Should I Do Figure Skating Specific Off-Ice Training? | Golden Skate

Should I Do Figure Skating Specific Off-Ice Training?

goldentwizzle

Spectator
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Hi everyone,

So recently my club introduced a new standardized dryland training program for the competitive skaters, which would replace the lesson plans that our current ballet and strength coaches have come up with on their own. The new program has a lot of movement that mimics skating, like off-ice jumps, spirals/shoot the ducks on a bosu and some plyometrics. I talked to my current strength coach and he thinks that doing movement that mimics skating during strength training/conditioning off-ice is not that helpful, and I should stick to the program I have right now. However, my strength coach is not somebody with a figure skating background - he trains everybody from football to badminton, and the person who is in charge of the new program is a figure skater and she seems to know what she's doing. In your opinion, should I move to the new off-ice coach's program which supposedly helps with mimicking your motion on ice or stay with my current one to continue with my current powerlifting/weightlifting/ballet program?

Thank you!
 
Last edited:

MiraiFan

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 6, 2016
Hi everyone,

So recently my club introduced a new standardized dryland training program for the competitive skaters, which would replace the lesson plans that our current ballet and strength coaches have come up with on their own. The new program has a lot of movement that mimics skating, like off-ice jumps, spirals/shoot the ducks on a bosu and some plyometrics. I talked to my current strength coach and he thinks that doing movement that mimics skating during strength training/conditioning off-ice is not that helpful, and I should stick to the program I have right now. However, my strength coach is not somebody with a figure skating background - he trains everybody from football to badminton, and the person who is in charge of the new program is a figure skater and she seems to know what she's doing. In your opinion, should I move to the new off-ice coach or stay with my current one to continue with my current powerlifting/weightlifting/ballet program or which supposedly helps with mimicking your motion on ice?

Thank you!

I join our team's off-ice once in a while and it's super helpful. The strength and jumping drills are especially effective--chair squats, one-foot jumps over spin boards, turning jumps to get a feel for rotation--all work muscles and help with body awareness in skating...
 

Scout

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 5, 2009
I'd be tempted to join the new program your club is offering. I think the ballet is good, but without knowing more, I'd be concerned about the powerlifting/weightlifting and if it's building the right muscles. Is the strength coach affiliated with your skating club? What reason did your strength coach provide to support his view that sports-specific off-ice training isn't helpful? He may be biased in wanting you to continue with him and not lose a client (not saying he is, just something to be aware of).
 

goldentwizzle

Spectator
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
I'd be tempted to join the new program your club is offering. I think the ballet is good, but without knowing more, I'd be concerned about the powerlifting/weightlifting and if it's building the right muscles. Is the strength coach affiliated with your skating club? What reason did your strength coach provide to support his view that sports-specific off-ice training isn't helpful? He may be biased in wanting you to continue with him and not lose a client (not saying he is, just something to be aware of).

The club refers skaters to him but he's not officially affiliated with the club. He said he likes the plyometrics that's in the program but thinks that I'd better be suited doing Olympics Lifts or weighted jump squats instead of box jumps as he thinks at my fitness level, box jumps will not help significantly with explosive power anymore. As for the specific sport training part, he thinks stuff like spiral on a bosu is bogus and the offi ice jumps are just better for practicing on ice.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
You need a balanced combo of both.

You need plyo, pilates, barre and yoga.

But also need weights for lengthening while strengthening your muscles for pop and height and power in jumps etc. You also need things like box jumps, weighted jumps (not for bulk though), and things like battle rope exercises, slide exercises, work on exercise ball for stretch, and many more.
 

silver.blades

Medalist
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Country
Canada
What's the name of the new program? We have one called Flexafit here and it's rapidly expanding. I know the woman who developed it and she definitely knows what she's doing.

It's worth a try if it is designed by figure skaters for figure skaters. You can always go back to your current strength coach if the new program doesn't work for you.
 

VegMom

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 25, 2017
Well, I think you want to have two goals:
1. Use an off-ice training program to help improve your skating
2. Use an off-ice training program to balance you out, prevent injury, sustain long-term health

They are not the same. For instance, off-ice jumps should help your skating. (I think your trainer is wrong about them). But they will make you less balanced, not more balanced (unless you do them both directions). So you need other exercises to balance you out.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
OP, please don't try to do off ice jumps in both directions. That's not something you need to be doing. Concentrate on the direction you jump.
 

VegMom

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 25, 2017
Back in the day figure skaters jumped both directions. That was when they only did doubles.

Even now, a few skaters can do singles or doubles in both directions and that allows them to do different combinations. There's also a thread about it: https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?60185-Ambidextrous-skaters

But I wasn't suggesting that you jump both directions. I was saying you might need to do a variety of exercises to balance out your body. Figure skaters can get very lopsided. So it's good to do some things that are not designed for figure skating and are just designed to make you more even.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
Back in the day figure skaters jumped both directions. That was when they only did doubles.

Even now, a few skaters can do singles or doubles in both directions and that allows them to do different combinations. There's also a thread about it: https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?60185-Ambidextrous-skaters

But I wasn't suggesting that you jump both directions. I was saying you might need to do a variety of exercises to balance out your body. Figure skaters can get very lopsided. So it's good to do some things that are not designed for figure skating and are just designed to make you more even.

Back in the day. Uhm...there's a reason why we don't jump in both directions anymore. Most people have issues jumping one way at all.

Please stop. Just because someone today (as I mentioned in another thread Ryan Bradley does this b/c he's a silly and talented guy) can do this doesn't mean amateur untrained skaters should be doing it or even having it suggested to them.
 

goldentwizzle

Spectator
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
What's the name of the new program? We have one called Flexafit here and it's rapidly expanding. I know the woman who developed it and she definitely knows what she's doing.

It's worth a try if it is designed by figure skaters for figure skaters. You can always go back to your current strength coach if the new program doesn't work for you.

It's a locally developed one by a figure skater with no qualifications in exercise science or personal training. I tried it out a couple times but it ended up being a lot of ballet and core strength and not too much power and plyometrics which i need more of since I do do ballet outside of the fitness classes. Flexafit looks legit but this one's definitely not it.
 

goldentwizzle

Spectator
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Thanks! I do do exercises for balance and stabilization but what I'm thinking is that I do jump a lot during the on ice sessions so maybe off ice should just be jumping positions or techniques rather than full jumps themselves.
 

silver.blades

Medalist
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Country
Canada
It's a locally developed one by a figure skater with no qualifications in exercise science or personal training. I tried it out a couple times but it ended up being a lot of ballet and core strength and not too much power and plyometrics which i need more of since I do do ballet outside of the fitness classes. Flexafit looks legit but this one's definitely not it.

Where did you take it? I have participated in Flexifit with Signe and it's pretty good, although that was at the beginning when Signe was the whole company. It's too bad if the program has devolved with expansion. I do know there have been some concerns about a couple of the other trainers from coaches, but Signe is good. She's also a certified strength and conditioning specialist and a personal training specialist, so she does have the appropriate qualifications in addition to her skating background. I've watched some of her more recent videos online and there's some good jumping exercises, although they're snippets, not full classes.
 

kolyadafan2002

Fan of Kolyada
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
You need everything. Do dry land jumping for rotations and max height (200+ double or max rotations per week), do off ice double axels, and then also do lots of strength work, skating specific exercises, resistance training, fitness and much more. Good luck!
 
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