SLS/PE4 (Speed Skater Squats)

Hey everyone,

 

I've searched the forums to find out the exact technique but i only found different opinions.

What i did found out is that the heel of the working foot should always remain on the floor.

Nevertheless, there still are a few questions left:

 

1.) Due to the fact we should keep the working heel flat on the ground, I need to lean my torso 

forward for counter balance. Is this ok?

2.) Should our arms just hang down next to our hips or are we allowed to raise them while we descend for more balance? if allowed, the leaning of the upper body while descending would

decrease, otherwise we need to lean more with the torso.

1. You can lean forward, if you need to or you can just use your arms to counterbalance.

 

2. Regarding the video, speed skater squats aren't "Shrimp squats" Shrimp squats and speed skater squats are variations of single leg squats.

 

For speed skater squats the knee and top of your foot are supposed to touch the ground at the same time.

How come the athlete in F1 video is not having the heels on the ground? Am I suppose to have my heels on the ground or can I do it like him?

Heel on the ground is the goal. It depends on your ankle flexibility. Leaning forward is much easier than staying upright. I would say follow the video form(no leaning, hands at sides) and try to keep the heel on the ground. If you can't, work on your ankle flexibility.

So is mastery as shown in the video (heel off the ground)? 
Another thing, which bothers me is the fact, that allan uses his working foot to support the ascent. in a shrimp squat this isn't possible because the working foot never touches the ground. So is a slight support with the working foot ok?

At first yes, but only until you're strong enough to do it without. It only trails behind when you are.

 

I'm not sure about heel on/off ground for mastery, I did it on ground. I remember some older thread about this, you may want to look it up.

yeah I know coach confirmed heels on ground. 

but again about the ascend: is a slight support with working foot acceptable for mastery like shown by allan in the video or not?

I'm still none the wiser, but thanks for the input Zach. I understand Allan's ankle flexibilty is not optimal and that the focal points are key, but:

 

Does mastery require that the foot be kept flat on the floor? Or is it better to move on to the next PE and work ankle flexibilty concurrently.

 

Is leaning forward allowed or not?

Thx alot zach! but there still is one thing unclear. is a slight support of the working foot is allowed while the knee ascends like shown in the video or should foot and knee rise at the same time?

So it's performed incorrectly in the video. ok thx!

Coach answers the heel-lift question here: https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/10378-speed-skater-squat-heel-raise/?hl=achilles#entry99972

I've played around with the element, but I just cannot manage to fully understand the technique. Once i try to keep the heel on the floor, it's impossible to manage the form shown in the video (chest up, upper part of the working leg vertical).

Can someone who already mastered the pe please post a video??? And please tell me the following two things:

 

1) how much lean is allowed?

2) does the upped part of the working leg need to be vertical when the knee touches the ground?

 

Another question on the corresponding iM:
My knees start to separate the deeper I descend. Is this normal/acceptable? Or do my knees have to stay together?

From an earlier thread:

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/15596-small-favor-can-you-film-your-awesome-sss/#entry151719

I think Kris has pretty much got it down in this video. Notice how far his knee moves forward. This shows how much ankle flexibility is required to perform the movement perfectly, which can be a stumbling block for many people - myself included.

 

I can't confirm that your knees must stay together in the iM, but on the basis of what is required for other exercises, I would say it's a pretty safe bet that they do have to. I would guess it is a symptom of tight quads, but fortunately the iM itself should be a good way to remedy this, provided you are dilligent at keeping your knees together and your hips extended.

 

 

Ok that looks really good. But he is definitely supporting his ascend by pressing his working foot slightly into the ground.

Is this acceptable for mastery? This slight support (also shown in the video) makes a huge difference in

term of difficulty and smoothness of the element. Try it. 

Does the heel need to stay on ground for mastery?

 

In other words, is the the  demonstration video enough for mastery?

Zach already addressed these two points earlier in the thread. I think we've established that the video is a bit misleading as regards the finer points. To summarise - based on this thread - for mastery:

- Supporting foot must remain flat at all times

- Forward lean is permissible, but should be minimal

- Knee and toe must contact and leave the ground simultaneously

- It's unclear if the arms can be used to counterbalance or not. Personally I think they should remain somewhere near vertical.

 

If in doubt, post a form check.

Yes I know the key points. but every form check video I've seen so far (including the athlete himself) is doing it completely

wrong then....

That's why I've asked if someone who already mastered this pe could please post a video.