5 Figure Skating Exercises to Improve Your Outside Rockers

Hey skaters, it's Stace here from Next Edge Tutorials. In today's lesson, I'm going to be showing you five exercises that you can use for a forward outside and back outside rocker. Let's jump in and get started with our very first exercise. This is going to be off of two feet. So we're going to go press, turn, press, press, turn, press, press, turn, press, press, turn. Now we're going to go back down the ice now using our left foot. So this is all about keeping rhythm through here. So we're going to go press, turn, press back, press back, push, turn, bend, rise, bend, rise, turn, bend, rise, bend, rise, turn. So this is just about keeping rhythm off of two feet. With the forward one, we enter on two feet. Then at the last second, I pick up the foot and then turn. Then we bend, rise, bend, rise, use a push back to turn. So we're gaining rhythm on our two feet and then we make that forward outside rocker. Now the next exercise that we're going to do is we're going to use some forward outside rockers and we're going to step forward with a cross roll. So we're going to go cross roll, forward outside rocker, cross in front, step forward, cross roll, other side, step, cross, cross roll, kick, turn, press, step, hold. So this one alternates our feet. So you want to use that press through, shoulders move, and then hips turn underneath, cross the foot in front, step forward, cross roll. So we can get back to the other leg. So let's start with that forward cross roll. We're going to go forward cross roll, kick, turn, cross in front, step forward, cross roll. Now this leads to our left rocker, cross, step, hold. Now right rocker, cross, step, hold, left, cross, step, and together. Some things that I like to remind myself when doing the rocker is make sure after the free leg moves through, I want to start to move my shoulders slightly before my hips so that I can be there after the turn. If we use it all together, we might flip edge and it's not going to feel comfortable. So thinking about the upper body slightly moving before the lower half is going to give you a better rocker turn. Now we're going to go for some back outside rockers, but there's going to be this unique thing with a free leg that we're going to do. We're going to be dragging our free leg on the ice so that you can hit that back outside rocker. Again, we're going to think about our shoulders moving before the hips. So we're going to push back. I'm going to do a right back outside rocker first. So we're going to drag, rocker. Then our feet are going to come together. I'm going to do a mohawk, then other way. Press, turn, hold, pull up, mohawk, press, drag, turn, pull up, c-step, press, turn. Why I love this exercise, because if you do it correct, that free leg is going to keep that rocker on nice clean edges as it turns because it can't be dancing around through that rocker turn. So we're going to go back doing the exact same thing back down the ice. We're going to start with the c-step, c-step, open my shoulders up, bend, hold, pull up. Now we're going to go the other way. Press, I'm going to push into the ball of the foot, turn, now more heel pressure, pull up, mohawk, press, turn, hold, stand up, c-step, press, turn, hold. So this exercise allows my free leg to be right where it needs to be so that I can focus on my skating leg with the turn. It also forces your upper body to make sure that you are open here, you make the turn, and you have to get it back inside your circle. We can't be gliding off at the toe pick with upper body over here. So this one is fabulous because it forces you to get on that outside edge and upper body over here inside our circle a bit more. All right, the next exercise that we're going to do is we're going to add a Jackson step after this back outside rocker. It is a bit tricky, but don't worry if it's not perfect right away because the more you practice it the better you're going to get. So we're going to do a back outside rocker. Now we're going to go Jackson step, step forward, and then repeat. Press, turn, Jackson step, step forward, c-step, press, turn, Jackson step. So as you can see it makes you, after that turn, press your shoulder so that you can do that Jackson step coming around. Then we pull back up for that c-step. Now let's go on the other side with our left back outside rocker. So I'm going to do c-step, press back, open the hip, turn, Jackson step, step forward, c-step, push back, open my shoulders here, make the turn, keep pressing that outside edge, step forward, c-step, push, open the hip, drive it, press, press, turn, hold. So this one, try to get the lean on with the body. Don't keep everything very square because you're going to struggle to do the rocker turn and those Jackson steps after. So make sure from here it's not staying flat. Try to get that upper body involved, more knee and ankle action so that exercise will be smooth going down the ice. Okay now for our last exercise we're going to combine everything. So we're going to be doing forward outside rockers and back outside rockers. I'm going to do the right forward outside and right back outside down the ice and then I'm going to come back with the left. So you're going to see it going down the ice. Now I'm going to start with a forward cross roll. So I'm going to go cross roll, press, turn, hold, back cross roll, back cross roll, open the hip, turn, hold, cross roll, cross roll, press, turn, back cross roll, back cross roll, press, turn, hold. If you want to after that back outside rocker you can always extend your free leg. I keep it in. It's just an exercise. So now let's go back with our left leg. So I'm going to start with that forward cross roll. So I'm going to go cross roll forward, press, turn, back cross roll, back cross roll, press, turn, hold. Now from here I'm going to do a cross roll, cross roll, press, turn, hold, back cross roll, back cross roll, press, turn, hold. The main thing that I want you, oh my goodness, I want you to take away from this all these exercises is make sure you use your shoulders. I've tried to given you a variety of exercises that make you force you to use your shoulders. With rocker turns we can't stay square. We have to make sure that we are opening up. We're either going back against the circle then holding here or we're going inside our circle then back against the circle. So we want to get our lean on with our rocker turns and I want you to think about those shoulders moving a little bit before you make the turn. So if I'm going in for that right forward outside rocker I want to start moving my shoulders then I make the turn so and that applies for the backward. Here I start to move and then I turn and hold. This is really going to help you with your rocker turn and make sure you change your weight in the blade either pressing the heel to the ball or ball to the heel. Thanks for watching Next Edge Tutorials and like always, happy skating!