Immediate Pivot (Heel)

The "Heel Pivot / Immediate Pivot" gets its name from the fact that your heels face up ice as you immediately switch your skates to prepare for your backwards crossover acceleration. The advantage of the heel pivot is that it is the quickest and most explosive way to back up. In situations where speed is most important, and body position does not matter, this is a great choice of transition. The disadvantage of the "Immediate Pivot" is that you sacrifice body position, so often if you are gapping up on an attacker, the "Immediate Pivot" can get you into trouble. This is because you are (almost always) committing yourself to the backwards crossover, which is required to get your skates back to square. This commitment to the crossover can be exploited by forwards as they can deke back the other way, as you are crossing over. "Immediate Pivots / Heel Pivots," are commonly used in situations such as on the hinge for defencemen, and on the wings for breakouts and re-groups. They are also very powerful when used in situations where you need to back up quickly to get ready to receive a pass.