Shoot the duck is a deep one-foot squat while gliding with the free leg straight. Learn it in five steps – without knee pain and with clear milestones.
The shoot the duck (German "Schütze") is a glide in a deep squat on one foot: the supporting leg is bent to at least 90 degrees, the free leg is extended and does not touch the ice [1]. The honest answer: it looks like a children's element – and yet it is a real strength and balance test for thighs, hips and knees.
Skate Canada describes it like this: the position is low, the torso may be upright or bent forward, the free leg may be straight or bent and held to the front or the side [1]. In the Learn to Skate USA curriculum it appears as a bonus skill in Basic 6 [2] – if you can do it, you have mastered an extra element; if you cannot, you progress anyway.
Realistically you learn shoot the duck in a few weeks of regular training if you have leg strength and balance (experience, not study data). If you have knee complaints, have it checked beforehand whether the deep one-leg squat is right for you.
Glide in a deep squat on two feet, back straight, arms in front. The curriculum starts with the dip in Basic 1 [2].
Milestone: 5 seconds, knees over the feet, back straight.
Glide securely on one foot, eyes straight ahead. Balance is the base here.
Feel how the foot loads the blade: the weight sits over the middle, not on the toe picks. That is the base on which the squat builds in the next step (practice, not study data).
Milestone: 3 seconds, both sides.
At the boards or with a partner, go deeper into the squat on one leg. The knee points in the direction of the foot, not inward. In a study of 40 elite skaters (one-leg squat test, so TRANSFER to shoot the duck), the knee fell inward in some of them; the authors see this as a possible sign of weak hip abductors (the muscles that move your leg outward) [3]. So strengthen the hip muscles too.
Milestone: 3×3 seconds to about 90 degrees.
Extend the free leg forward or to the side without touching the ice. Keep the torso upright or slightly bent forward [1].
Take your time: if you tip backward, extend the free leg only halfway and then move it out centimeter by centimeter. A half version also counts as progress (practice, not study data).
Milestone: 3 seconds of gliding in the position.
Come up from the squat under control, the free leg follows, and keep gliding. Suddenly springing up loads the knee.
Milestone: 3 clean shoot the ducks per side.
Shoot the duck loads knees and ankles. A review of figure skating injuries names ankle sprains as the most common injury and patellar tendinitis (the tendon below the kneecap) as the most common overuse injury [4]. If your knee stabs, stop and stay at smaller depths.
Wear a helmet, practice at the boards and take a half squat rather than a full one when strength fades. This guide explains and motivates but does not replace supervised training – a coach sees knee axis and balance immediately.
Practice the squat first on land on one leg: hold on to a chair, go slowly to about 90 degrees and check that the knee stays over the foot. When that works calmly, the ice is only balance. Count out loud to three as you lower (practice experience, not study data).
A glide on one foot in a deep squat, the supporting leg bent to at least 90 degrees, the free leg stretched in front or to the side without touching the ice [1].
As a bonus skill in Basic 6 of Learn to Skate USA [2]. You do not need it to enter the next course.
Usually the hip abductors are weak or the position is too deep. In a study of 40 elite skaters, some showed this knee collapse in the one-leg squat; the authors see it as a possible sign of weak hip abductors [3]. Strengthen the hips and go shallower.
Not in general, but the deep one-leg squat loads the knee. A review names patellar tendinitis as the most common overuse injury in figure skating [4]. With knee complaints, talk to a doctor or physiotherapist first.
According to the Skate Canada definition, the supporting leg is bent to at least 90 degrees – the thigh is roughly parallel to the ice [1]. As a beginner you may start shallower and increase depth over weeks, as long as the knee stays calm.
The Spiral: Long Glide With the Free Leg Stretched High