Does anyone have any tips for the spread eagle?
My coach and I worked on them for a while to put in a program but I couldn't learn it in time so we quit. Its one of my favorite moves and I want to put it in my next program but it is soooo hard!!!!
Please help!

Thanks!

How far along are you? Can you do an inside spread eagle? For me, the one thing to remember is to go into it without breaking at the waist and of course to hold my turn out strongly, even then my spread eagle isn't very pretty yet, also a work in progress.

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Tidesong

First, start stretching in that position after you've warmed up and again after you skate or exercise. (Don't do this in your skates. Put on sneakers.) Hold each stretch for a minute to get the full effects. That'll help make you stronger to hold the position longer. If you have a solid waist-high wall or counter that you can hold onto, include a few stretches where you try to press your hip bones forward to touch the wall/counter. Again, warm muscles+slow stretches+hold for a minute.

On the ice, you can stand near a wall and put your legs into the position with your "trailing" toe against the wall. Give yourself a little push (with your hand), hold the position, and try to make both feet curve and glide until the other foot touches the wall. Start small, then try using the hockey half-circle near the scorer's box as a pattern.

If you search the forums, there are a few spreadeagle threads that can give you some tips on getting into the position gracefully.

Good luck!

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I've only tried them one way. I go backwards ccw on a circle then open up to the outside of the circle by turning my left foot out and setting it down. I can go in that position for a few seconds but thats it and my legs are really bent.

Here's what I posted last time someone asked about spread eagles. The mohawk entrance was the one I first learned and I think the easiest. But before trying any of this, stand against the boards on the ice, bend your knees and turn your feet all the way out against the base of the wall, then straighten your knees, pushing your pelvis forward so it's against the wall. If your knees aren't facing out (i.e., parallel to your toes) once your legs are straight, do the butterfly stretch and frog stretch off-ice until your knees turn out properly. If you can't get that to happen, it's best not to try spread eagles because it means your hip joints are closed and no amount of stretching will change that because it's a structural thing. Trying to do spread eagles with closed hips can strain and damage your knees.

OUTSIDE SPREAD EAGLE - Outside mohawk entrance

1. Preparation: Holding onto the wall and facing the wall, turn your leading foot out and place it down on the outside of the blade. Now bring your trailing foot down, heel first into the instep (arch) of your leading foot. Notice how it makes your trailing foot turn out and fall right into place.

2. Now, stand in the middle of the rink, facing the end of the rink. Take a few strokes straight forward, then push off at a 90-degree angle toward the side of the rink, pushing onto whichever foot is your leading foot (the knee of the leading leg will be bent). Pushing off at a 90-degree angle will put you on a nice deep outside edge on your leading foot. You want to feel like you're almost on the side of the blade, and going in a big circle around your own leading shoulder.

3. Looking over your leading shoulder, gently swing your trailing foot in front of your leading foot to solidify the outside edge, straightening the skating leg as you do so. Now bring the trailing foot back halfway (so that it's in front of you at about a 45-degree angle), turn the foot out, point the toe and lock the knee out straight.

4. With the knee locked out straight and the foot turned out and pointed, bring the trailing foot in, heel first, to the instep of your leading foot (the skating leg is already locked out straight). The trailing foot should fall into place and turn out as soon as it is on the ice. Make sure you shift at least half of your weight (maybe more) to the trailing foot once you put it down. Try not to keep looking down at the ice once you've brought the trailing foot into place.

5. Look over your leading shoulder and pull your leading shoulder back. This will solidify your outside edge.

6. Now squeeze your butt in, push your pelvis forward and try to pull your thighs together. This will straighten your body. This part will probably take awhile to achieve.

7. You can get out of an outside spread eagle by shifting all of your weight to one side and lifting up the other leg, or by switching over to an inside edge to end in an inside spread eagle (I like to do an outside to inside spread eagle, then lift my back foot and go into an inside 3-turn with the leading foot).

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Thanks. Your posts helped!