Slideboard at the ROO
Another first in my speed skating training as we headed out to the Richmond Olympic Oval for technical imitation work. After a tough weight session yesterday the legs took a little longer to warm up this morning.
The imitations were 2 sets of the 5 exercises below at a rate of 1 minute on, 2 minutes off of the following sets:
- Dryskate
- Side to Sides
- Bonnie Blairs (shuffle)
- Basic Position
- Slideboard
The first four I have done over the past two weeks. I am making great progress on my Basic and Bonnie Blairs. Still need to get my left foot over the center line on my BBs but overall they are my stronger of the four exercises. The Dryskate and Side to Sides are gradually improving but need to keep my shoulders squared over my knees.
Slideboard work was new and indeed a challenge! Essentially I wrap my shoes in a hockey sock and get on a homemade slideboard. This basically takes the dryskate one step further and gets me closer to simulating the feeling on the ice.
Had a lot of trouble at first but by getting lower I felt stronger going across the board. Need to work on using my arms but remaining loose up top. Need to activate the glute in the push off leg to stay strong and allow my back leg to trail.
