Skimboarding Training - Power

Part of your skimboarding training should focus on power. Power is not just strength. It is a combination of speed and strength. Power = (Force x Distance)/Time. Power training is not just strength training. Strength training focuses on just the force part of the equation. To maximize power, the force needs to be applied in a shorter amount of time. This is the focus of power training, to reduce the amount of time it takes to apply a set amount of force. Power is essential for the most important trick of the inland skimboarder. The ollie. The three most important components of the ollie are, speed, jump height, and how well you pop the back of the board. More power means you will be able to run faster, jump higher, and pop better.

Ollie Pops
This exercise is specifically designed for skimboarders and focuses on the specific muscle groups used when ollieing. With your feet about shoulder width to slightly wider, squat down. Turn your head towards which ever leg would be your front leg if you were on a skimboard. Explode upwards, with your front leg coming off the ground first and most of your force being generated by your back leg. Once your back foot is off the ground, pull both legs up towards your chest. Do three sets of ten with one-minute breaks between sets.

Knee Jump
This is a powerful bodyweight exercise that you can do to develop explosive hamstrings. Kneel on the floor and sit back on your calves. Now jump to your feet. Just explode and move fast. To generate some momentum sling your arms back and then forward rapidly as you jump to your feet. Get back to the kneeling position gently and repeat. Do three sets of five with one-minute breaks between sets.

One Foot Box Jumps
Start on one side of the box with one leg off the ground, then squat down and jump over the box landing on the same foot. Do three sets of ten with one-minute breaks between sets.

Double Stair Jumps
Start by standing in front of a set of stairs in a squat position. Jump with two feet bringing your knees to your chest while jumping to the stairs in front of you. Do three sets of ten with one-minute breaks between sets.

Sprint uphill
Find a fairly steep hill. Sprint to the top as fast as you can. Walk back to the bottom and repeat 10 times.

Stair run
Sprint to the top of the stairs as fast as you can skipping every other stair. Run back down the stairs hitting every stair. When coming down the stairs focus on foot speed. Repeat 10 times.

Lunges
To begin a lunge stand upright with or without weights in your hands. Now take a step forward. Bend your front knee until your thigh is parallel with the ground. Do not let your front knee go past the tip of your toe as this can be harmful to your knee joint. Once at the bottom of the lunge, step back to the standing position. Repeat with the other leg. Do three sets of ten with one-minute breaks between sets.