Ice Skating - The Sport of Agile

By Mohamad Yousuf

The first skates used by the man were made with the small bones taken from animals. Sometimes ago a skate was unearthed in England which indicates that during the early Christian era skates with bone blades were in use. Many centuries later wooden blades replaced the bones and in 16th century iron skates came into existence. At present we have steel bladed skate, which has made possible to perform twists and turns on the ice.

The Scots, who were avid winter sports enthusiasts, wee the fist to develop ice skating as a sport. Later it spread to northern European countries and now it is very popular sport throughout the world. In 1864 the American skaters introduced dancing on ice. From those dancing movements the basic movements of modern figure skating were derived. Among other sports ice skating was also on the first Winter Olympic Games, held at Chamonix, France in 1924.

Canada is the birth place of ice hockey. In 1875 the Montreal University organized Intra-Mural matches in this sport. Canada and Russia are leading countries in ice hockey. They have always dominated the play in the Olympic Games. The first ice hockey Olympic tournament was held in Antwerp in 1920 during the summer Olympic Games and in 1924 it appeared at the Winter Olympics.

Some Asian countries are taking steps to promote and develop the Winter Sports. It is hoped that the Winter Asian Games (on the pattern of Sumer Asian Games) will be staged very soon. Meanwhile, a Winter Sports Federation has been established in our country in 1984, with Mr. K.P. Sindh Deo as Secretary. Some states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have established their regional Winter Sports Association. The J&K State Sports Council is likely to establish regional Winter Sports Association in near future.

Ice hockey is now played in some northern part of India as well. Some local and army enthusiasts organize tournaments in this thrilling sport at Leh and Simla every year. This sport has a very good potential in our state as we have world renowned winter sports resorts here. It is observed that we can produce better winter sports athletes than hockey and cricket players. It would be nice if the J&K Sports Council and other sports organizations construct skating rinks at various places in this mountainous state.

Olympic Games in Winter Sports are staged regularly after every four years. The number of participants is increasing tremendously. In first Winter Olympics altogether 293 sportsmen from 16 countries took part but the 13th Olympic attracted over 1,500 athletes from nearly 40 countries.

The Winter Olympic Games are held in various sports like downhill skiing, Nordic (Cross-Country) skiing, Biathlon, Ski jumping, Ice-hockey, Speed skating, Luge racing, Figure skating, Bobsledding and Tobogganing etc.

Skating is the sport of sliding over smooth ice surface. It falls into various categories such as Speed skating, Figure skating, Ice-hockey, Sea Skating and Sail skating.

Speed Skating:

Speed skating relates to racing. It can be compared to the running events of track and field. In competitions skater has to cover distance, he is competing in minimum time. The usual distances are 220, 440, 880 yards and one and two miles. In Winter Olympics there are five events for men-500, 1000, 1500, 5,000, 10,000 meters; for women 500, 1000, 1500, 3000, meters. The GDR’s Christa Rothenburger has put record in 500 meters race, clocking an amazing 39.69 seconds. The sport demands stamina, endurance and of course technique.

For racing a special type of skate is required. Speed skates have a flat blade that grips the ice along its entire length when a push is made, thus giving greater power. The blades are long, projecting some inches beyond the tow and heal of the shoe. The length of the skate depends upon the size of the skater. The shoe is heelless.

Good style is essential to speed skating. The movements should be smooth and the body low. Skaters should arch the body slightly and incline forward from the hips with the weight on heels. To become a good skater, an aspirant must practice distance work and sprinting every day. A sprinter must concentrate on starts and turning corners and distance skater on smooth technique and endurance. The fast skating develops strong legs.

Figure-Skating:

Figure skating consists of three major areas; figures, ice dancing and free skating. It is nothing but fancy skating, depending on tact, style and technique. In competitions, the skaters are judged on form and grace of movements (like in Gymnastics), both for school figures and free skating. School figures are a set of skating patterns required to be skated to the satisfaction of judges. The single figures are the edges, loops, rockers and counters, skated without a chance of edge. The compound or advance figures are skated with a change of edge. Skater takes series of eight tests, each more difficult for judging, tracing (snaps and proportions of the print), form of the skater, triple repetitions. In brief Figure skating teaches the skater control of his body, mastery of this edges and poise.

Free skating is the part of a skating schedule where the skater executes to music a program of his own choosing and arrangements. The time is limited. The skater generally has to perform certain acrobatics, jumps and spins, good dance steps and moves. For becoming a free skater one has to learn the school figures first. The dance skating is performed individually and in pairs. The dancers wear fancy dresses. The ice dancing competitions have become keen. Athletes from Canada and the USA are joining the traditional rivalry of USSR and British dancers. Figure Skating and Ice dancing are for the experienced.

The figure skates are entirely made of steel, but of tubular construction as in the speed skating; the blade is wider that the speed or ice hockey skates. The blade is curved at the front end, thus leaving only about one inch in contact with ice. This curve permits sharp curves and spins but cuts down the speed. Its forward edge is curled up and saw teethed to enable quick stops. The shoe has a heel. Women skaters wear black shoes, just about ankle bone high.

Ice Hockey:

1.  Description: Ice-hockey, a goad game is played on ice surface (rink) by a team of 6 players. The team consists of a goalkeeper, right defence, centre, right wing and left wing. A team can field 17 players and 2 goalies all wearing same uniform. The objective is to propel the puck (disk), along the ice and shoot it into the opponent’s goal. Each goal counts one point.

2.  Rink: Generally known as field of play. The top players use a rink 61 meters long and 30 meters wide. It may be somewhat smaller however, 51 meters long and 26 meters wide. The minimum size of a rink is 25 X 12 meters. The 61 meter rink has 18 meters blue lines from the goal lines, whereas the shorter rink has 11 meter lines. The middle, as it is often called red line, is made in the middle of the rink. All lines are 30 cm wide. The radius of the centre circle and the two-face off circles in each zone are 4.5 meters. The rink is rectangular in shape with curved corners. Goal size 183 cm wide and 1223 cm high. They are made from steel pipes with an outer diameter of 5 cm.

3.  Equipment:

a) The ice hockey skate is of tubular aluminum with a steel blade, which is narrow and somewhat curved. The front and rear parts of the blades have to be dull and rounded for making sharp turns and skating backward much easier. The skate is permanently attached to a heelless shoe which is equally with a hard box toe for protection. The boot should fit the foot snugly and the lace firmly but not too tightly. The skate should protect a half inch front and back of the shoe. In accordance with the rules, a polythene or rubber cap has to be fitted over the rear tip of the blade to protect against injuries. Make sure your skates are always well sharpened.

b) A wood stick consists of a long handle with blade on the end, is used to propel the puck. The length, top of handle to heel, may not exceed 53 inches; the blade length may not exceed 14 ¾ inches. The height of blade may not exceed 3 inches except for the goalkeepers (3 ½ inches). As a rule it must not be higher than chin. Sticks are numbered from 1 to 9.

c) To protect the foot, a player should have a tall pad-guard at the back of the boot which will protect his foot from the puck. A pad is also placed under the boots tongue. To protect the body, a light shoulder, breast and hit pads are used. The goalkeeper wears body protectors, large goal pads and padded gauntlets. The other players use only light padded hockey gloves, chin, elbow and knee guards etc. The guards also protect the genitals from hits. Special plastic helmets of various designs are also used now. The goalies protect their face with special masks. Some players use special guards to protect the jaw and teeth. Coming out onto the ice don’t forget to check your protective gear thoroughly.

d) The puck (ball in field hockey) consists of disks of vulcanized rubber, 3 inches in diameter and one inch thick, black in color and about 51/2 to 6 inches in weight

4.  Game Duration: The game consists of three periods of 20 minutes of clean time with 10 minutes intervals between each period. The teach exchange goals after the end of each period.

5.  Skills and Technique: In Ice-hockey mastery of fundamentals is essential. Speedy and shifty skating must be acquired by long practice and experience. Some essential techniques are briefly discussed as under:

a) Skating: - The first qualification for an ice hockey player is the ability to skate well to move about the ice with utmost speed and quickness with grace and balance, combined with endurance. One should practice the short, quick and forceful strides. Always stride from hips and keep knees well bent and flexible. In skating down the ice, move in a straight line. The zigzag skating cuts down the speed tremendously. The player should have quick start and breaking ability. During the play one has to start from a dead stop and gain full momentum quickly. To stop, turn the skates at right angles to the line of direction, throw the full weight on the outside skate. The player should have quick start and breaking ability. During the play one has to start from a dead stop and gain full momentum quickly. To stop, turn the skates at right angles to the line of direction, throw the full weight on the outside skate.

b) Holding the stick: - Hold the stick as you hold the broom preparatory to sweeping. Usually the right-hand player holds the stick with his right hand about 2 feet below the left hand, which is near the handle.

c) Passing: - Accurate passing is important fundamental in ice hockey. One should learn and practice the passes rigorously. In passing the puck, place the bottom edge of the blade flat on the ice with the puck in the middle of the blade and sweep it in the desired direction. To receive the puck, place the bottom edge of the blade flat on the ice and let the blade give a little as the puck hits. If the stick is held too rigidly the puck will rebound and may be lost. Keep grip soft.

d) Shooting: - The player must also have the ability to shoot accurately. The basic types of shot in ice hockey are the sweep or swing, the snap, the slap, the flip and the drag. While all the shorts may be executed either from a player’s forehand or his backhand side. Wrist action and follow through are most important in shooting. Practice constantly in an effort to make the shots quickly and from every angle, keep the puck travelling now.

e) Stick handling: - It is somewhat called dribbling. After learning all the basic skills one should develop the ability to handle stick and puck properly. While dribbling keep blade in contact with the puck and sweep it gently back and forth; left and right. Don’t keep an eye on it. Batting or slapping at the puck will make it jump around. The stick can be used both sides. Don’t stop before stop before making a feint. Successful stick handling is largely a matter of deception. Dribbling is key to success in iced hockey but to use it too much may defeat team play. It leads to individual play rather than team play. Besides all the above skills, one should also learn stopping the puck with body, by-passing, snatching the puck, body checking and tactics.

6. Penalties: - The following penalties can be imposed on the players during the game:

Minor penalties and Major penalties; penalties for misconduct, penalty short, tripping, pushing against the boards, broken stick, body checking elbow and knee crossing, blocking, off-side and throwing the stick.

Sea - Skating:

Sea-skating can be well described as trekking on frozen sea. During hard winters the Swedish and other European skating enthusiasts organize long distance skating expeditions, covering about 100 miles and even more at a stretch on the frozen brackish waters of the Baltic and Lake Malaren. They undertake day long skating trips from one shore to another and explore the virgin black-ice.

The adventurers are well equipped with 22 inch skate, rucksack, safety line, ice picks, ice probe, maps, buoyant jackets, ski poles, pack lunch, whistle and warm and wind proof clothes etc.

Like all other adventurous activities the long distance skating on sea is hazardous, challenging and dangerous. The explorer must have tremendous courage, endurance and strength. During such ventures a skater has to trek on thin, thick, rock-hard, porous and mushy, snow covered bare, smooth and bumpy ice. The treacherous wind hole or patches of thin over ice can trap the skater and then cut him as he falls. One should never undertake such ventures alone because there are chances of sinking into the icy water. The skating on the sea is a team effort. Sometime they have to face fast blowing winds. On such occasions a strong skater leads the trail and makes an effective win-break. After a while he drops back and someone else takes over.

Sail - Skating:

Sail-Skating is becoming popular in Stockholm. Many sail skating clubs have come up in Sweden. The skaters are to go across the frozen lakes and sea at tremendous speeds by a hand-held or shoulder supported sail. The sport requires tremendous strength and balance. As long as there is wind at the backs of the skaters they move swiftly with almost no effort. But sometime the skater has to struggle with fast blowing winds, which can throw him away ro drag him towards the broken ice patches. The feeling of Sail-skating can be compared with downhill skiing.

In brief Ice skating is a struggle, an opportunity for the resourceful, a competition in ability, endurance, flexibility and strength. It makes the player bold and develops his ability to overcome pain. It also provides a chance for self assertion.

The article was published in the magazine “Gulala” published by Dean Students Welfare Office, Kashmir University in July 1985