Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Elizabeth Mullins continues an off-ice class for figure skaters, focusing on athlete strength and mobility and coordination/balance. In Part 1 the goal was to warm up the athletes in the class and this video continues this theme, and Elizabeth again uses “marches” but this time with lateral steps (sideways). Notice the small steps and emphasis on not crossing the mid-line, and how the exercise goes in both directions.
The next exercise is A-skip which is similar to a standard skipping motion but is more structured in terms of knee action and foot placement. Elizabeth says “knee up, toe up” as a way to get the skaters to flex the free foot. The B-skip exercise is similar but uses a forward reach with the free foot before bringing it down to “strike under your hip” with energy to “break glass.” This exercise is followed by a version of alternating skips that is separated by small steps on the ball of the foot. Elizabeth wants the athletes to relax and not be quite so tense and she says, “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. We do things a little slower with less tension and then we’ll have a little more freedom in it.”
Next up is a kind of running skip where one leg extends forward and the other has a strong knee lift. Elizabeth again makes the point of “knee up, toe up” so skaters flex their foot on the knee drive side. This is awkward at first because the straight leg side feels more pointed. Again Elizabeth asks for “quality reps” (correct technique) as skaters tend to focus less on quality and more on simply getting across the room, at least in this kind of group setting.
“Pogos” is the next exercise and consists of jumps straight up with the skater locking the knees and flexing the feet in the air. This is fantastic for skating jump air position development. The skaters then do this exercise hopping slightly forward. This video ends with standard “ankle circles” just to loosen the ankles and lower leg muscles.
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