I need major help with my Shoot-The-Duck?

Question

I just can't seem to get my stupid butt down low enough. Any tips??

Answer 1

Build up your muscles at home.  Practice balancing and going up and down off ice.  On-ice, focus on getting your "butt to your heel" and don't worry if you fall.  Keep working at getting all the way down and getting up after will come in time.  :)

Answer 2

Do You Mean A Sit spin?

Answer 3

Someone asked a very similar question a few days ago . . . so I'm going to repeat my answer.  

I actually think you have to stretch your CALVES, HAMSTRINGS, and your BACK more. When those muscle groups are tight, it's hard to lean over any more forward while you're trying to put your bottom towards your ankles. A sign of tightness is "falling back" when you're bending to do a dip (on or off ice!). You need the flexibility first - then the strength to go down and up from it (which would need to come from your thigh/quads).

Check out some of these stretches for the calfs and hamstrings:

http://www.skating-wos.on.ca/sportsci/st...

And upper/lower back stretches:

\http://www.skating-wos.on.ca/sportsci/st...

These are just general stretches that can help.

If you do off ice work on this, make sure your feet are FLAT on the ground (don't lift up your heels). Don't wear a shoe with a heel on it - you'll stretch those calves more with your feet flat on the ground. It's ok to hold on to something in front of you for now for balance. You can go to the benches and stretch first before you try doing dips on the ice.

Each time you do dips on the ice - challenge yourself and go down as far as you can to the point where you're just barely about to fall - but DON'T fall. Hold the position and glide as long as you can like that . . . that's "stretching" right there - and repeat. If you go too low for what you can handle and keep falling back, you're just creating muscle memory and expectations to fall.

After you get to the point where you're fairly low on your dips, here's a way to get shoot the duck "faster". Do a deep dip, and then put one leg out to do a shoot the duck (as opposed going down on just one leg - you'll get to that eventually as you build the strength). Keep your hips even (make sure one side is not dropping) and you'll have a better time balancing.

Good luck - I know you'll get there!!

The link to the other skater's question about shoot the ducks:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...