International coach Page Lipe explains and demonstrates a number of valuable exercises to help skaters develop body awareness as it relates to figure skating. These exercises not only build awareness, but also strength and muscle memory for correct positions and movements.
In the first exercise, Page has the skater stand on tip-toes while she presses down on the top of the skater’s head. This forces the skater to engage the core and work on proper alignment. She also does a version where she pulls up on the skater’s head to try to identify alignment issues. For skaters with arm issues, Page has the skater hold the arms where she wants them and then tries to move them while the skater resists. This is helpful for skaters who simply lack awareness of their arms or skaters that lack quick and powerful arm movements.
Next Page has the skater stand sideways next to the boards in an h-position with the free leg away from the wall. She pulls out on the skater’s knee and the skater tries to pull the knee inward, thus building the strength and awareness of the internal hip rotation needed for efficient triples and quads. She explains how a dynamic version of this exercise where the skater moves into a d-position or also in the landing position can be very effective. Page also pushes down on the skater’s free hip. To maximize the difficulty, the skater can stand on the toe pick during these drills at the wall.
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