Stop striding and glide into the approach with your head up, knees bent and feet shoulder-width apart. Place the skate you wish to turn directly in front of the other, with a heel-toe relationship. Then, turn your head and shoulder in the direction of forward movement and bring your arms and stick to the same side. Lean well from the hips down inside the half circle that your skates will make on the surface. Distribute your weight evenly on both skates, with pressure on the outside edge of the lead foot and the inside edge of the trail foot. Do not sit back on the skates.

Skates should remain shoulder-width apart. Once your skates have traveled a complete half moon on the surface, you may execute a crossover to power out of the turn, or keep the skates on the surface and use a sculling technique to power out.

Pivot front to back

For a forward to backward pivot, gain forward momentum and coast on the left skate. Straighten up and rotate the right skate outward (as close to 180 degrees as possible) in almost a heel to heel position. The turn is started by rotating the right shoulder backwards, with the torso and hips following. Transfer the weight from the left skate to the right skate. Step down on the right skate to relieve the weight on the skate by going from bent knees to straight legs. This will help in transferring from the left to right skate.

Finish the pivot by turning the left skate so it is positioned parallel with the right skate. Push to the side with the right skate and begin to skate backwards. Be sure to practice the pivot on both sides.

Pivot back to front

The player is in motion backwards. To turn to the left, transfer the weight to the right skate. The turn is initiated by rotating the left shoulder backward; the torso and hips follow. Lift the left skate off the surface and turn it as close to 180 degrees as possible, gliding straight back on the right skate. Then, transfer the weight to the left skate to complete the turn.

At the moment of the weight transfer, dig in the right skate and push hard, fully extending the right leg. Now you are ready to start forward striding. It is important to accelerate out of the turn and learn the pivot from both sides.

Quick turn or �S� stop

Stop skating and let yourself glide into the approach. Keep your head up, knees bent, and feet shoulder width apart. Place the skate, on the side you wish to stop, directly in front of the other skate with a heel-to-toe relationship. The lead skate must be the one on the same side you are turning to (i.e., when turning to the right, the right foot must be in front of the left.). Lead the turn with a turn of your head and shoulders in the direction you want to stop and bring your arms and stick to the same side.

Your weight should be distributed as evenly as possible on both skates. Pressure is on the outside edge of the leading foot and inside edge of the trailing skate. Do not sit back on your skates. Maintain them at a shoulder-width apart around the quarter of the semi-circle. Once your skates start to produce a turn, bear down with extreme force, causing the skates to go into a �quick turn.� As you stop you will feel a force trying to propel you out of the stop. Be prepared and counter this with proper body lean.

Crossover start

Start in the basic stance, skates shoulder width apart, knees flexed and your back straight. Next, turn your head and place your stick in the direction in which you intend to go. Then take the outside foot and step it over the inside foot, remembering to stay down and not hop. When the outside foot comes in contact with the surface it must be on the inside edge. This will allow that foot to become the driving foot in the push phase of skating. Take the original inside skate and place it down on the surface close to the inside edge of the driving skate. This should make a �T� out of the skates. Next, drive with the inside edge and continue the skating stride.

V-start

Start in a basic stance, skates shoulder-width apart, knees flexed, and back straight. Next, turn the heels in (toes outward) to make a �V� with the skates, while leaning slightly forward. This puts weight on the front part of the foot and starts to drive off either the right or left skate on the first stride and alternate legs with each stride.

First, stride with each foot in a short driving stride. More like running (choppy strides or steps). The next two strides are slightly longer, and as the strides increase in length, the angle of the wheels decreases. The third or fourth stride have a wheel angle of 35-40 degrees. The skates are low to the surface for a quick recovery phase.

Gradually straighten up as you reach maximum speed. Place three sticks in front of each player. Practice proper starting technique as you step over the sticks with short quick steps before lengthening your strides. Make sure your skate is approaching the 90 degree mark and you are stepping onto the inside edge during the first step. The skate angle will decrease as steps increase. The hardest portion of this drill is the initial step�watch it carefully.