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A new figure skating book is out for young adults called Cammie and Alex's Adventures at Rainbow Rinks
Did Cammie make the right move to move away from home and train at Skateland? Do Cammie and Isabelle remain best friends or is there something dastardly going on? Will Cammie's friend Alex come save the day when she needs him the most? All these questions will be answered once you read the book!
Our guest columnist today is Lauren Downes (see right), founder of Sk8Strong Inc. Lauren has a MSPT (Master of Science in Physical Therapy), and is also a physical therapist, skating professional, and off-ice trainer who has worked with figure skaters since 1994. She wanted to share her thoughts about the importance of off-ice training, which some of us skaters (me included) seem to put aside when the season begins.
Off-ice training is a much buzzed about topic in the world of figure skating. Many skaters do it, many coaches and trainers teach it, but do people really know how the details of how it should be done, and what it really is? I’ve written this article to help skaters have a better understanding of the proper forms of exercise, how often exercise should be done, who should instruct the exercise, and why off-ice training exercises are important.
WHY should a skater do exercises off-ice?
Figure skating is a sport that puts significant strength and flexibility demands on the body. Athletes in other sports may say that figure skating is not a "sport" and it is more artistic performance, but they are quite wrong! Skaters are some of the strongest athletes in the world.
Some skaters have natural strength, balance, and core strength that will take them through the lower levels of skating quickly, but the majority of skaters need to improve upon each of those attributes in order to progress to higher levels. Once the "naturally talented" skaters reach a level at which double jumps and difficult spins are required, that natural ability will only take them so far. The core strength and plyometric strength requirements of the sport are significant, and at some point, a skater needs to build strength beyond what he or she naturally has. By completing an off-ice training program at least twice a week, skaters will progress their on-ice skills at a faster pace, and be able to handle the strength demands of jumping, spinning, and longer programs.WHAT kind of exercise should a skater be doing?
In the past ten years or so, sports training has progressed from solely using weight machines to using an athlete’s body weight as resistance in exercise. Many functional exercises incorporate the use of several muscle groups at one time, instead of exercises focusing on the contraction of a single muscle. How is this more beneficial? In every sport, an athlete moves his or her body in various planes of movement which require several muscles to co-contract at the same time. Each joint requires the strength from several muscles to stabilize it for the action it performs. Functional exercises train the body in these planes of movement to mimic the motions performed in sports. Many sports require a high degree of strength that an athlete may not have naturally; that strength needs to be created through additional training. Figure skating is no exception.
WHEN should a skater do off-ice training exercises?
Each skater’s training routine and requirements are different, depending on the skater’s level, schedule, and goals. A national competitor may do off-ice training five days per week, as opposed to a recreational skater’s program of one day a week. It is recommended to complete two to four days of off-ice training per week, depending on your level. Even if you choose to complete an off-ice training routine per week, you will show gains in strength, flexibility, and on-ice consistency. You take your training into your own hands, and control your own progress. You can find sample off-ice training periodization schedules through usfigureskating.org or in the Sk8Strong Off-ice Training for Figure Skaters Manual.
HOW do I start an off-ice training program?
There are several resources available to guide you through an off-ice training program specific for figure skaters. Sk8Strong has produced DVDs specific to each level of skater, and there are several off-ice training manuals in circulation. It is always recommended to consult with a health professional to evaluate the need for certain exercises and determine if a skater is using proper technique. If you are working with a trainer, make sure that the person has a degree in a health related field, ideally a physical therapy degree. There are also several respectable strength and conditioning certifications available from the NSCA and
to avoid injury and receive the maximum benefit from your training.About Sk8strong
Under the direction of Stephen Conca, a strength and conditioning
specialist, Lauren and Sk8Strong have produced four different strength and
conditioning DVDs specifically for figure skaters, from beginner, to
competitive, to adult. Each DVD provides detailed instruction,
demonstration, and progression of each exercise appropriate for a
skater's level. Click here to read Lauren's article entitled Functional training or gym machines: Which is better for skaters?
Our guest columnist today is Lauren Downes (see right), founder of Sk8Strong Inc. Lauren has a MSPT (Master of Science in Physical Therapy), and is also a physical therapist, skating professional, and off-ice trainer who has worked with figure skaters since 1994. I asked her to select a topic that she felt was important for figure skaters to be aware of, and she wanted to share her expertise in the benefits of functional training versus gym machines. As figure skaters, we're constantly balancing being strong and flexible, but not looking bulky and tight. Here is what Lauren had to say about being in the best shape possible for skaters.
Functional training or gym machines: Which is better?
by Lauren Downes, MSPT
Back in the "old days" of training, almost every athlete could be found in the gym using weight machines to build strength and muscle mass, no matter which sport he or she played. They used the traditional leg press, leg curl, and leg extension machines to bulk up their thighs, and the calf press for their lower legs. There is no question that these machines increase muscle mass and make these athletes stronger, but how did this type of training carry over to their sports? Unless the athlete was a power lifter, it didn’t!
Most weight machines isolate one muscle or muscle group at a time, by following the action that muscle controls. Repetitive contraction against resistance will strengthen a muscle’s fibers and make it bigger and more defined. If a person wants to tone or target a certain area of the body, using a weight machine can accomplish that goal, but it will not maximize training benefits for an athlete. In the majority of sports, using figure skating as an example, athletes are constantly required to recruit power and speed from several muscle groups at once. Figure skaters’ muscles need the ability to accelerate and decelerate with significant force and strength to complete jumps, change speeds and directions, and hold spin positions. A single muscle cannot accomplish this on it's own -- synergistic contractions of muscles are needed to create such forces. The most beneficial way to train muscles to co-contract is through functional training.
The official definition of functional training is "the classification of exercises which involves training the body for the activities performed in everyday life." These exercises use the body’s weight as resistance, with one of more extremities planted on the ground or stable surface. Examples include lunges, single leg dead lifts, hip strengthening while standing on one leg, bridging, and one-legged squats. Such exercises mimic actions that we perform every day, whether it be reaching to pick a pencil off of the floor or loading a dishwasher. Humans are constantly balancing their body while bending over or on one foot -- we are exercising when we don’t even realize it!
Figure skaters are perpetually in motion, bending the knees, hips, and ankles. Ninety percent of the actions skaters perform require a certain degree of core stability, balance, and strength, using several muscle groups at once. With many functional based exercises, the body is forced to use the core, balance receptors, and lower extremity muscles together to complete a motion. Performing functional exercises, a skater can accomplish much more in a shorter time frame than using a weight machine, by condensing the strengthening of several areas into one exercise.
Besides saving time, functional training can be safer than using weight machines for exercises. Most of our bodies are not entirely symmetrical, referring to joint movements, muscle flexibility, and muscle strength. Many machines are moved by both the upper extremities or lower extremities simultaneously, requiring symmetrical movement of the joints and muscles. By using asymmetrical movement, there is a greater chance for injury or increase in joint dysfunction. Machines also should be adjusted properly according to one’s height, and injury can occur if the machine is not set up properly. In an exercise such as a lunge, the body follows its natural path of movement, instead of being controlled by the movement of a machine. The body activates muscle memory in regards to the positioning and control of a joint, which can carry over to functional movement in our everyday life.
Using weight machines can be helpful to a skater, by increasing muscle mass and strength, yet functional training will prove to be more beneficial for balance and stability. Figure skating is one of the most technical and demanding sports on the body, and skaters need the best off-ice training available to them to accomplish their goals. Functional training is the answer!
About Sk8strong
Under the direction of Stephen Conca, a strength and conditioning
specialist, Lauren and Sk8Strong have produced four different strength and
conditioning DVDs specifically for figure skaters, from beginner, to
competitive, to adult. Each DVD (see right) provides detailed instruction,
demonstration, and progression of each exercise appropriate for a
skater's level. The exercises are designed to provide skaters with a
comprehensive training program to build core, lower and upper body
functional strength, increase plyometric jump height, build single leg
stability, and reduce risk of injury. Also available at Sk8Strong are
an off-ice training manual, skill analyses, injury reports, site
membership, video analysis, and more. Lauren also acts as an off-ice
training advisor and is readily available to answer any skater's or
coaches questions about injuries or training.
New York City's first big snowstorm of the year and where else would I be in 20 degree weather but skating
outdoors? This time, I had a mission -- to test out the Se_Ku Skatewear skating pants that I ordered online. I'm always on a quest to find great clothes to skate in, whether they're specifically made for figure skating or not. The Se_Ku Style 137 Long and Leggies skating pants (see right, model is wearing Style 137) are great to skate in. They're soft, flexible (92% Polyester and 8% Lycra), extremely comfortable, and warm. And this truly was the day to test out the warmth -- I skated outdoors for over an hour and my legs never felt cold.
I could also see myself wearing them under my ski pants, snowboard pants and frankly, regular pants. They're extremely snug but not in an uncomfortable way -- they're almost like second skin. In fact, today I wore a stretchy pair of yoga pants over my Se_Ku pants and I barely felt that I had two layers on. So if you want to treat yourself, this is the skating pants to get. And I do mean treat -- the 137 Long and Leggies are $85 per pair so they're not cheap, but they're a good investment for the long term.
Our guest columnist is Annette T. Thomas, a dance teacher and choreographer, who has trained at Carnegie Hall, the San Juan Ballet Company, and the Connecticut Regional Ballet Company under world class instructors. With 30 years of dance and figure skating experience behind her, Annette is certified in Russian Method Classical Ballet, and is a member of the Professional Skaters
Association, U.S. Figure Skating, the
International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, and the
Wisconsin Dance Council. Annette began working with figure skaters in 1998 and has conducted numerous off and on-ice workshops in the areas of conditioning and artistry. She is also the author of Fundamentals of Alignment and Classical Movement for Figure Skaters, which has received international acclaim from ice and roller skaters and their coaches.
Hands: Classical Hand Training
by Annette T. Thomas
Previously I wrote about hand articulation and finger grouping. This article focus a little more on the ballet influence of hand training that is integral to becoming a more graceful and aware figure skater.
Your hands say a lot about you. They show the audience either tension or affectation (just flipping around and keeping occupied), or that you truly understand the music and the intention of the piece you are skating to. Training the hands to say exactly what you want them to say is part of what classical ballet teaches.
It is difficult today to find a ballet school which teaches correct classical hands and it is evident in many of today’s ballet performances that “hand training,” as it is called, has been fairly ignored. The result being stiff, merely stylized hands that are “stuck on” instead of being an integral part of the entire body line as well as expressing the quality and temperament of the character being portrayed.
The hand is the termination of the arm outline; it is what makes the arm dimensionally complete. …The leading role in the movement of the arms as they go from one position to another, or as they are opened and closed, is played by the hands. They give a colouring and direction to the whole movement, and concentrate in themselves the whole "life" of the arm.
[Original text translated from: V. Morits, N Tarasov, A. Chekrygin. “Techniques of Classical Dance Training”. Moscow-Leningrad, 1940, p.14]
There are two basic hand positions initially taught in classical ballet: Arrondi (rounded) and allongé (elongated). At the beginning of training “Arrondi” is taught with the thumb held firmly against the 2nd phalanx of the 3rd finger in order to ingrain the correct finger groupings. Later, “scenic” hand positions as they are called are taught in conjunction with various roles being studied in the more advanced classes.
One of the most important factors in hand training is that the movement of the hand and arm itself is to be initiated from the fingernail tips and pads. [From Leonid Zhdanov, Margarita Yussim. “The Perfection of Dance” .1994, p.45 &p.47.] Training for sensitivity in every joint of the hand ensures that classically trained hands will “speak” to the audience as eloquently as each note is played in the music.
Figure 1 below: Arrondi from the preparatory position (beginning study):
Figure 2 below: Arrondi from second position:
Figure 3 below: Arrondi from third position (Cecchetti 5th):
Figure 4 below: Allongé
Head, eye and hand training is an essential part of classical ballet training and should be introduced at the very first lesson. As the skating arena is so large, it may seem rather unimportant for figure skaters to learn the minutiae of this area of training, but an ingrained vocabulary of head, eye and hand training will provide such grace and articulation of expression as to travel with eloquence to the topmost bleacher.
In today’s skating scene of multiple jumps and contorted spin positions, hands are often left to flick around with little or no connection to the movement, music or character being portrayed. And never are they integrated into the entire body movement as a complete “composition” throughout the entire program. But times may change and those who work on hands as a language of communication in their current training will benefit both now and then.
For additional information on feet, posture, movement, and pretty much everything else that figure skaters should concentrate on, please check out Annette's website Ballet for Figure Skaters.
Article and photos are copyright 2009 by Annette Thomas. Material may not be copied or distributed without the consent of Annette Thomas.
