Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Matthew Blair Davis shares an at-home off-ice mobility and flexibility workout that everyone can do in their homes during the coronavirus lockdown. He is joined in the video by his daughter who demonstrates the exercises. This video is focused on developing the mobility and flexibility necessary to easily perform a front split that was recommended in this video.
The first exercise uses a towel and has the skater lying down facing up on the floor. The skater then puts the towel over one foot of the raised leg while the other leg remains on the floor with the foot flexed and rotated inward. The process uses a sequence of active muscle engagement of 3-5 seconds followed by muscle relaxation and stretching from the towel and hands. The goal is to get the raised leg as high as possible towards the head while keeping the legs straight.
The next exercise is a supported front split position, where the skater supports the position with the hips well off the floor using some kind of spacer, in this case some books. By lowering the stack of books the skater can progressively make progress toward the full front split. Once a skater can do a full front split, it’s possible to continue to increase mobility and flexibility by placing a spacer (a book) under the front calf to allow the hips to drop further. Notice the emphasis on keeping the upper body upright during these exercises.
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