Conditioning
Skater hops
- Kit
- No kit
- Works
- glutes · quads · outer hips
- Also
- calves · hamstrings · core
Skater hops are lateral bounds: you push off one leg, land softly on the other, and repeat side to side. The sideways direction loads the glutes and outer hips in a way that forward running and jumping jacks miss, while raising your heart rate quickly. They suit anyone who wants conditioning with a balance and single-leg control element, and they need only a couple of feet of floor either side.
Form
How to do skater hops
- 1Stand on one leg with a soft knee, the other foot lifted behind you, and your weight over the middle of the standing foot.
- 2Push sideways off the standing leg and land on the opposite foot, letting that knee and hip bend to absorb the landing.
- 3Hold the landing for a beat if you need to find balance, then push straight back the other way so you travel side to side across the same patch of floor.
- 4Keep your chest up and let your arms swing across your body for rhythm and balance.
- 5Breathe steadily rather than holding your breath, and keep the hops smaller as you tire so the landings stay quiet and controlled.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Landing stiff-legged with a loud thud.
Fix: Land on the ball of the foot then the heel, and bend the knee and hip to soak up the impact.
The landing knee collapsing inward.
Fix: Think about pushing the knee out over the middle of your foot as you land, and hop less far until you can hold that line.
Drifting across the room so you run out of space.
Fix: Pick two marks on the floor and hop between them, returning to the same spots each time.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.