Hi there, a newbie checking in for the first time here!

Can anyone tell me the correct way to get out of a forward drag? I can get down into a decent position, but can't get up properly - I've developed a bad habit of putting my back blade on the ice and sort of slewing that foot around to the side, which throws all sorts of things off balance and must look terrible. Any advice gratefully received.

I can't give you good advice about getting up out of a lunge, but I will give you a piece of advice about how NOT to get up from one.

Skewing the leg around to the side raises the risk of really nasty knee injuries, like torn ligaments or torn cartilege. And they're the type of injuries that often can't heal.

Not something anyone wants to have to deal with.

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You come UP in the skating leg. Just like you lowered yourself down, you raise yourself back up. Yep---that's going to take some strength in your thigh. Work on it! The only part of your free leg that should touch the ice is the SIDE of your boot. You lay it on the ice, and then you lift it back up on your way up.

Let me guess....right now, when you go down into a lunge, you're leaving your free foot on the ice, just turning it and dragging the blade while you go down? Yeah--don't do that. What you should do is a one-foot glide--turn your free leg out, start lifting it behind you, and as you lift that foot, go down in your skating knee. Your free leg shouldn't touch the ice until you're well down in the knee.

Keep working on it, you'll get it!

Of course, you can get out of a deep lunge the way I do....just sit and slide!

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To get out of a lunge neatly, pretend you're going directly into a spiral.
(ETA: You don't have to actually DO the spiral - just get out of the lunge as if you WERE going into a spiral.)

Shift your weight forward, raise your arms, straighten your back, and lift the free leg up off the ice behind your skating foot. You should be able to push yourself up at that point, keeping the free foot off the ice. Please bend your ankles/knees.


I teach spirals and lunges separately, then I teach spiral-into-lunge (as one of my students calls it, a "Spirunge" - LOL), then I teach lunge-into-spiral. Very effective progression to get the entire group doing good spirals and lunges because it lets students "catch up" and keeps the stronger skaters interested.


BTW, a decent position for a beginner should include the dragged BOOT ON THE ICE (not the blade) behind the skating foot. Too many people keep it out to the side, which can injure your hips. Squeeze your buttocks and it really does feel like it's right behind your skating foot. Keep your chin over the bent skating knee, arms out to each side for balance. Try doing it straight across on a hockey line and look directly ahead where the line goes up the boards to meet the glass. Both the skating knee and the dragged boot should be on the line.

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Hi Elf, welcome to the group!

getting up out of a lunge by pressing up into a spiral takes a lotta strength, but its the ultimate IMHO.

Practice this hanging on to something a few times every day before heading onto the ice and it WILL come. In the mean time, a helpfull "cheat" is to simultaneously: rise then quickly sink on the skating leg then press up on the skating leg HARD while pressing down HARD with the dragging leg now take the upward bounce and fling your free leg and widespread arms up while arching your back and neck. THis lift should be enough to let you get into a 2 foot crouch and stand up more gracefully. BUT the risk is planting your toepick as you fling yourself upwards - which results in a faceplant - ouch,

we have alllll done this. Sooo rise up pushing on the heal of your skating foot.
Lyle

There is a chance that your bodyweight is too far forward on the blade. You should be sitting down into the lunge, with your upper body upright, and the weight on the heel of the skating foot.

I think Jenlyon60 is right about possible knee injuries. I suspected what I was doing might be risky and perhaps I've been lucky to get away with it so far. I must mend my wicked ways ...

Flippet, you must have seen me skating as I'm definitely guilty as charged of plonking my back blade down rather than the boot! I was sort of suspecting that getting straight back up on the tracing foot might be the answer, and it looks as though I'm in for some strengthening exercises. Thanks also to Isk8NYC for the "spirunge" suggestion - spirals are some way into my future, but I'll try what you've suggested as it sounds as if it might both help with the lunge and prepare me for spirals.

Many thanks to all of you for your advice, it is much appreciated.

Did I really say you HAD to do the spiral part bang off? Sorry, my mistake - should have been more clear. Just getting up AS IF you were going straight into a spiral would be enough to get a skater's weight shifted and the upward push started. You don't go into a spiral with the knee already straight - it has to be bent at the start as you "rise up."

In lunges, many skaters try to come up with their weight on both legs or too far backward which causes the spinout the OP described.

I like the knee/thigh strengthening drill. My poor students. LOL

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Given the choice I always come out of a lunge via my favourite move - which does involve spinning round but with the heel of the blade leading so the toepick doesn't catch. Basically, I usually do the lunge with left foot leading, I then do a LFI3 in lunge position and push up as the right leg comes around, heel leading, onto the blade and you sort of spin upwards. I can do the coming straight up too but it's not as much fun!

My other favourite is to do bunny hop, lunge, bunny hop, lunge, bunny hop, lunge.... down the length of the rink. Given that I used to hate both the bunny hop and the lunge, it shows that you can make progress on even the most unpromising of moves eventually!!

Isn't bunny-hop lunge repeated one of the higher Skate UK or Passport moves?

I think I've been trying to do totally the wrong thing on my drags - maybe I'll have another go tomorrow and see if I can actually do it. Husband has a lovely one. He's been trying to do the drag-3turn-drag thing, but can't stop the rotation and reckons it's not important enough to spend time on.

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Mrs Redboots
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Not sure on the bunny hop / lunge thing, but I am sure it's not repeated - because I'm another one who really struggles getting up again from the lunge, and I know it's not one of the things I haven't passed yet

I've also been trying to get the drag-turn-drag thing, but I can't START the rotation when I'm down there. Maybe I can split the difference with your husband? It's darned annoying when your kids are demonstrating just how "easy" it is....

I think the bunny-hop into a lunge might be part of the "simple step sequence" that is done for Skate UK level 10. Does anyone know if the sequence is always the same one, or do the coaches make up something different each time?

I think I've done a lunge with a sort of three-turn a couple of times due to incompetence (that pesky back blade still being on the ice)! Couldn't do it deliberately if I tried.

I think each coach probably has his or her own step sequence that they teach the group, but they differ from coach to coach, and can probably be adjusted to suit the individual skater.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!