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        • The Corner Lay In
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        • Chest In to Corner
        • Moving Hips in the Corner
        • Moving Hips In to Push
        • Off Ice Training with Straps – Part 1 of a 2 Part Series
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      • ⛸ POSITION >
        • Starting the Season Off Right
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        • The Basic Position – The Arch
        • A Time to Get High, A Time to Get Low
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        • The Butt Tuck
        • Hip Dip
        • Bend the Ankle
      • ⛸ STARTS >
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        • Press In to Push
        • Presscoopinchpushpinish
        • Gather the Power
        • Transferring Power from Ball of Foot to Ice – The Ankle Snap​
        • Transferring Power from Hip to Ball of Foot
        • Transferring Power Hip to Hip
        • Accelerating Your Weight In to Your Push
        • Japanese Four Eyes Technique
        • Delaying the Push – Straightaways
        • The Straightaway Shuffle
      • ⛸ TRACKS >
        • Tracks
        • Entry and Exit Width
        • Entry and Exit Trajectory
        • The Extra Crossover
        • Punching Through Centrifugal Force – Position and Alignments
        • Converting from 4 to 2 Strides on Straight
      • ⛸ ASSORTED TECHNICAL >
        • Relay Racing – Part 1 – Skater Roles and Laps
        • Relay Racing – Part 2 – The Exchange, Training Ideas
        • Skating with Your Core
        • Why Are The Koreans So Good?
        • Technical Opinions Can Be Confusing
        • The Outside Edge – Is It Overrated?
        • Diagonal Hill Steps
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        • Specificity in Training
        • Specific Skating Training – Is Your Plan Specific Enough?
        • Warm Ups and Warm Downs
        • Off Ice Balance, Agility, and Co-ordination Training
        • Dynamic Flexibility Training
        • Flexibility Training a Must for Speed Skaters
        • Maximize Your Results with TECHNI-CORDS
        • Improving Your Power with Jumps
        • ​Specific Strength, Power, Endurance – Part 1 – Straightaway
        • Specific Strength, Power, Endurance – Part 2 – Straightaway Jumps
        • Specific Strength, Power, Endurance – Part 3 – Corners
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        • Training for Starts
        • Relay Racing – Part 1 – Skater Roles and Laps
        • Relay Racing – Part 2 – The Exchange, Training Ideas
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        • Core Strength for Speed Skating
        • General Core Strength, by Brandon Aldan
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      • Start Strategy
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      • The Slingshot Pass
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      • Important Short Track Rule Changes for 2012
      • Using Strategy and Tactics under the New Rules
      • Important Short Track Rule Changes for 2010
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      • Ankle Pronation: Effects in Skating
      • Fair Play in Sports
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      • 75 Great Reasons to Train
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Butt Power

By Susan Ellis, October 2004
​Revised January 2012

Download printer-friendly format (pdf)
Powerful pushes! It’s what every skater strives for. Power in your push actually starts from engaging specific muscle groups in your butt, which engage specific muscles around your hip, which engage muscles around the upper quad, which allow you to fully complete each extension using all of these muscle groups.
Picture
As discussed in the tip on Butt Tuck – April 2003, the position of your pelvic bone controls the position and actions of your hips, as well as controlling the ankle bend which is important to bringing your weight forward to the ball of your foot to push. And since your hip bone is connected to your thigh bone, which is connected to your knee bone, which is connected to your shin bone, which is connected to your ankle bone, the position of your pelvic bone is key to developing forward momentum and power. You must maintain the pelvis in a tilted position so that your butt is tucked under you to have control of what the rest of the lower body needs to do to generate forward momentum and power. This pelvic position can be referred to as the butt tuck, the pelvic tilt, the tummy crunch, hips under you, or whatever name you want to give it.

To tuck your butt, bend your back so that you fold your body over at the belly button (tuck your belly button in) and gently bring your hips under you. A common error in skating is to bend at the hips only and not the belly button. Simply bending at the hips will leave your butt stuck out.

Another error is trying to round the back too much, i.e.: cat back, which pre-stretches the muscles around the lower back and hips so you can’t use them as effectively in the push. A good butt tuck should allow the back and hip muscles to stay relaxed in order to engage them to work for you, not against you.

A powerful push starts from the abdominal muscles and goes through the hip and glute muscles. Tucking your butt allows you to use your butt, hips and quad muscles to generate power right through to the end of an extension.

FEELING IT!

Here are a couple of simple dryland exercises to help you feel the difference between an ‘out butt’ and an ‘in butt’ (butt tuck).

1) Forward momentum component
Bend at the waist by folding forward at the belly button. Stick your butt out, as if you were ‘mooning’ somebody, flattening your lower back and pushing your belly button downward. Bend your ankles and notice the position of your knees. Now tuck your butt gently under you by bringing your belly button back up towards your spine. Bend your ankles again. See how much further forward your knees came with your butt tucked! And notice as well that your weight came further forward towards the balls of your feet. OK, so that will help you to develop the forward momentum component.

2) Power from the butt
Place a chair beside you and assume a basic skating position. Hold on to the chair lightly with your right hand. Put your right leg in back of you in a recovery position. Put your left hand on your hip, fingers point down to the ground and thumb right over top of the top of your hip bone (iliac crest).
Now, stick your butt out as you did in the above exercise, and, keeping your butt stuck out, go through a push. Feel anything in your upper quad, hip and butt?
Now tuck your butt under you, and, keeping it tucked all the way through, do a push. Feel the difference in the power from now being able to use your butt, hip and upper quad.

Now that’s what I’m talking about! Butt Power!

See also: Presscoopinchpushpinish – December 2009, Skating with Your Core – September 2010

  • Home
  • Skating Tips
    • ⛸ TECHNICAL >
      • ⛸ CORNERS >
        • The Corner Lay In
        • Corners – Working the Right Hip on the Lay In
        • Bringing Right Hip Forward in Corner
        • Chest In to Corner
        • Moving Hips in the Corner
        • Moving Hips In to Push
        • Off Ice Training with Straps – Part 1 of a 2 Part Series
        • On Ice Training with Straps – Part 2 of a 2 Part Series
        • Bucket Drills
        • Partner Pull / Chair Push
        • The Corner Arm Swing
      • ⛸ POSITION >
        • Starting the Season Off Right
        • Taking Care of the Small Things
        • The 3 Keys Checklist – Find the Key in the Basics First!
        • Skating with Your Core
        • The Basic Position – The Arch
        • A Time to Get High, A Time to Get Low
        • Upper Body / Chest Position
        • Check Your Butt!
        • Butt Power
        • The Butt Tuck
        • Hip Dip
        • Bend the Ankle
      • ⛸ STARTS >
        • The Tip Over Toe Start
        • Start Technique
        • Start Position
      • ⛸ STRAIGHTAWAYS >
        • Press In to Push
        • Presscoopinchpushpinish
        • Gather the Power
        • Transferring Power from Ball of Foot to Ice – The Ankle Snap​
        • Transferring Power from Hip to Ball of Foot
        • Transferring Power Hip to Hip
        • Accelerating Your Weight In to Your Push
        • Japanese Four Eyes Technique
        • Delaying the Push – Straightaways
        • The Straightaway Shuffle
      • ⛸ TRACKS >
        • Tracks
        • Entry and Exit Width
        • Entry and Exit Trajectory
        • The Extra Crossover
        • Punching Through Centrifugal Force – Position and Alignments
        • Converting from 4 to 2 Strides on Straight
      • ⛸ ASSORTED TECHNICAL >
        • Relay Racing – Part 1 – Skater Roles and Laps
        • Relay Racing – Part 2 – The Exchange, Training Ideas
        • Skating with Your Core
        • Why Are The Koreans So Good?
        • Technical Opinions Can Be Confusing
        • The Outside Edge – Is It Overrated?
        • Diagonal Hill Steps
    • 🏃 TRAINING >
      • 🏃 PLANNING >
        • Off Season Rest and Recovery
        • Building Endurance
        • Summer Training
        • Train Fast to Skate Fast
        • Tapering
        • Time Trialing
      • 🏃 SPECIFIC >
        • Specificity in Training
        • Specific Skating Training – Is Your Plan Specific Enough?
        • Warm Ups and Warm Downs
        • Off Ice Balance, Agility, and Co-ordination Training
        • Dynamic Flexibility Training
        • Flexibility Training a Must for Speed Skaters
        • Maximize Your Results with TECHNI-CORDS
        • Improving Your Power with Jumps
        • ​Specific Strength, Power, Endurance – Part 1 – Straightaway
        • Specific Strength, Power, Endurance – Part 2 – Straightaway Jumps
        • Specific Strength, Power, Endurance – Part 3 – Corners
        • Specific Strength, Power, Endurance – Part 4 – Starts
        • Training for Starts
        • Relay Racing – Part 1 – Skater Roles and Laps
        • Relay Racing – Part 2 – The Exchange, Training Ideas
        • Bucket Drills
        • Partner Pull / Chair Push
        • Core Strength for Speed Skating
        • General Core Strength, by Brandon Aldan
      • 🏃 YOUTH >
        • Training Young Athletes 16 and Up
        • Training Young Athletes 12-15 Year Olds
        • Training Young Athletes Under 12
        • Youth Strength Training
    • 🏆 STRATEGY AND TACTICS >
      • Strategy and Tactics – Part 1 – Overview
      • Strategy and Tactics – Part 2 – Controlling the Pace and Track
      • Strategy and Tactics – Part 3 – The Moves and Counter Moves
      • Start Strategy
      • Time Trialing
      • The Slingshot Pass
      • The Outside Pass
      • The Inside Pass
      • Punching Through Centrifugal Force – Position and Alignments
      • Using Strategy and Tactics Under the New Rules
    • 🧠 PSYCHOLOGY >
      • How 5'5" Brandon Todd Learned to Dunk a Basketball
      • Strategy for Success
      • John Wooden on Success
      • What Do You Have to Brag About?
      • FOCUS!
      • IT – The Success Factor
      • To Try Is to Fail
      • It's All About Winning
      • How to Parent an Athlete: Lessons from a Swim Meet
      • Children in Athletics
      • Early Star vs Late Bloomer
      • Time Trialing
      • The Competition Plan
      • Start Technique
      • Post Season Evaluation
    • 🚑 SAFETY >
      • Concussions in Speed Skating
      • Safety! Is Your Child Truly Protected? – Part 1
      • Safety! Is Your Child Truly Protected? – Part 2
      • Dyneema Undersuits
    • 🚦 RULES >
      • Important Short Track Rule Changes for 2014-2015
      • Important Short Track Rule Changes for 2012
      • Using Strategy and Tactics under the New Rules
      • Important Short Track Rule Changes for 2010
    • 🧰 OTHER >
      • Ankle Pronation: Effects in Skating
      • Fair Play in Sports
      • Celebrating 100 Skating Tips of the Month!!
      • Sharpening Tips and Tricks
      • Cashing in on Olympimania to Promote Your Club
      • 75 Great Reasons to Train
      • Summer Games
      • Games
      • Masters Skating
      • Setting Up Blade Offset
  • Sue Ellis Bio
    • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Camps
Copyright © 2002 – Ellis Edge
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