I think lauren D reads these boards but does anyone know anything about the off ice edge platform?We have a coach who really wants us to invest in one.
TIA

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I am a big fan of the off-ice edge trainer. I have had the opportunity to get to know the OIE inventor, and he spent a lot of time and money in creating this training tool. For those of you who don't know much about it, it consists of a platform that you stand on in your skates, and the slopes and angles of the platform mimic each edge, FO, FI, BO, and BI. As you balance, you hold on to one or two poles. On the platform, you can practice every jump takeoff, spin positions, stroking and crossover positions. While doing so, you can 'freeze frame' each position and find where the body is off in alignment. Therefore a coach can correct body mechanics off the ice then transfer it onto the ice. At the same time, a skater will work on strengthening in these positions. The inventor did a study on the muscle activity of the glut medius muscle (one of the most important muscles used in skating) with the same positions on and off the OIE, and there was a very significant increase in glut medius activity while the skater was on the OIE. That is key to a skater's improvement.

I use the OIE with several of my skaters, and I have found it very beneficial. It also shows the skater their weaknesses and motivates them to improve their biomechanics, as they can see the direct effect on jumps, stroking, etc. I don't promote this just because I carry on my website; I believe it is a very useful and inventive tool. Your coach can also buy it directly from the official website.

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Thanks so much.This information came from a visting coach who brought hers to show us. She showed them how to use it.Our coaching here is very spotty.She really likes it too and uses it with all her skaters.
Thanks for your input. Do you have any other tips.?

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Here's the link:
http://www.officeedgetrainer.com/

This looks really cool. I have not used it or seen it before. It costs $299, which is out of my price range right now.

Kay

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It seems pretty pricey for a block of wood w/ angled edges. Does it also come w/ lots of training videos, etc? :eek:

It does come w vids. There are free demo vid on the web site which give a pretty thorough idea of how to use it. However, I have not used it myself. But it also looks like something my husband could make for me for about 5$.

Kay

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The inventor of the OIE spent many hours perfecting the angles and slopes by using dozens of skaters to determine the proper weight displacement for each edge. Also, the surface that you stand on is a expensive material that prevents any slippage of the blade, which is very important to prevent ankle injuries by slipping off. I have never had any of my skaters fall off. Overall, the product costs a lot more than you would think to make; hence the high price tag. A lot of these products are expensive because there was a lot of thought and effort put into them to make them safe and prevent injury when used properly.

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Thanks for your input. We are going to order one. We talked to some skaters who use it and they all really liked it.They thought it was helpful with jumps and landing positions. These are kids who went to nats this year so I believe them :}

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Lauren's site http://www.sk8strong.com/trainingaidcatalog.html has it for $275 - check which one is cheaper to you with shipping?

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Is that Lauren Downes?

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yes, it is

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I think she is also rsk8d who replied to you above.

The device does not look hard to make. A carpenter or woodworder could make something similar, though he/she would have to estimate the angles from the picture.

What I don't get is why you want a slanted surface. The ice is flat. Maybe you could just get something like a small flat piece of "synthetic ice" or flat rubber flooring and balance yourself with your skates on edge? Or maybe I'm missing the point?

I love trying to balance on one skate on real ice while standing still, though I'm terrible at it. That really strengthens your core muscles, and forces you to improve your reflex speeds. A lot of people who do it better had ballet training. I've tried it in various stances (e.g., almost two-foot standing, 1 foot glide position, spiral (careful - some people's reflexes are too slow to avoid head or arm injury if they fall forward from this, though reflex speed and gentler falling techniques can be trained), Yoga "tree" pose.

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The ice is flat, but you only stand flat on it when you are stationary- when a figure skater is moving, they are on their edges or slanted. This is trying to mimic the muscles a skater would engage in these positions, while standing stationary. So they need to be at the same angle.

It sounds like there is a beginner and an advanced platform. So the developer has taken in account the difference of edge quality (and thus slant needed) to hold the same positions by a different level of skating.

It sounds like a neat devise for a club to invest in (like Dartfish) but not something a single indivudal would use enough to get their money's worth for.

This seems like asking for injury, with no real benefit to skating. If you really want to train balance, I'd do these things in tennis shoes on a Bosu ball. Or maybe even in your skates off ice.

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