# Hockey Stop

Part of the Skating Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/skating/guide/index.md)

*2. Option A — Ice Skating*

> **2a14.** Perform a hockey stop.

The hockey stop is one of the most dramatic and satisfying techniques in ice skating — a sudden, powerful halt that sends a spray of ice shavings forward. It is the standard stopping method for hockey players and is more advanced than the snowplow stop you learned in Requirement 2a6.

### How to Perform a Hockey Stop

1. **Build real speed.** The hockey stop works best with momentum behind it — approach your stopping point with strong forward skating speed.
2. **Turn both feet sharply sideways.** In one quick motion, rotate both feet 90° so they are perpendicular to your direction of travel. If you were skating left to right, your feet now point toward or away from the boards.
3. **Dig in both inside edges.** As you turn, press both inside edges hard into the ice. Your knees bend sharply as you sink into the stop.
4. **Let your body follow the turn.** Your hips and shoulders rotate with your feet — do not try to keep your torso facing forward while your feet turn sideways.
5. **The ice shavings fly.** Done correctly, the grinding edges throw a spray of ice in front of you and you come to a complete halt within one to two body lengths.

### Which Side to Stop On?

Skaters typically stop on a preferred side (most commonly stopping to the left, or "heel side," for right-handed skaters). Your counselor does not require you to stop on both sides, but practicing both will make you a more versatile skater.

### Common Mistakes

**Turning only the lower body.** If your upper body fights the rotation, you will spin out or fall. Rotate everything together.

**Not committing to the edge pressure.** A tentative hockey stop is an incomplete stop. You need to trust the edges and commit to the full weight shift.

**Trying it at slow speed.** Counterintuitively, hockey stops are easier with more speed. At very slow speeds, the edge scrape just makes you stumble — you need momentum for the edges to bite cleanly.

> **Safety First!**
>
> Practice hockey stops at moderate speed and increase gradually. Attempting at maximum speed before the technique is solid often leads to a hard fall. Build up incrementally.

> **Did You Know?**
>
> The ice spray in a perfect hockey stop comes from the blade scraping a thin layer of ice crystals from the surface. The heat from friction briefly melts the ice surface, and the rapid scraping launches those near-liquid crystals forward in a dramatic fan.

## Official Resources

Video: [Perform a Hockey Stop (video)](https://youtu.be/nIfU38nAYYk)

---

- Previous: [Ice Race Safety](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/skating/guide/req2a-13/index.md)
- Next: [Roller Skating Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/skating/guide/req2b/index.md)