Figure skating coach Kate Charbonneau finishes a multi-part series where she shows a complete 20 minute warm-up edge class. Kate has her skaters start slow and then she picks up the pace, both with the skating and the music for the class. This warm-up is done to music. In Part 1 she shared initial exercises that emphasized slow stretching movements and strong edges and full extensions. In Part 2 she shared an exercise intended to get the heart rate up, work on edge control and body lean, and improve and warm up quickness. In Part 3 she offered exercises to improve stopping skills, as well as knee action and balance. In Part 4, Kate shared an exercise that focused on flow and power and extension (including landing positions) and in Part 5 she added spirals and Ina Bauers, and the focus in Part 6 was transitions and turns and how to include them in a warm-up sequence.
All videos in the series:
Part 1 – intro, initial exercises emphasizing slow stretching movements and strong edges and full extension
Part 2 – increasing heart rate, edge control and body lean, add movements for quickness
Part 3 – improve stopping skills, knee action, balance
Part 4 – focus on flow and power and extension (jump landing positions)
Part 5 – spirals and Ina Bauers
Part 6 – transitions and turns
Part 7 – wrap up and summary
In this final video in the series, Kate begins by clarifying the concept she discussed at the end of Part 6 where she explained how to modify certain turns so skaters of all levels could skate the “same” patterns and general exercises. Here she also explains that it can be beneficial for more advanced skaters to also do simpler turns so they can work on footwork speed and focus on flow. In this way, it is not necessary to have high and low sessions which are often not practical except at bigger training centers.
To finish the video, Kate discusses the general process for building out a 20-30 minute warm-up sequence. She typically uses a music playlist and class list (specific patterns to be skated) for about 2 weeks of daily skating or about 10 sessions, so the skaters master the patterns and enjoy the music, but don’t get bored by either the patterns or music. After 10 days, she creates a whole new warm-up. For reference, Kate notes that 10 minutes of each session would be spent on the slow warm-up patterns and movements (slow open swizzles and hockey lunges), and she breaks the remainder of the session up into roughly 5 minute blocks. Sessions range from 20 to 30 minutes.
The goal is to get to a point where it’s possible to simply put on the music and everyone knows what to do and how to do it, without any explanation or instruction.
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