Pigeon Stretch
Demo video coming soon
How to Do It
From a kneeling or all-fours position, bring one shin forward across the body and extend the other leg straight back, lowering the hips toward the floor. Keep the hips square and fold the torso forward over the front shin to deepen the front-hip/glute stretch. Breathe slowly and hold, then switch sides. Support with the hands as needed.
Why It Works
A deep stretch for the front-leg glute and external rotators and the rear-leg hip flexors; the supported fold and relaxed breathing improve deep hip mobility in two directions at once, addressing the tightness that accumulates in the hips from training and sport.
Hockey Transfer
Restores the deep hip mobility (rotation and flexion/extension) used in the wide skating stance, crossovers, and stride; maintaining this range supports stride depth and reduces hip stiffness that can limit skating mechanics.
Coaching Cues
- "Hips square, fold forward"
- "breathe into the front hip"
- "ease into it, no forcing"
Common Mistakes
Letting the hips rotate or collapse to one side; forcing the depth; holding the breath; knee discomfort (adjust the angle)
Progression / Regression
fold deeper or hold longer
elevate the hip on a cushion or do a figure-4 instead
Primary Muscles
Energy System
N/A (mobility/recovery)
Put it to work
on the ice.
This exercise is part of a fully periodized 12-week off-ice program — built by a sport scientist who coaches at the national level.
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