Developing Hip Turn-Out – Stretching for Figure Skaters (Kristina Anderson)

Figure skating strength and conditioning coach Kristina Anderson discusses how to develop hip flexibility and improved hip turn-out. This is extremely important in figure skating and applies to T-stops, spirals, lunges, camel spins, Ina Bauers, spread eagles, jump landing positions, mohawks, and choctaws, just to name some obvious ones. This set of exercises and stretches is one of the most important that any figure skater can do.

In the video, note the details on how to do these stretches correctly. In the V-stretch, Kristina notes that the kneecaps and toes should point straight up. In the open squat the knees should track over the toes and the hips should not drift backwards. These are tiny details, but they make the difference between getting a correct and efficient stretch and wasting your time.

Watch the demonstrations carefully and apply these stretches daily. Kristina recommends doing them 6 or 7 days a week. All serious figure skaters should be doing these stretches daily as hip turn-out is such an important part of the sport.