Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Elizabeth Mullins shares a very helpful training aid for figure skaters. She begins by explaining how on the ice skaters have a very limited range of motion in the foot and ankle due to the “support” provided by the typical skating boot. She says, “Skaters rely on the boot to do a lot of the work, so what we want to do outside of the boot is strengthen their foot and their ankle.”
The training aid Elizabeth is using is an AxisBoard Balance Board. There are a very large number of low-cost versions of this device, and can be found online by searching on “ankle balance board” or “ankle strengthener” or “ankle board for balance training” or something similar. These devices are typically reconfigurable and provide independent stabilization/movement between the ball and heel of the foot. Elizabeth says, “It dissociates the heel from the front of the foot” which works the foot more fully than when they are locked together (in the boot or even flat on the floor).
The first exercise has the balance board set up with a fully stabilized heel and a front section with a side-to-side rocking balance requirement. The first goal is to simply balance on one foot without looking down. The exercise then continues by transitioning slowly and under control from the upright balanced position to a balanced spiral/camel position, and then a balanced sit spin position (i.e. pistol squat or shoot-the-duck).
In the second configuration, the heel is balancing from side to side, and the front is stable and set to face upward. This setup elevates the big toe and Elizabeth notes, “Big toe mobility is important for athletes, for them to be able to push off the ice and engage with their glutes.” The exercises are the same, starting with basic balance and then working slowly through different balanced positions. If the board gets turned or twisted, Elizabeth explains this is typically caused by trying to use the hips to balance rather than stabilizing first with the foot.
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