...No matter what your age, to be a good skater on the Oval requires that you must be efficient technically. You may be small like the Asian skaters or large like the New Zealand and Dutch skaters and yet still be able to improve all of your times.

The simplest thing that you should remember about the Oval is that you should attempt to SKATE THE SHORTEST DISTANCE POSSIBLE AT ALL TIMES. Example: Why should a 12 year old be skating out near the boards at any speed? More than likely they were taught to swing out before entering the turn, even though they don't have the true speed to be skating out there. All they are doing is skating further and allowing better technical skaters, who may not even be as fit, the chance to challenge in the race.

In the April issue of this newsletter, IAN HENNIGAR gave a very nice description of how to set your skates. Most skaters believe that they must offset their skates to be able to hold the turns tightly. Unfortunately for most of these skaters they don't realize that the amount of rocker (radius) on their blades, the curve of the blade and even the type of boot you have all contribute to the way you skate on the track. The key is to try to have experienced people help you with your equipment. Then, maybe, you will be able to concentrate on holding the track "tighter."

Most clubs have someone who taped the Olympics and the Worlds in Denver. Watch them again and look for things that the World's best do that you don't.

Example 1: The Ladies 500m final at the Olympics is a classic on how to skate a tight track at speeds close to World record times. How do they do it? Practicing their techniques at high speeds in training. Why do they skate a tight track without swinging out to the boards? They are trying to skate the shortest distance possible and they also know that any passing moves usually are on the inside. Note the finish. CATHY TURNER of the U.S. thought she had the inside protected, but LI YAN of China was still able to challenge her for the Gold. These women are living proof that if you skate more that 47.0 in the 500 you don't have to swing out to the boards.

Example 2: New Zealand's MIKE MCMILLEN is an imposing figure on skates especially next to the Korean skaters and FREDERIC BLACKBURN in the 1000m. He relies more on his fitness than his technique to skate as fast as he does. Watch his races and when he winds up he goes "board to board". That is, he skates much longer than his opponents and must be fitter and faster to be able to hold his position. Work on holding your track tight, especially on the exit of the turn.

... the Oval is the type of track you must also skate well on the straightaways... On the Oval you need to use the straights to increase your speed or pass your opponents.

Example 3: MARK LACKIE set the World Record in the 500 meters in Denver in his semi-finals. He was able to do this by passing on the inside on the last top of the race. Was he able to hold the subsequent turn? Yes, he was. His results are from hours of practicing at high speeds over the last year.

To put it simply, skate the race as efficiently as possible without venturing any further off the blocks than necessary. Work on holding the track as tight as possible. Young skaters should learn how to skate tight on the turns and directly down the straightaway to the next turn. As these young skaters get older, their technique and strength will compensate for their increased size and they should still be able to skate the track tight.

Older skaters who are new to Short Track may find it difficult to hold the turns tight. Most club coaches emphasize leaning into the turn and pushing directly out to help compensate for the lack of co-ordination and/or confidence.

There isn't any real secret in how to skate on the Oval track. Anyone can do it and enjoy him or herself. But if you want to keep improving your times, there are a number of things that you have to factor in. Write these down on a piece of paper and evaluate yourself, then let your coach help out.

Equipment, Turn Technique, Straightaway Technique, Co-ordination and Flexibility, and Fitness. Evaluate these five areas with your coach and then pinpoint the areas you need to work on the most.

Ideal pattern - right next to blocks throughout turn – direct line on straights
Sprint pattern used by top men. People tend to drift out of the turn and also enter wider.

Do you skate a heat the same as a final? Are they different or similar? These are questions every skater should be able to answer easily. What’s your choice, different or similar?

Before we get to the answer, let’s consider what the goal of each race is. The only concern in racing a heat is to qualify for the next round of racing. Without qualifying you certainly will not be in the running for a Championship or a medal. The goal of a final is to win or place as high as possible. Since these two goals are completely different the approach to each type of race must also be DIFFERENT. Yes, I believe the answer to the question is definitely different.

Smart skaters are skaters who are well prepared; they know what risks they are willing to take and in what part of the race they will take these risks before stepping onto the ice. Unfortunately, too many skaters skate every race as if it were a final. How many skaters have you seen been disqualified in a heat before the last two laps of the race? More than half of the disqualifications in heats are before the last 200m. Briefly, skaters take extreme risks in making bad passes resulting in a disqualification when being patient and waiting for potential opportunities and planning a pass would decrease the skater’s likelihood of being disqualified and increase the odds of qualifying for the next round of racing, the goal of the race. There is no excuse for any skater to be disqualified prior to the last 200m in a race except his\her own lack of thinking smart.

Heats in a low level type of competition are the place to experiment with new strategies and tactics. This experimentation is important for a skater to develop and to learn what works well and what doesn’t. The Provincial and National Championships are not the place to be experimenting. A solid race plan for different situations should have already been designed and discussed with your coach prior to the race.

Racing a final requires a different approach. In order to win in a closely contested race, skaters must be more aggressive and willing to take more chances than in heats. A skater must attempt to remain in the top 3 positions of the race when there is less than 800m left. This will allow the skater to be well positioned for the final break in longer races. At high speeds, it is very difficult to pass. If a skater has to pass more than one or two skater to win, it will definitely make the task much harder.

All of this is easy to say, but under the pressure of the event is when it really counts. Even 5-time World Champion, SYLVIE DAIGLE, made the mistake of being too aggressive in her heat at the 1994 Winter Olympics. She was willing to take the risk in her heat of crowding into CATHY TURNER of the U.S. in the first few steps of the race. The result of clicking skates cost SYLVIE the opportunity to advance and to pursue a chance of winning an Olympic Gold Medal! With only three in her heat and two to qualify to the next round of racing she should have understood the risks of a collision with another skater at the start of a race.

Remember, a heat is DIFFERENT than a final. Skate smart, and be sure to understand your race strategy before stepping onto the ice.

In the past I had the chance to see some very good races between Canada, New Zealand and France. In most of the finals it was difficult to predict who would win the race. I think that strategy and tactics made the difference on the ice. If strategy and tactics are important for international skaters they are also important for provincial and national skaters.

What is strategy? By definition strategy is a general racing plan. Each skater should have a plan before they go onto the ice.

In a strategy you want to plan what is the best race for you. This is where tactics start to play a role. Tactics are a series of actions that the skater will accomplish on the ice to realize the strategy plan.

In having a strategy plan the skater can react quicker to any situation. With tactics the skater will make something happen rather than waiting for things to happen. With my experience as an international skater and coach I can tell you that a skater performs better when he/she makes things happen. In using strategy and tactics you start to control the race, you don't let the race control you.

Competition is the best place to practice strategy and tactics. Having said that it is important to realize that some competitions must be like training sessions where the goal is not to win but to try some new things. If you don't try you will never learn and trying means more than once. Watching videos is another way to learn about strategy and tactics. By watching videos you can pick up some moves that the best skaters accomplish and you can also learn some details about your opponents.

I hope this article will help you to improve your knowledge. Don't forget that if you don't try, it's impossible to learn. You may wish to review the excellent article by Mike Murray in the January '95 issue of SKATERS EDGE that described, in detail, some specific tactics that have proven to be very successful.

Guy Daignault was elected to the CASSA Hall of Fame in 1987. He was a former three time World Chamipion and National Coach.

The article below describes several scenarios that are encountered in short track speed skating. Some may also correspond to mass start, long track, speed skating as well.

Wind resistance causes the greatest problems with strategy in mass start events. If there were no advantage to be gained by drafting and, therefore, reducing wind resistance, everyone would want to be out in front at all times (closer to a running race).

Here are lists of things that are useful to know before the race:

Know your own strengths and weaknesses. It is very important to enter each race with your OWN plan and even BACK UP plans would not hurt.
Who is in the race with you? Are they stable, strong in endurance, sprinters, etc.?
Know the qualifications for the race to advance to the next round or the point totals before the race. Know what you need in your particular circumstance.
Discuss your strategy with your coach so that s/he can help you from the coach’s box with times, distances between skaters, what other skaters are doing, etc.
Be prepared for minor equipment failures, broken laces, bolt loose, etc., by having a well-equipped skate bag.

Where should I be in the pack at different times in the Race?

There are many variables to this question depending upon the items mentioned above. Below are some general guidelines. There are times when these do not apply but normally they will be the best position to be in.

	500	1000	1500	3000
Off the start	1-2	1-3	2-5	2-5
1/3 through the race	1-2	1-3	2-5	2-5
2/3s through the race	1	1-2	1-3	2-5
5/6s through the Race	1	1	1-2	1-3
Crossing the finishing line	1	1	1	1

Moving within a pack can be difficult especially as it gets close to the finish.

It is always easier to pass earlier in the race when the pace is slower.
Moving to the front of the pack is quite often easier than trying to squeeze into a pack and risk being disqualified or falling. You probably won't lead for long unless you are at maximum speed because those skaters in 3rd to 6th positions will be moving up soon as no one wants to be at the back.
Move up one position further than you wanted to go on the straightaway then slip one position back.
It's easier to gently finesse yourself into a position than force your way into a pack. This also minimizes the chance of being disqualified.

How to hold your line in a pack without someone moving in front of you?

Stay very close to the person in front of you, do not leave space for someone to squeeze into.
Follow a tight line coming out of the corner then stay close to the person in front of you. Stagger your skating path. Skate within one third of a body width inside or outside of the skater in front to make it more difficult for others to pass you and the skater in front.
Hold your line going into the corner; keep your weight on your right skate to hold your line against someone moving in.

Strategies for races

A long race (1500m-3000m): During the first start of a long race you don't normally want to lead because it is more tiring, although you normally stay out of trouble when you are in the lead. (You don't get knocked down in a fall or step on kicked blocks.)

If you are leading early in a race and you don't want to but you cannot get anyone else to lead, then pick up the speed for about a lap and pull to the right quickly as you enter the corner. This will be normally force the other skaters to go in front of you unless they are smart and read this article too. They should just follow you, not turn and skate the usual corner.

During the middle of a race you want to be positioned very close to the front of the pack, listening and watching in case someone makes a fast break. When passing in a race try to slip into the new position by reducing your side area (sometimes standing up helps reduce the space you require).

If you want to make a long break, it is better to get a gap so no one can draft behind you. This is harder to do as the race goes on because the pace generally increases. It is best to set up a break and try to catch the others off guard. This can normally be done with long, hard, quiet strides. If the pack catches you then the decision to make is whether or not there are too many laps left to lead the pack.

If you are at the front of the pack and someone breaks then you must decide if you will chase or not and how hard to chase. Knowing their ability and endurance capacity helps in this decision.

Toward the end of the race

The speed normally increases as the race nears the end. It is a lot more difficult to pass at higher speeds. Your ability to pass and your knowledge of how difficult it is to pass the other skaters should affect your decision as to where you want to be in the pack.

It is normally better to have the other skaters in a position of having to pass you rather than you getting caught behind. You should skate a defensive track when leading near the end of a race. This is done by staying closer to the blocks coming out of the corner and entering the next corner also a little tighter. You have to skate a little slower to do this but it is generally worth it.

If you are caught behind skaters towards the end of the race and there is not enough room to pass on the inside; or they are skating a defensive track or there are two or more skaters together, you should pass outside. It may take a lap or more on the outside to pass but it is still better than staying where you are and hoping for a lucky break.

Holding a tight track and not letting anyone into the position in front of you are very important tactics at the end of a race. When passing make sure you set the pass up and finish through with it. There is no such thing as half a pass (this is usually called a DQ).

The Sprint Race (500m)

You should be well warmed up mentally and physically for this race. You should be thinking about going fast, no matter what happens. The start is very important but passing at top speed is the key to the race.

In a 500m race you want to go hard for one lap, maintain your speed for one lap and work hard during the last two and a half laps with a defensive track. Moving up positions as soon as possible is very important in a sprint because you do not have the time to close large gaps.

The Long Sprint Race (1000m)

This race is normally fairly fast from the start and usually does not spread out like the other distances, so being in the right position when the final sprint happens is critical because passing at high speed is very difficult.

In this distance you usually have to stay in a good position because of the speed. You cannot afford to be caught behind. If you are leading towards the end of the race, skate a defensive track to reduce the chance of an inside pass; an outside pass gives you more time to react to the passing skater.

The Long Races (1500+3000m)

The early part of these races are not as critical as in the shorter distances. These races allow you the luxury of time to move into the top 3 positions. It is critical that near the end of the race prior to the break you are in the first three positions. Any further back will increase the difficulties of passing cleanly several times at maximum speed in an effort to work your way to the front. If you do fall back to fourth or worse, pass right up to the front before the pace enters the sprint stage. Don't wait.

There are many things that can happen during a race for which you cannot always be prepared, however, if you try to skate your race and not someone else's you will probably be more successful and satisfied that you did your best.