anyone got any stretches i can do to help get into the teapot/shoot the duck position?

Uh, just sit on the floor, legs out, open or closed, and stretch? Oldest stretch in the book.

A successful shoot-the-duck requires good quad strength.

Uhmmm not really a stretch but very good for it: the leg press machine at the gym. Or squats with weights (make sure you do them properly, the idea is that the back stays straight and your heels on the ground and your knees don't go beyond your toes - watch it in a mirror - that's what makes the exercise so heavy on the thighs and so useful) and one-legged squats.
http://www.myoquip.com.au/images/Bar...gram%20002.jpg

Personally I was always one to just drop into the position, instead of slowing into it. Never had the quad strength to do that. I don't know why I didn't loose balance on it, maybe cuz starting out I used to do shoot the ducks on an edge, somehow that made it easier. Of course for testing purposes I needed them on a straight line eventually.

Also make sure you feel the difference between the front part of your blade and the back part. The shoot the duck can't be done on the very front part of the blade, cuz then you catch your toepicks. But you can't go too far back either, because then you fall on your butt (not painful, but very wet and cold). I always do mine forward ones on the back half of the blade. I suppose they can be done on the sweet middle spot too.

Another thing, you could try not lacing the top 2 hooks of your skates and see if that improves the thing. It's not really a solution, but it can be a step up to doing them with skates fully laced.

Off-ice, squats and proper knee bends plus holding the position partway, all help with this maneuver.

On-ice, doing them backward prevents you from worrying about toepick trips. You can also stretch to warm them up by holding onto the wall and lowering yourself down on both/one foot.

Hold all stretches for at least 30 seconds.

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Start with squats, then progress to one-legged squats with free leg extended to front (foot turned out). Use a heel lift or shoe with a 2" heel. Also, arch your back and squeeze shoulder blades together so your back doesn't get rounded as you sit down into position. On the shoot-the-duck or sitspin, your strength comes from your back (and yes, you need strong quads, too). If you are doing this as a sitspin exercise, back shoot-the-ducks are better than forward because you can lift your heel and balance on the ball of the blade right behind the pick, just like in a sitspin.

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