Duck Walk

The “duck walk” is a unique form of movement that involves walking in a crouched position, relying on the muscles of the hips, thighs and lower legs for stabilization. It is sometimes used as a calisthenics exercise during military training or in sports like soccer and rugby to build strength and endurance in the legs. In the 1950s, a modified version of the movement was popularized by rock and roll icon Chuck Berry, who was known to duck walk across the stage to add an element of spectacle to guitar solos. Since then, it has become a staple of many musicians’ live performances, including Angus Young of AC/DC, while continuing to be used as an effective form of muscular conditioning.

Steps

Performing the Duck Walk as an Exercise

1. Lower yourself into a crouch. The most recognizable characteristic of the duck walk is its low position. Start by sinking into a squat, your center of gravity aligned over your heels. Get as deep as you comfortably can. You may want to lightly warm up and stretch your hips, knees and ankles beforehand to make working through the motion easier.
   • If you’re doing the duck walk for exercise purposes, a slightly higher stance (thighs about parallel to the ground) will be more muscularly demanding.
2. Keep your weight on your heels. To aid in stability, keep your entire foot in contact with the ground and rest most of your weight over your heels. This will ensure that you’re taking advantage of the most surface area possible and will allow you to use minor adjustments to keep your weight evenly distributed. Tense the muscles in your legs the whole time you’re in the bottom position—relaxing could cause you to lose tightness and fall over.
   • Engage your core by squeezing your abdomen. Don’t allow your torso to lean or turn as you start the walking motion.
3. Balance your weight on one foot. At the bottom of the squat, lift one foot off the ground slowly. All of your weight will now be poised over your other foot. Spend a few seconds getting used to maintaining your balance in this posture. While duck walking, you will essentially alternate between single-foot balancing in a low crouch.
   • Ankle flexibility is important at this stage because it makes balancing on one foot much easier.
4. Take a step forward. While balancing on your first foot, bring your opposite foot forward and across your body and set it down in front. Then, shift your weight to your front foot, pushing your back knee forward as you do so. Get centered over your front foot to stay upright.
   • Hold your arms in front of your body or out to the sides to help you balance.
5. Get into a rhythm. Now repeat the stepping action using both legs to start walking. Make sure you shift your balance carefully when transitioning from one foot to the other. Duck walking can be quite strenuous at first, as you’re basically holding yourself in a one-leg squat, but it will gradually become easier with practice.
   • Try to cover 10-12 feet at a time by duck walking, or aim for a specific number of steps to complete. Increase your steps or distance over time as you get better.
   • After every few steps, stand up and give your leg muscles a chance to recover.

Modifying the Technique for the Stage

1. Squat down at a slight angle. Bend your knees to about a 45 degree angle and lower your weight at your hips. Your head should come to a stop at around chest level or slightly lower. Unlike the exercise-focused variation, the version of the duck walk designed for use on stage keeps you in a more vertical position so that you can continue playing or singing.
   • Chuck Berry did his signature duck walk quite low. This made it look impressive and memorable, and also a bit humorous. Angus Young from AC/DC, another notable representative of the move, tended to stay in an upright stance, making it look more like a game of hopscotch.
2. Stand on one foot. Lift your non-dominant leg and extend it straight out in front of you at an angle with the floor. Keep your dominant leg planted for better stability and balance. Once again, your entire foot should be flat on the floor, with more of your weight hovering over your heel.
   • Since the “rock and roll” style duck walk is done on one leg, it can be harder to balance and may tire you out faster.
   • Try switching up which leg you use from time to time until you can do it on both sides.
3. Use small hops to travel forward. From this skewed-leg position, take a small hop off your grounded foot. You don’t need to try to jump too high or far: only move forward a couple inches at a time. Hop along in this manner on one foot to accentuate your performance. Let your extended leg hover just over the ground, or touch down with your heel if you need to correct your balance.
   • Make your hops small and controlled. Your head shouldn’t bob up and down too much while you’re traveling forward.
   • If you want your duck walk to look more like Chuck Berry’s, flare your non-hopping leg up and down a little with each hop.
4. Focus on your upper body. Straighten your back and keep your chest up. This will allow you to create enough room to play the guitar, saxophone or another instrument while duck walking. A more elevated body position also won’t require you to use your hands to help preserve your balance, freeing them up for groovy solos.
   • Practice while holding or actually playing your instrument to see if you can pull off the two tasks simultaneously.

Limbering Up for the Duck Walk

1. Do a few light squats. Get your muscles ready and your blood circulating before you attempt to duck walk. With your heels on the floor, squat down until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Hold for one second, then push yourself back up to a standing position. Perform 10-15 squats to make sure you’re adequately warmed up before you get mobile.
   • You’ll find it easier to move around and get into challenging positions after your muscles have been primed.
   • An energetic stage show can make a good substitute for a thorough warm up.
2. Flex your ankles. Lift one foot off the ground. Point your toes and hold for 5-10 seconds. Then, pull your toes back toward your shin and flex your foot, again holding for several seconds. Repeat this exercise a few times with each foot to help loosen up your ankles and prepare them to support your weight.
   • You can also stretch your ankles by getting down into a full squat and leaning over the balls of your feet while making sure your heels remain on the floor.
3. Stretch out your hips and legs. Do a couple minutes of static stretching following your warm up. Exercises like forward lunges, standing quadriceps and hamstring stretches and hip circles will temporarily increase your flexibility so that you can effectively move in a deep crouch. Stretching is critical for elongating and promoting blood flow to the tendons and ligaments, which can easily be torn or strained by awkward, low-leverage movements like the duck walk.
   • Don’t neglect to stretch if you feel stiff, as it can greatly reduce your chances of getting hurt. The only thing you want to tear up is the music.
4. Be careful. Duck walking can be fun and entertaining in the right setting, but it’s not for everyone. Avoid any movement that feels uncomfortable or places your joints in unstable positions, especially if you’ve suffered an injury to any part of your hips, knees, or ankles in the past. Even the young and uninjured should be aware of the potential risks of duck walking, as it’s such an unusual form of locomotion.
   • Those with arthritis or mobility issues should think twice before playing around with squatting movements.
   • If you experience pain at any point while duck walking, stop immediately.

Tips

• In addition to its flashy appearance, the duck walk is a great exercise for developing leg strength and mobility. It is a form of natural movement training employed by many athletes, martial artists, dancers, etc.
• If you take part in a physical discipline that demands high levels of muscular coordination and control, such as yoga, ballet or ice skating, make the duck walk a regular part of your warm up or cool down routine.
• Pay homage to your classic rock and roll influences by incorporating the duck walk into your next musical performance.
• If you're practicing for the stage, get the hang of duck walking without your instrument before adding it into the mix.

Warnings

• Don't force a deep squat or attempt to go lower than you can comfortably. This could result in a minor injury.

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