Figure skating is a sport that requires more than grace and artistry. While most non-skaters don’t realize this, achieving any technical element in skating requires a significant amount of strength and endurance. Uncomfortable positions must be held for extended periods of time, and the muscles that most people rarely use must be strong to execute the jumps, twists, and lifts that impress the crowd and the judges. All figure skaters, regardless of age or ability, should participate in a proper strength and conditioning program off the ice to give them the strength and endurance to perform elements, and also to help prevent injury.
Note: Be sure to check with your coach, parents, and doctor before participating in any ice-free exercise and conditioning program.
Figure skaters looking to build any type of conditioning program off the ice should look to their overall goals for putting together a general off-ice program. I’d like to suggest three particular exercises that every off-ice program should incorporate, and this is for all skaters, including couples, dance, and freestyle.
1). Bicycle crunches. Like athletes in almost any sport, if a figure skater were to do absolutely nothing else off the ice except ONE thing, then they would have to involve the core force. Your core strength is what allows you to control your jumps, focus your turns, and maintain an upright posture in dance sequences and steps. Try doing a twizzle or checking your rotation of an Axel with no central force, it just isn’t going to happen.
A study conducted at San Diego State University evaluated more than a dozen different abdominal exercises to increase core strength, and one stood out far above the rest: the bike crunch. To do bike crunches, lie on the floor with your abs engaged and your lower back pressed against the floor (you may have to turn your pelvis down to do this). Place your hands next to your ears (DO NOT pull your neck up!) And raise your legs to an angle of approximately 45 degrees. Move your legs through a cycling pedaling motion while simultaneously doing crunches in a twisting motion and touching your elbow with the opposite knee.
2). Arabesque exercises. In the worlds of dance, gymnastics, and figure skating, the arabesque position is one of the most common positions that you will have to learn to hold. For figure skaters, this is particularly true when it comes to spirals and camel spins. An arabesque is most perfectly represented by the standard flat blade or edge spiral position of the Moves in the Field Preliminary and Preliminary Trials, with the skating leg straight, the free leg at hip level, or by above her and torso at 90 °. degree angle to skating leg.
To develop your flexibility and stamina to maintain the arabesque / spiral position, work on the next rotation, which will be completed on each foot. Begin by holding the arabesque position for a minute while leaning against the wall, then another minute with your leg resting on a partner or half-wall, then a minute on your own, then another minute with your arms on the wall again. Rest about 30 seconds between each position. These one-minute intervals will be difficult at first, but they will improve over time and help you a lot, especially if you also do ballet or gymnastics.
3). Box jumps. For most viewers of our sports, it is the jumps that attract the great applause. If you’re a freestyle skater, your jumps are often your most difficult technical element, and one of the things you spend most of your training time working to perfect. Fully rotating your jumps, particularly your doubles, triples and, if you can pull it off, a quad, requires incredible skill to get “hang time” in the air. Getting “hang time” is primarily a matter of being able to leap into the air with incredible power, which in itself is a matter of shear strength.
Box jumps are one of the best ways to improve your jumping power and increase your time in the air. A basic box jump is completed by jumping over an 18 to 24-inch tall wooden box with both feet from a standing position. Exploding on top of the box and then exploding out of the box and back to the ground is the most basic method of working on your jumping power. Additional box jumping methods include jumping into a box, then immediately to another higher box, and then back to the ground. There are numerous variations of this exercise, all of which will improve your jumping ability.
These three exercises in themselves comprised the most basic off-ice training program possible. Of course, as with any athlete, eating right, getting enough sleep, and a basic cardio program are beneficial for all skaters as well.