Figure skating strength and conditioning expert Elizabeth Mullins begins an off-ice class for figure skaters, focusing on athlete strength and mobility and coordination/balance. This video focuses on warming up the skaters for additional training. Elizabeth begins the class with “knee hugs” where the skaters slowly walk forward while bringing the free knee to the chest. She has the skaters extend through the ankle on each step. The next exercise is “knee cradles” while walking slowly back, where the skater lifts the lower leg parallel to the floor in front of them with the arms.
The next exercise is a basic quad stretch with the standing side arm overhead, again walking slowly and extending upward through the ankle and grabbing free foot with same side arm. On the way back she has the skaters use opposite hand and foot with a hinge at the waist to warm up the hamstrings. Next she has the class travel backwards and do “inverted hamstring heel” exercise that is similar to a back spiral but has the skater “lead with the heel” while pointing the thumbs up. She wants the skaters to retract the shoulder blades and open up the chest on this exercise. Continuing, she has the class do “lateral shift lunges” which consists of side lunges and pivots and weight shifts.
Next up she has the class do “walk out inchworm” with ankle movement to “tip toe up.” This consists of a toe touch starting position, then walking out with the arms to a plank position and then walking back on tip toes to the starting position.
As a way to start the skipping patterns, she has the class do basic “marches.” These are knee raises while taking very small forward steps and stepping down onto the foot directly under the hip. Elizabeth demonstrates and says, “We’re intentionally driving into the ground, staying tall.” The next exercise is “switch and stick” which hops from one foot to the other (switch) using the marches just covered and stabilizing the landing quickly (stick). Elizabeth then wants a sped up version that actually skips a little. Notice the arm swing, and the comment about the sound as a way to diagnose symmetry problems. She also says, “Knee up, toe up” as a reminder to flex the foot rather than point the toes. She then has the class do this moving backwards.
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