Skater Jump (Lateral Bound)

ExtrasBW

A lateral bounding movement mimicking a speed skater's stride, jumping side-to-side off one leg and landing on the opposite leg. Builds frontal-plane power, ankle stability, and change-of-direction ability.

Demo: Strength & conditioning coaching channel

Sets

3

Reps

6-10 total (alternating)

Rest

1 min

Contraindications

Avoid with ankle instability or knee ligament history. Generally well-tolerated and often used in rehab progressions once cleared.

Setup

Start in an athletic stance on one leg, opposite arm up for balance/counterbalance.

Execution

  1. 1Push off the outside edge of the grounded leg
  2. 2Bound laterally, swinging the opposite arm across the body
  3. 3Land softly on the opposite leg in a stable single-leg position
  4. 4Pause briefly to stick the landing if working on stability
  5. 5Push off immediately in the reverse direction to continue

Key cues

  • Push off the outside leg hard
  • Swing the arms to help balance and drive
  • Stick the landing every rep
  • Stay low in an athletic hinge throughout

Common faults

  • Landing with a straight/locked knee
  • Insufficient distance/height due to timid pushoff
  • Losing balance on landing and needing extra steps
  • Twisting the torso instead of staying square

Tweaks

  • Add a stick-and-hold for 2-3 seconds to build stability
  • Progress to continuous skater jumps without pausing between reps
  • Add rotation on landing for advanced hip power variant

Regressions

Progressions

Muscles

Primary: Glutes, Hip Abductors, Quadriceps

Secondary: Calves, Core, Adductors

Notes

Primary energy system: alactic-to-lactic depending on continuous vs. paused execution. Frontal-plane plyometric essential for field/court/ice sport athletes.

Sources

Attribution: NSCA / Athletic performance coaching