Video Guides for Instructors using the Bullet Skating Treadmill to train skaters through the Competitive Edge Process
The following 3 videos are the most critical pieces of a larger video-based curriculum to teach instructors the process of training using the Bullet Treadmill in the way that Competitive Edge believes will get the most improvement out of each level of player. The video concept is not complete, and as such we have much of the detail that will (in the future) be in the videos on the previous page, which you have just read.
For now, we include the parts of the video-based instructor education process that we have already made. These are parts 6, 7, and 10 and these are the most important pieces for instructors to have a very firm handle on.
We will start with part 6, which discusses the first stage of getting skaters from using the “hold bar” to skating without it. This should first be done at low speed and this is what you’ll see in this video.
While watching these videos, please make sure to take extra note of how you can visually identify problems in skaters’ techniques and the best ways to make corrections.
The next video (part 7) discusses what happens when we take these same skaters up from low-speed without the bar to medium-speed without the bar and the challenges that arise during this transition. It also outlines 2 “interventions” which are ways in which we “go back” and fix issues in technique before we move on to higher speed skating.
One intervention is “Bar Work” where we work on skating stride technique adjustments by going back to using the bar. This eliminates the need to focus on balance, so skaters can better focus on the technique changes we need to make before they resume their progression without the bar.
The second intervention is “Toe Rope” where we use the black front safety rope to hold skaters in the middle of the treadmill while gliding. This helps us to work on deep knee bend glide position, posture, and balance without having to worry about the rest of the stride, so we can help them to achieve proper glide position during the stride.
Plenty of detail is provided in the following video.
Finally, part 10 is “Stride Therapy”. Stride Therapy has been mentioned in both of the above videos. The following video outlines what Stride Therapy is and how to do it. Before you watch, though, we would like you to read a quick summary.
Stride Therapy is a protocol designed by Competitive Edge that accomplishes 3 goals.
- Slows things down to the point where skaters can really focus on knee bend, posture, extension, and forward reach during recovery.
- Makes it evident to the skater when he or she is succeeding with those technique keys and when they are not.
- Gradually brings these qualities into the skater’s normal higher speed, wide push direction, stride.
Stride Therapy starts with skates that are at a high angle and low speed where we work to incorporate deep knee bend, good posture, full extension, and forward recovery. It then gradually reduces the angle and adds the speed while we ask the player to maintain high quality knee bend, posture, extension, and recovery at each stage.
Finally, we get down to low angle and fast speed and preserve as much quality in knee bend, extension, posture, and recovery as possible. It is good to mix stride therapy into a high percentage of the training sessions you do for all skaters, with the exception of beginners (using the bar), and significantly advanced players (where their stride is pretty efficient, and they are focusing more on multitasking or advanced drills like bursts).
Note: For treadmill incline angles of 10 degrees and higher, the BLACK front strap should be used. For angles of less than 10 degrees, the longer RED front strap can be used.