwaves. And I mean that in a good way. I love the ear-splitting gymnasium PA feedback that kicks in at the first line you quoted, the way all the heads in the room watching the Dallas Cowboys would jerk over at the TV as if to ask, "What in the hell is that?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1llNYAlYrc

Here's another good one going back to 1996:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSNcBuB_NKA

(Iggy & the Stooges, "Search and Destroy". "Look out honey 'cause I'm using technology. Ain't got time to make no apology.")

Great advice from skatey-mark on training, drills, and workshops btw. Listen to the man. He knows whereof he speaks.

One of the goodies you'll get at eddy's workshop is a video of the workshop. So you'l get to see yourself (and others) doing all the drills, as well as skating for the video analysis that eddy does at the end of the first day. You also get another dvd with a bunch of videos on it. I suspect many of them are the same ones that are shown on youtube. If you can't wait for the workshop, you can order the dvd here: http://skatecentral.com/custom/paypal/collection/videos.html Where do you live? I've been wanting to have a "skating video" get-together for quite a while. If you're not far from raleigh, you could come by for that. (I have no idea when it will be -- maybe sometime in november.) - SM -

Random item from today's email...

I'll definitely post details here on RSN once I know what they are. The date will most likely be in early March. I haven't decided the date yet because I want to make sure it doesn't conflict with Eddy Matzger's workshop in Greensboro. (Assuming we get him back in the spring.) - SM -