Top 10 Figure skating off-ice training equipment

Time on the ice is limited. To become a better figure skater, an exercise routine has to be added outside the rink.
Below are my top 10 selection of figure skating off-ice training equipment to help you improve your performance in terms of flexibility, balance, endurance and more.

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Choose your figure skating off-ice training equipment

There are 6 types of training a figure skater should be focusing on, when off-ice:  

• Balance
• Flexibility
• Explosiveness / power
• Endurance
• Grace and artistry
• Mental strength

All of them can be worked on without any equipment with exercises using only the weight of the body.
However, using specialized equipment can bring a lot to the off-ice training routine:

• Variety of exercises
• Types of exercises mimicking the figure skating moves (not possible without any accessories) - spinning, sliding, gliding...
• Increase the intensity of an exercise

Therefore, I have collected for you 10 of the best equipment to help you train off-ice. They can be great gifts for figure skaters.

Note: always check out with a doctor or physiotherapist before practicing physical activities - and if you are a figure skating parent, always supervise off-ice training.

#1 Slide board 

What you work on

• Endurance - high intensity exercise low impact
• Balance - some exercises are focusing on balance and stability
• Toning of upper and lower body

How it helps your figure skating

• This is the closest to skating you can get at home as you can perform the skating stride
• It will improve your endurance with the lower body flexion as if you are skating around the rink
• It will work your core muscles to improve balance - this is essential to all aspects of figure skating including spins and jumps

How to choose

• Check out the size of the slide - some will be short and might be frustrating for taller people
• Check out the comment for the sliding factor - depending on materials some cheaper ones may not slide as well
• Adjustable version with tiles instead of single mat

Note: if you want to feeling of skating too much, you can also consider getting synthetic ice for your garage or basement. Learn more

#2 Spinner

What you work on

• Balance - Unstable equipment to force the body to work on balance
• Mental strength - to get your mind used to spinning

How it helps your figure skating

• It is another equipment that get you close to ice skating sensations
• You can practice spinning - working on core strength to increase balance and working on finding your center of gravity
• This will help you with spins, twizzles and jumps

#3 Stretching band / Stretcher straps

What you work on

• Flexibility - of course, this is a prime objective to stretch 
• Balance - it can help increase the difficulty of balance exercises and improve core strength

#4 Half ball

What you work on

• Balance as you stand on the half ball (on top of the ball or with the ball under as a balance board)
• Flexibility - to raise height of your leg and increase the stretch, for example

How it helps your figure skating

• This equipment is very versatile. It helps you work on a many muscles, and especially your core strength for balance
• It helps in every aspect of figure skating

How to choose

• Make sure the one you are choosing is well designed to avoid slipping - you don't want to hurt yourself!
• You can find options of simply the Balance board or with attached elastic strings
• Some cheap design may burst quickly - make sure you choose a durable option so as not to waste money

#5 Roller-skates

What you work on

• Endurance - if you skate at good speed for a long time - like a run
• Balance - it is not a blade, but it is close enough, you still need good core strength for your balance
• Explosiveness - work on your lower body muscles

How it helps your figure skating

• Similar movement to figure skating
• Work on flexion in the skating movement with endurance
• Keep the feeling of gliding

How to choose

• Several wheel sizes exist - for fitness the mid-range diameter are best, for jumps and artistic, smaller wheels is best
• Read reviews to understand comfort of boot and quality of rolling
• I recommend removing the brake at the back and learning to stop in another way - so that you can do cross-overs, eights and other moves with your roller-skates

#6 Power Twist

What you work on

• Grace and artistry - the resistance helps build your back muscles for great upper body position
• Balance - increase core strength

How it helps your figure skating

• Creating correct upper body positions assists in faster rotations and stronger landings
• Builds core and back muscles to hold beautiful straight back positions without difficulty

#7 Jump Box

What you work on

• Explosiveness / power - as you push to reach the top of the cube

How it helps your figure skating

• Pushing on the ice and jumping requires a lot of explosivity to improve performance - jumping higher and higher will help

How to choose

• Choose a good material with anti-slip system 
• Choose a box that allows you to evolve and increase difficulty
• Check reviews for durability of the box

#8 Sliding discs

To increase core training

What you work on

• Balance - this discs are good to increase the intensity of your core strength exercises
• Flexibility - the same way the sliding effect will help increase the intensity of your flexibility exercises

How it helps your figure skating

• It helps with all aspects of figure skating as you will be increasing your workout on core strength and flexibility
• Better control of spins, jumps and better attitudes

How to choose

• Check out reviews for the quality of the grip and slide
• Check out reviews for durability

#9 Yoga Wheel

What you work on

• Flexibility - increase the intensity of your stretching - it is particularly good for your spine flexibility
• Balance - increase core and back strength with targeted exercises on balance

How it helps your figure skating

• Stretching of back for Biellmann, Ina Bauer and arabesque position
• Stretching of hips for all figure skating movements
• Balance for all aspect of figure skating

How to choose

• A good grip material
• Durability
• A set of different sizes is preferable to adapt to the exercises and to your level

#10 Mindfulness, focus and meditation aid

What you work on

• Mental strength

How it helps your figure skating

It is often easier to work on the body than on the mind. But a strong mental state is also key for success as a figure skater.
There are lots you can do:

• Reading about techniques and stories of great athletes - Read the Many books focused on Athlete mentality
• Understanding mindfulness
• Focusing on Positive thinking
• Enjoying visualization
• Practicing meditation
• ...
• and checking out my selection of 30 figure skating inspirational quotes

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