A-Skip Moving
How to Do It
Skip forward driving one knee to hip height with a dorsiflexed ankle (toe up), the opposite arm driving in a 1-2 rhythm, striking the ground actively under the hip on the balls of the feet. Stay tall and travel forward with crisp, rhythmic skips. Maintain upright posture and active, paw-back ground contacts throughout the distance.
Why It Works
Grooves coordinated sprint mechanics while moving — knee drive, dorsiflexion, active ground strike under the body, and reciprocal arm action — reinforcing the stretch-shortening cycle and rhythm of sprinting at a controlled, teachable speed.
Hockey Transfer
Reinforces the knee-drive, ankle stiffness, paw-back ground contact, and arm rhythm that transfer to off-ice acceleration mechanics and efficient stride recovery; a key technical primer for sprint and skating-pattern speed.
Coaching Cues
- "Tall posture, knee up, toe up"
- "strike under the hip, paw back"
- "punch the arms in rhythm"
Common Mistakes
Reaching the foot out in front (overstriding); collapsing posture; lazy or mistimed arms; landing flat-footed
Progression / Regression
A-skip into a sprint or higher cadence
A-march or A-skip in place
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Alactic/ATP-PC
Put it to work
on the ice.
This exercise is part of a fully periodized 12-week off-ice program — built by a sport scientist who coaches at the national level.
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