Skate skills:

SKATE TIP OF THE WEEK
Inline secrets from the world's top skaters and coaches

This week's tip:
You Don't Know Squat?
By Renee Hildebrand
(Posted on Sept. 1, 2006)

The most common mistake skaters make is bending at the waist instead of the knees. This position feels "easier" because it takes less hip strength and core stability. But the result is low back pain and limited stroking power due to the lack of knee flexion.

Coaches often can be heard telling their skaters to "get lower." But I find that telling them to "bend your knees (squat) and sit back on your skates" is much more effective.

The single most important exercise for speed skaters is squatting, on-skates and off. Skaters should practice this position — even exaggerating it — all season long. Keep in mind that only "perfect" practice makes perfect, so strive to perform your drills correctly. (If you do them incorrectly or sloppy, you will only get better at doing them wrong.)

Quality repetition is the best way to improve specific skills. It not only strengthens muscles but teaches them proper habits.

In order to benefit from muscle memory, you must repeat a skill — correctly — hundreds and hundreds of times. Since skating is not a natural motion, like running, it is very important to train your muscles to work in the "unnatural" skating position (see photo above). In this position, less oxygen reaches your muscles and lactic acid builds up. You must train your body (and mind) to adapt.

Proper body position and stability in the squat position requires strong back and stomach muscles, as well as strong hip and leg muscles. Our team uses a variety of plyometric and skate-specific off-skate exercises (e.g.: medicine ball, slideboard, resistance training and core strengthening). We also do a series of rolling squat drills with smaller wheels on the front of the skates to condition specific muscles.

We know that if you aren't comfortable in the skating position, you don't know squat!

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Renee Hildebrand is one of the world's top inline speed skating coaches. Among the skaters she has trained are Joey Mantia and Brittany Bowe, who together won seven gold medals at last year's World Speed Skating Championships. A protege of the legendary Virgil Dooley, Hildebrand has coached Team Florida in Ocala since the late-1980s. This year, she cut back on her coaching schedule to do some skating of her own ... as a roller derby jammer. In the guise of not-so-mild-mannered "Nasty Nay," she tours with a traveling team of the Tampa Bay Derby Darlings.

Related links:

• Team Florida web site.
• Skate Tip of the Week Archive.
• Beginners Guide to Outdoor Racing.
• Beginners Guide to Inline Skating.

Related links:

• Skate Tip of the Week Archive.
• Beginners Guide to Outdoor Racing.