CAN A SKATE HELP YOUR HIPS?
The idea that ankle flex might also help reduce wear and tear in the hips wasn’t something we went into the testing phase expecting, but after hearing similar sentiments from Lindgren, Hawthorne and a couple other younger testers, it had to be mentioned.
That is especially true given some of the concerns we’ve heard from NHL goalie coaches about a rise in injuries they think might be tied to the trend towards stiff skates chasing the “no lost energy transfer” mantra. With the angle between the foot and shin more fixed in those newer, stiffer traditional skates, all that energy has to go somewhere when you slide into a post, or grab an edge to stop a powerful lateral slide in the butterfly, and some coaches are concerned its going up the chain into the knees and hips, a concern mentioned to Elliotte Friedman for one of his weekly 32 Thoughts columns on Sportsnet this season. If that theory is correct, would goalies in KONEKT notice less stress on knees and hips because of the give in the ankle?
“Oh, yeah,” Lindgren said. “The last couple of years my ankles I felt would get tight and that would translate up — it’s all a chain — and then my hips would get tight. My body felt great this year, my hips felt awesome, and I think it’s because of that mobility, and the ability for my ankle to be able to have that movement where it’s not so locked in that I feel super tight.”
Again, it’s just anecdotal evidence, but Hawthorne echoed those sentiments.
“Particularly as somebody who has dealt with hip problems, the extra ankle mobility is wonderful,” he said. “The fit is great, probably the best-feeling Bauer I’ve had.”
ingoalmag.com
at the end
