How to master Rotational Skater Hops
9 Apr 2020 09:58AM
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Why incorporate Rotational Skater Hops into your work out practice?
If we think of a sport or daily activity that requires you to have single leg stability, control and explosive movement I.e. tennis, soccer, hiking, or even playing with the kids in the garden - Skater Hops allow us to train these movement patterns and develop the body control that translates into better performance. These activity require a person to be able to load weight from one leg to the other and change direction when needed, both safely and in a controlled and dynamic manner for performance.
When should we incorporate Skater Hops into our work out practice?
After ground work has been done on more basic single leg exercises (single leg press, split squats, lunges etc) skater hops can be added into a training program for a more advanced movement pattern to be learned. These can be added in as accessory work for an athlete after compound leg exercises to mimic the stress or movements that athletes may do in their sport. For the general Gym goer, these can be added in for much the same reason as either accessory work or as part of a conditioning circuit for calorie burning and general fitness. Those recovering from ankle, knee or hip injuries may wish to avoid until rehab work he be done to ensure injury prevention.
How do we do a Rotational Skater Hops?
There are no set reps or sets range to follow here as this is not a strength or hypertrophy exercise. Decide what the goal of the movement is for you and program accordingly.
Think how long might a rally last for and practice the movement for that time. For general fitness, 30-60 seconds is ideal as this will enable us to to maintain form. This is not a movement that should be done to complete fatigue due to the risks of injury but can be done as part of a circuit to aid in conditioning work. A good way to add these in would be to perform a heavier compound movement first (squats, deadlift, leg press) and then skater hops after as a super set or circuit.
In terms of technique (If using weight in hand), first balance with you loaded leg (outside leg) for a few seconds to gain stability through the body. Bracing glutes, core and upper body together to create tension and a base from which to move from. Take a breath in and drive hard off of your outside leg into the lateral hop. As you travel laterally you then rotate the weight from your T-Spine, (think about rotating your shoulders left to right and vice versa ) and land and control body onto the opposite leg. Before you drive off again unsure your body has been stabilized on the opposite leg, take a breath and go again. The object to perform the movement when control and power so take your time to set and go. Rushing when result in loss of balance and possible injury.
