Once you set posture, then check your breathing. Can you feel a lengthening along your whole spine? We also work to feel expansion front back and sides.
It takes some focus to feel the lengthening in the low back. This opens up huge possibilities for power output.
Melissa has higher pop than most, skating either foot forward.
https://PullZoneSkate.b-cdn.net/bracing%20sequence%203%20step.mp4
Back Feedback
Feedback is valuable information from outside us, it’s one job of a coach. This wall stand gives Melissa concrete feedback about where straight up and down is. After this warm-up, her body remembers this position.
The weights boost feeling and awareness, and wake the 50 muscles it takes to jump(or 250 if you count micro stabilizers). Most skaters might use 25 muscles to jump. Waking more spreads power through the body into the ground. Athletes train to feel this. Weights also build new connective tissue to own this tall position, and protect against injury.
We need a little extra strength, not huge muscles. A huge factor in aging is loss of connective tissue, here is how to maintain it.
From here Mellisa does 3 minutes of jumping work, feeling this tall position. Then we work up to explosive jumping, and it’s skate time. 15 year olds can understand this posture warmup, and reap benefits every day.
Freeze frame your favorite pros while popping, they find this tall position. Average skaters find it on certain tricks, but others find a hunchbacked version of this position. It doesn’t have to look perfect while skating.
We recommend wall stands for two minutes 2-3x a week. Feel inches taller over time. Increasing our jump height starts there. Breathing is key.
HOW TO STAND
First go through our bracing sequence. Flatten your low back and neck to the wall, get tall and breathe deeply.
Posture helps everything. With posture we have more power, it’s that simple. We feel lighter and tension can drop away.