Spread eagle problem | Golden Skate

Spread eagle problem

CarolPooh

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
I always want to do a spread eagle but my turnout on ice is like 120 degrees only. Off-ice, my turnout can reach 180 degrees. I can do a flat "frog pose" when I am lying on my stomach and my "butterfly stretch" is fine. On-ice, I feel that the boots are restraining my turnout.

Is it that I lack hip muscle strength? Do you have any recommendation on exercise or stretch I can do? Thanks in advance.
 

sandraskates

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
The best ON ICE exercise that I've done for spread eagles is this:

Stand at the barrier with your stomach facing it. Place your hands on the top of the barrier to hold yourself steady.

Then turn-out your feet with your blades remaining on the ice near the bottom of the barrier. Your body may not be perfectly straight doing this exercise but your feet and hips will get the stretch of the turnout needed for a spread eagle.

And let's face it - spread eagles are scary when first learned! :)
 

Flying Feijoa

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 22, 2019
Country
New-Zealand
Maybe it's also about learning the right weight placement? I do a lot of ballet and can turn out alright on the floor in 2nd. On the ice I can do inside spread eagles but not outside ones (though I hope to one day!)

It could also be a matter of abdominal/psoas strength or activation. If you have anterior pelvic tilt (or possibly posterior too) it can restrict external rotation in the standing position.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
I always want to do a spread eagle but my turnout on ice is like 120 degrees only. Off-ice, my turnout can reach 180 degrees. I can do a flat "frog pose" when I am lying on my stomach and my "butterfly stretch" is fine. On-ice, I feel that the boots are restraining my turnout.

Is it that I lack hip muscle strength? Do you have any recommendation on exercise or stretch I can do? Thanks in advance.

It is going to be uncomfortable to do a spread eagle, even after you've mastered the skill on the ice. You are going to feel boot resistance or push against your leg. This is actually needed. You need high amount of boot pressure pushing against the leg to properly do the skill and at times it will feel like the boot is cutting into you. Your ankles need to be greatly dropped to the outside edges, your inner thighs play a huge role in this position and need to activate properly.

One on ice exercise you can try is skating on a large circle and sway your freeleg back and forth in an as open as possible position, before setting your free foot down behind. You can usually use the momentum from this to get into a double outside edge position on the ice. Your shoulders and arms positioning are vital to getting the spread eagle as well.


I hope this all makes sense and helps you.

Your frog stretches off the ice will definitely help with your hip flexors.
 

mystery905

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 22, 2018
Do inside spread eagles, gradually turning more out each time. Eventually you MAY be able to do 180 degrees and more. However, some people of course are physically limited in how far they can go. Do not try to force it otherwise you will hurt yourself. Also, as with all things to do with skating, one side will be easier than the other. With me, leading with left leg going ccw is my stronger side.
 

hanyuufan5

✨**:。*
Medalist
Joined
May 19, 2018
All great advice in the previous posts. :)

I did a lot of planks, squats, and holding various spiral positions while my rink was closed. Before that, I could do a pretty good inside spread eagle. Now, I'm 99% sure I got on proper outside edges for a few inches before ending up in a long, very straight 180-degree glide of ambiguous edge. I can tell I still need more leg, hip, and core strength and a little more flexibility, but a lot of it is also just needing to practice until my brain stops going, "Wait, why are my legs actually doing this correctly now, and where do I put the rest of me in order to hold it longer!?"
 
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