You’re probably making at least one of these 4 big crossover mistakes. But they’re easy to correct if you know what to change. So let’s learn how to crossover more comfortably and confidently!

In this video I identify the four biggest crossover mistakes I see skaters – AT ALL LEVELS – making, that cause their skating to be inefficient, and slow(er). We’ll hit the first two errors today, and then cover the others in the next episode.

When you correct these mistakes in your skating, you’ll find yourself quickly adding laps to your 27-in-5 endurance test!

Let’s check it out:

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The Top 4 Crossover Mistakes:

1. Spinning wheels & losing power at the end of each stride. The fix: 90 degree strides, heel wheels leave the ground last.
2. Lopsided skating. The fix: use both legs to power around the track! Practice the inside leg reach and pull.
3. Crossing “over”. The fix: cross UNDER instead.
4. Not enough weight transfer. The fix: my one weird weight-transfer trick.

Today’s video will show you how to get into the right body and foot positioning to make the most out of every stride, every lap, so you can feel more comfortable in your crossovers, and be more efficient getting around the track.

If you’re looking to speed up your jammer lap, or add a scootch to your 27-in-5 test, these fixes are going to help!

[You might also like: 27 Ways to Improve at the 27 Laps Test]

Here are the exercises I recommend in the video:

1. Balance in the correct stride position (outside leg, inside leg – be sure to practice both on both sides!). Aim for 8 seconds of balancing to start, and work your way up to 20-30s each.
2. Single Leg Squats! DO THEM. Learn exactly how, with progressions, in my Single Leg Squats tutorial! (don’t miss this!) 
3. Crossunder swipes – as shown in the video. Practice sets of 10-15 on each leg. 
4. Band or cable straight leg adductor exercise. Start with 3 sets of 10 per side, then increase the tension if possible.

With all of the above exercises you can start out holding on to a chair or wall for balance while you get your body used to making these new and weird shapes. Work your way up to doing them with your own balance.

Remember: the inside leg push follow-through position is awkward, but YOU CAN DO IT. It takes a lot of practice and waking up some of the muscles in your legs that don’t always come out to play on their own, but I know that every single skater out there is capable, with practice! Hang in there!

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