Back leg behind, lunge leg forward, centred on the Abspielstelle: how to stand steady in ice stock sport before you play your first stock, step by step.
The correct stance in ice stock sport: you stand centred on the Abspielstelle (the delivery spot), your back leg (the right one if you are right-handed) sits slightly behind and angled at about 45°, and your front lunge leg points roughly at the target [1]. There is not much more to it. But this is exactly where it is decided whether your stock later runs straight or crooked.
The honest answer to "How exactly do I have to stand?": not to the centimetre. The textbook of the Austrian stock sport federation itself says there is not one recipe – every body is different. You first show the beginner form and then adjust it to the person [1]. What matters is that you stand steady and the same way every time.
A word on the evidence: there is hardly any research on technique in ice stock sport. What you read here is federation knowledge – from the Austrian federation's textbook, the international rulebook of the IFI and the German Ice Stock Federation [1][2][3]. That is a practice standard, not a lab finding.
The Abspielstelle is your standing spot. If no foot is on it when you play, the attempt is invalid – and it may not be repeated [2]. You play from a delivery area of 6 × 3 metres on a lane 28 metres long [3].
Stand in the centre of the Abspielstelle. Then you do not have to keep checking whether your foot still touches the marking [1].
If you are right-handed, the right leg is the back leg. During the swing it stands behind the left one, the toe turned about 45° to the Abspielstelle – an eighth of a full turn, so diagonally between "straight ahead" and "sideways". The left leg is the lunge leg and points roughly at the target. Left-handers stand mirror-inverted [1].
Two tips from the textbook: instead of measuring 45°, put a marker on the playing area that the back toe points at roughly. And the front foot does not have to point exactly at the target – otherwise you only stare at your foot instead of at the target [1].
"Back leg" is just a name: your weight shifts between both legs while you swing. That is fine – as long as you do not "wander" in small steps. You can shift weight without lifting your feet. Your upper body may sway slightly forward and back with the momentum of the stock [1].
From bottom to top:
Take up the position without a stock. A teammate gives you a light push in the direction in which the stock will later swing. If you counter it easily, your stance works. If you wobble, you change your stance width [1].
Practice rule of thumb (ours, not a federation value): if you take up the position ten times in a row the same way, without looking at your foot, and pass the push test, you are ready for the Maß.
Practise the sequence as a little choreography without a stock: take your stance, mimic the grip, swing, step forward, follow through [1]. The lunge step should not be too big: ankle, knee and shoulder are in one line [1].
Your equipment is not a toy: a complete men's stock weighs roughly 5 kilograms – stock body up to 3.83 kg plus handle and running sole [2] –, about five packs of sugar in one hand. Ice stock sport loads the body on one side. The textbook therefore advises working on stability early [1].
Never stand behind or in front of a player who is swinging – you wait for the attempt and walk past only afterwards [1]. Wear sturdy shoes and warm up briefly before the first stock. If you have back, knee or shoulder problems, talk to a doctor first.
This guide explains technique and motivates – it does not replace supervised training at a club, where someone corrects your stance live.
Keep adding dry swings with your weaker hand, without a shot and without much force. The textbook calls it a psychological trick: the stability on your good side rises with it [1]. On the side you also notice how much of your stance is otherwise just habit.
Centred on the Abspielstelle, knees slightly bent, upper body upright. The back leg stands behind the lunge leg and is angled at about 45°, the lunge leg points roughly at the target. What matters is a steady stance that you take up the same way every time [1].
If you are right-handed, the right leg is the back leg and the left leg is the lunge leg. Left-handers stand mirror-inverted: left leg is the back leg, right leg the lunge leg [1].
Yes. According to the rulebook at least one foot must be on the stand fixture or marking. Otherwise the attempt is invalid and may not be repeated [2].
Not significantly for beginners. According to the textbook the movement sequence should be very similar in both seasons to build stability. Only for advanced players does the movement dynamic change on the different surfaces [1].
The Maß in Ice Stock Sport: How to Place Your Stock Close to the Daube