Figure skating coach Amy Brolsma explains and demonstrates how she teaches lunges to beginner skaters. As she explains, the lunge provides a great way for young skaters to work on core control (hips) and get used to bending more deeply as they skate. It also works on extension and stretching. As Amy notes, many young skaters love the feeling of the lunge and it’s critical that they learn it correctly.
She shows how she starts in T-position and gradually presses forward, bending the skating knee and pressing it forward over the skating toe. Initially she simply has the skater press forward without moving, thus creating a stationary mini-lunge. When they have mastered that she proceeds to the full lunge. It often takes time to get the lunge down to a low position where the back foot is riding on the side of the boot and not the blade.
The back leg should be straight and the hips should be underneath with the body up. The most common error is dropping the upper body forward. Putting the hands in a frame or other positions often help to keep the body up. For skaters with poor hip control, Amy goes back to the stationary drill. She also has the skater place both hands on the hips to build awareness of the hip movements. To get down low, many skaters need to work on stretching the hip flexor.
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