Ballet exercises for figure skaters 1

Ballet is a very important part of figure skating. It helps improve balance, strength, coordination, extension and to show beautiful body lines during on ice performance. We will go over each exercise today to draw a link between ballet and figure skating moves.

I truly learned about ballet and skating connection while working with Saint-Petersburg State Ice Ballet Company, where our choreographers from famous Russian ballet companies and theaters taught us how to implement ballet into ice performances.

I’ve liked ballet all my life and was so excited to perform in classical ballet performances on the ice. We toured around the world with Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker and other productions and now I am using that wide and deep knowledge and wonderful experience every day in my coaching.

Let’s get started with exercises now.

1. Warm up with demi and grand plies, releves and Port de Bras. We use 1, 2, 4 and 5th feet positions for those.

   -Plies are helping you improve turn out, knee and ankle bend, and proper body alignment when done properly.

   -Releves are strengthening your feet muscles which is essential for developing power skating , height on the jumps and preventing ankle injuries.

   -Port De Bras expand your upper body movement abilities, providing you with beautiful arm positions and improve over all performance on the ice.

2. Battement Tendu.

   -Strengthens our legs and feet

   -Teaches us about weight placement over standing leg

   -Helps to understand weight transfer

3. Battement Jete.

   -Develop the strength and lightness of the leg

   -Teaches controlled position of the leg in the air

   -Improve mobility of the hip joint

4. Rond De Jambe a Terre

   -Involves all of the muscles of the hip

   -Teaches stability over your standing leg

   -Develops turn out

5. Battement Fondu

   -Most beneficial exercise for skaters

   -Teaches proper knee and ankle bend while doing plie standing on one foot which is similar to stroking

   -Increase extension

6. Battement Frappe

   -Strengthens the toes and insteps

   -Improves quick and precise movement of the legs feet

   -Promotes strong body position

7. Rond De Jambe en L’air

   -Helps with hips stability

   -Develops strong straight support leg

   -Improves turn out

8. Petit Battement

   -Enhance quickness

   -Sharpen foot placement precision

   -Boost foot movement endurance

9. Adagio

   -Perfecting the form and shape

   -Build the strength and stamina

   -Improves spirals and spins positions on the ice

10. Grand Battement

    -Strengthen hip flexors and quadriceps

    -Loosen the hip joints

    -Increase turn out

    Here is the link to my youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@styleskating35 , where you can watch all these exercises. I hope you enjoy watching my videos and learn something new.