Start the New Year Strong With the 2023 Edition of My Figure Skating Annual Planner!

aimée ricca - figure skating coach
aimée ricca - figure skating coach
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Off-Ice Performance Training and Strength & Conditioning

For Figure Skaters & Roller Skaters

Skaters who want to perform at their best must train off the ice. Whether you're a figure skater or an artistic roller, skating is a demanding sport requiring core strength, plyometric strength, balance, and flexibility. While some skaters are naturally strong and flexible, most skaters need to improve their fitness in order to progress. Additionally, all skaters must perform proper warm-ups and cool-downs off the ice.


Off-ice performance training and strength and conditioning is a GREAT way to fast-track your skating progress and get results safely, quickly, and more easily (and even have a lot of fun along the way).


Now Offering Small Group Off-Ice Training!

Join me Tuesdays at Ice Vault following the Freestyle Session!

The group class is 30 minutes beginning at 5:30 pm.

Class size is limited - Please register in advance!

Bring your yoga mat, sneakers, and water bottle!

Save your spot!

Why Off-Ice Training?

Speak to any elite athlete, and they will tell you they work hard off the ice.

Successful athletes spend as much time training off-ice as they do on the ice!

Off-ice training builds your strength and stamina.

Strength and stamina will help you maintain your body for optimum skating performance and prevent injury. Athletic conditioning will also improve your injury recovery time too!

Success in skating takes dedication and commitment to all aspects of your training!

No matter what your level, you need a combination of on-ice and off-ice training for success.

Athleticism in Skating Requires:

Balance

Coordination

Flexibility

Balance is your ability to retain the center of mass above the base of support when stationary (static balance) or moving (dynamic balance). 


You must be able to maintain static and dynamic balance to perform movements and positions correctly and prevent falls.

Flexibility

Coordination

Flexibility

Flexibility is your ability to have a wide range of joint movements.


Flexibility provides you with the ability to perform different movements in beautiful positions.

Coordination

Coordination

Coordination

Coordination is your ability to perform smooth and efficient movements. 


Good coordination requires a skater to combine multiple movements into a single movement that is smooth and fluid to achieve the intended goal with speed and grace.

Agility

Strength

Coordination

Agility is how quickly you can change direction under control and maintain speed, balance, and power.


In skating, we sometimes describe agility as the ability to move quietly and gracefully while performing at a high level.

Speed

Strength

Strength

Speed is your ability to move all, or part of your body, as quickly as possible. 


Speed is critical as a skater must move quickly from one position to another with complex movements.

Strength

Strength

Strength

Muscular strength is needed to perform jumps, spins, and challenging positions.


Strength supports flexibility by allowing you to hold difficult positions and perform jumps and spins efficiently with maximum force. 

Improve Performance & Longevity

Training to increase the strength of young athletes has proven successful!

With younger athletes, there will be little or no change in the size of the muscles. At younger ages, a  large portion of the strength gained is due to neural mechanisms. Repetition is particularly important to building muscle memory.


The benefits gained through a resistance training program for young skaters include:

  • Increasing muscular strength, power, and endurance - improving performance capacity.
  • The possible prevention of injuries due to improving the balance of muscles around joints
  • A positive influence on healthy body composition. 
  • An increase in jump height.
  • An increase in static strength for positions such as landing position, spirals, camel spins, etc.


Research has suggested that shoulder girdle and, in general, upper-body strength is relatively untouched in the training of figure skaters on the ice. This may offer the greatest potential for increasing the height of jumps! 


One of the biggest reasons for off-ice training is to develop what the sport requires, but the sport itself does not substantially train through regular participation and/or competition. 


Source


An Essential Part of Your Training!

The truth is skating is a multi-faceted sport.

Skating alone is not enough to excel. You must train to skate with the right program to meet your goals.   

Finding exactly the right program for YOU can be pretty confusing.

It can also feel a bit intimidating, especially if you’re new to training for athletic performance.   

You should not just walk into a gym and purchase a training package!

Most certified personal trainers at gyms gear their services toward the general population. Those looking to lose weight and tone up - NOT training for athletic performance, never mind figure skating!

It's Best to Work with a Specialist!

That is a Certified Personal Trainer, preferably Specializing in Strength & Conditioning for Skaters

There are many well-meaning figure skating coaches who offer off-ice training. 


But this is not the best choice unless that coach is specifically certified and INSURED for off-ice training work.


Strength and conditioning is a totally different skill set from on-ice training. 


I work with both skaters and their coaches as part of their training team, performing skater fitness evaluations to determine a skater's deficits and create customized and efficient periodized training programs for you, including:


  • Off-Ice Warm-Ups
  • Off-Ice Cool Downs & Stretching/Flexibility Training
  • Complete Off-Ice Work Outs
  • Discuss Nutrition and Healthy Choices 


Coaches: Work with Aimée and Learn How to Become Certified.

Sport Specific Training for Figure Skaters

According to the principle of specificity, sports training should be relevant and appropriate to the sport for which the individual is training to produce the desired effect. In a sport like skating that requires a wider set of skills, your training program must break down different components so that you can train specifically for each one. 


The primary goal of the specificity of training is to condition the muscles that will be used in the activity. Over time, you will develop muscle memory for specific actions to perform them without concentrating on them.

You can improve your skating skills by correcting musculoskeletal issues that limit your progress.

If you are new to off-ice training, the program will be designed so that it is simple for you to get started! If you are more experienced with strength and conditioning, a more challenging program will be recommended.  

Coach Aimée will monitor your progress, and the program will be adjusted accordingly.

Aimée's program is easy to follow, sports-specific, & what my skater needs to improve her strength and flexibility. We see a HUGE difference! Aimée is professional, knowledgeable, and available to help! She understands figure skating and is passionate about helping skaters achieve their goals!


Kristen Taylor, Coach, Florham Park Figure Skating Club

What Are Others Saying?

Periodization

It is critical to organize your skating season into time periods:

  • Off-season
  • Pre-season
  • In-season
  • Rest period

It's not possible to develop the same training plan for every level of skater!

Your peak may be for regionals, while others may peak at nationals! Still, other skaters are more recreational, while others may compete in open competitions year-round. 

Coach Aimée customizes each plan for each individual skater.

Training to Skate

Strength & Power

Strength and power are developed by a continuous rise and fall of the skating knee and the pressure of the blade's edge against the ice.

Strength is the creation and maintenance of balance and flow.

Power is the creation and maintenance of speed without visible effort.

Power results in:

  • Velocity, speed, or pace;
  • Flow across the ice;
  • Acceleration.

Increased muscle mass increases your stability and body control.

Increased strength will also improve nearly every facet of your life by making daily movements easier.

Strength + Balance

I work with skaters on both strength and balance!

Almost all skating is performed on one foot. Not only that but on a narrow blade while gliding on a giant ice cube! 


Several factors affect your sense of balance:

  1. The inner ear (vestibular system) assists you in sensing your position while moving. 
  2. Your eyes help you detect your surroundings. 
  3. Balance receptors in your hip, leg, knee, ankle, and foot tell you where your body is in relation to the ground. 


I don't know about you, but I like to work efficiently - smarter, not harder! So, I find ways to incorporate balance training into strength training! 


This holistic approach encompasses balance and strength, resulting in better coordination and speed too!


Your muscles are attached to your bones, so when you use them during strength training, they pull on your bones, signaling your body to increase the activity of osteoblasts, specialized cells that help lay down new bone. The more often these cells are activated, the stronger and more resilient your bones become over time. Denser bones are also associated with reduced injury risk.

Strength & Balance Create Power, Endurance, and Consistency!

Core

Gluteus Medius

Gluteus Medius

Core strength and stability originate from the abdominal and back muscles. These muscles work together as a control center for your body's balance and stability. 


Powerful core muscles help:

  • Maintain balance and proper posture.
  • Check rotation.
  • Proper body alignment on take-offs.
  • Maintain tight air positions.
  • Centering spins.
  • Control the upper body position, such as holding your arms at shoulder level without fatigue during footwork, stroking, and crossovers. 

Gluteus Medius

Gluteus Medius

Gluteus Medius

The gluteus medius is one of the main pelvic stabilizer muscles. It plays a huge role in controlling the motion of your femur and hip, which provides you with stability.


Gluteus medius strength is required for:

  • Control alignment of your hips, legs, knees, ankles, and feet for proper technique in all jump landings and takeoffs.
  • Maintaining proper alignment in stroking, footwork, and turns.
  • Stabilizing the hip and controlling balance in your spins.
  • Raising your free leg into a higher spiral or arabesque position.

Psoas

Gluteus Medius

Legs, Knees, Ankles & Feet

This is the primary muscular connection between your upper and lower body. The main function of the psoas muscles is to help flex your hip joint by bringing your leg up and in toward your torso. 


Psoas strength is required to:

  • Strengthen your lower spine, supporting your posture. 
  • Develop the height of your jumps.
  • Lifting your free leg in Axel and salchow jumps.
  • Maintaining stable hips in your spins.
  • Any free leg kick or thrust, such as in a flying camel spin.
  • Prevent psoas muscle syndrome, often called "jumper's hip" or "dancer's hip."

Legs, Knees, Ankles & Feet

Legs, Knees, Ankles & Feet

Legs, Knees, Ankles & Feet

You are using your legs (quadriceps and hamstrings), knees, ankles, and feet in every skating movement so you must keep them strong!


Leg, Knee, Ankle, and Foot strength are required for:

  • Gliding, stroking, and crossovers.
  • Turns & steps.
  • Spirals, Ina Bauers, hydroblading movements.
  • Spins and jumps.
  • Stamina to perform from beginning to end of your program.

Arms & Shoulders

Legs, Knees, Ankles & Feet

Arms & Shoulders

Your arms and shoulder muscles include your deltoids, biceps, and triceps. In skating, strong arms are required to perform choreography that adds flair and grace that contribute to your component scores.


Arm & Shoulder strength is required for:

  • Stretching arms out from your body.
  • Prepare for jumps.
  • Contribute to power and speed.
  • Retain balance.
  • Hold difficult spin positions.
  • Support your core.

Strength Supports Your Flexibility By Providing You With The Ability to HOLD Difficult Positions!

Flexibility Is Required For:

Spirals, split jumps, spread eagles, Ina Bauers, as well as camel, sit, layback, and Biellmann spins

However, flexibility is necessary for more basic elements too! 


  • Muscle flexibility controls the angle of your hip, knee, and ankle joints on jump take-offs and landings. A small deficit in muscle length can affect the quality of your jumps. 
  • Joint position and motion are controlled by the flexibility of the surrounding muscles. This affects the angle of your hips, legs, knees, and ankles during basic stroking, crossovers, spins, and footwork. 
  • Each joint in your body requires a balance of flexibility for a proper range of motion. An imbalance of flexibility makes you more prone to injury.


No matter your level, every skater should perform flexibility exercises year-round at least four times a week to maximize muscle elasticity and flexibility.

Flexibility alone is not enough. You also need to HOLD difficult positions, which requires STRENGTH!

Flexibility = Enhanced Positions + Reduced Injury Risk

Shoulder Mobility

Hamstring Flexibility

Shoulder Mobility

Shoulder mobility is the ability of your shoulders to move through a range of motion with control. Mobility issues that develop in the shoulder may result from impingement, rotator cuff tears, and frozen shoulder. 


Instability and/or overuse of the joint cause shoulder mobility issues. Both shoulder mobility and strength are critical to keeping your shoulders open. 


Shoulder external rotation mobility will reduce stress on the shoulder during any blade grabbing move, such as a "haircutter spin."


Shoulder flexion mobility provides freedom of arm movement for beautiful choreography and more appealing lines.

Hip Rotation

Hamstring Flexibility

Shoulder Mobility

There are six external hip rotator muscles that play a role in both hip stabilization and hip rotation:

  1.  Piriformis (PI)
  2. Quadratus femoris (QF)
  3. Obturator internus (OI)
  4. Obturator externus (OE)
  5. Superior gemellus (SG)
  6. Inferior gemellus (IG))  


Hip external rotation mobility is required for:

  • Difficult variations of sit spin, such as the pancake and sit behinds.
  • Proper free leg angles for jump takeoffs.
  • Appealing free leg position in upright layback spins.
  • Spread eagles, Ina Bauers, and other skating movements.

Hamstring Flexibility

Hamstring Flexibility

Hamstring Flexibility

Hamstring muscles are skeletal muscles that run down the back of your thigh. You use them to walk, climb stairs, squat, and perform many other leg movements. 


Hamstring injuries are the most common sports injury. 


Hamstring flexibility is required for:

  • Proper free leg position in camel spins and spirals.
  • Proper lunge, shoot the duck, sit spin, and hydroblading positions.
  • The spiral variations such as the "Y" and Biellmann spins.
  • General skating mobility.

Quadricep Flexibility

Quadricep Flexibility

Hamstring Flexibility

Four separate muscles make up the quadricep muscle group in each of your thighs, all of which cover the front and sides of the thigh bone (femur).


The quadriceps muscles are:

  1. Vastus intermedius
  2. Vastus medialis oblique (VMO)
  3. Vastus lateralis
  4. Rectus femoris


Flexible Quadriceps are required for:

  • Preventing knee injuries.
  • Difficult upright spin variations such as "haircutter" and Biellmanns.

Psoas Flexibility

Quadricep Flexibility

Psoas Flexibility

This is the primary muscular connection between your upper and lower body. The main function of the psoas muscles is to help flex your hip joint by bringing your leg up and in toward your torso. 


Psoas flexibility is required for:

  • Proper free leg hip extension on jump landings and stroking.
  • Proper free leg position in layback and camel spins.
  • Extension of free leg in landings and stroking.
  • Achieving spiral, camel, and Biellmann positions. 

If you’re ready to take your skating to the next level, it's time for a customized program!

Find out more

Get Your FREE Guide to Off-Ice Training!

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Coach Aimée Skating Academy is a PSA Excellence on Ice awarded program, offering ice skating lessons and off-ice training in Morristown, Wayne, and Randolph, NJ.


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