Improve Your Skating Off The Ice

For figure skaters and hockey players most of the time practicing their skills is spent on the ice. However, there are methods to improve your skating that can be completed right at home!

Stretch

The benefits of stretching go well beyond the sport you play and can also help your mind and body in everyday activities. Stretching can improve your performance in physical activities and also reduce your risk of injury. By performing a variety of stretches you can help all of your joints move through their full range of motion and allow your muscles to work most effectively. Five to ten minutes of stretching is recommended before and after any workout but also on your off days to increase flexibility and reduce stress.

Stretching is great at any age making it a perfect activity for parents and kids to work on together!

Balance

A significant amount of time skating is spent shifting your weight and balancing on one foot. Every stride, crossover and transition requires balance on the ice. Yoga is an excellent way to improve your balance whether that means joining a class or using online resources to follow at home. Core exercises that can be performed at home using your own body weight can also help to improve your posture and balance.

An excellent and simple way to improve your balance is by standing on one foot. Try doing some math drills or asking your kids questions related to their homework while seeing how long they can stand on one foot. It makes learning fun and helps kids improve their balance at the same time.

Weight Shift

There are some great movements to practice shifting your weight off the ice that will benefit you when skating. Every skaters stride varies even slightly. That is why movements like 360 lunges and lateral squats can be so beneficial to skaters. Many resources can be found online to make sure that you are using proper technique when performing these exercises.

If you have any physical limitations that prevent you from properly performing any of these activities, consult your doctor for alternative exercises that can help you.