how to do skater hops

▶ watch skater hops on the dedicated video page

how it’s done, step by step

1. Start standing with feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent.
2. Push off your right foot and leap laterally to the left, landing softly on your left foot.
3. Swing your right leg behind your left leg as you land, and swing your arms across your body for balance.
4. Immediately push off your left foot and leap back to the right, repeating the motion.
5. Continue alternating sides at a controlled, athletic pace.

how much: Start with 3 sets of 20–26 reps, counting each landing, and add distance only after every landing feels steady.

form tips from the wandelbar coaches

• Land on the ball of your foot, then roll to the heel with a bent knee.
• Stick each landing for a split second before bounding back the other way.
• Let your hips sink back as you land, as if starting a small single-leg squat.

common mistakes

• Landing stiff-legged with a thud — bend the knee deeper on contact and let the hip absorb the landing.
• Knee collapsing inward on landing — shorten the hop and aim the knee toward your middle toes.
• Hopping so far that you stumble — cut the distance in half until every landing is quiet and steady.

make it easier or harder

easier

Step side to side instead of hopping, tapping the trailing foot behind the standing leg.

harder

Hold each landing for two seconds, or hop wider while keeping the landing just as quiet.

quieter

For a quiet version, do skater steps: step wide to the side, sink into the hip and tap the back foot behind you with no flight phase.

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