It's been almost a month since I started taking lessons and practicing on my own. I even bought my own skates so I didn't have to keep using the rental ones. I seem to have found a weird issue while I'm practicing the basic steps. When I try to do the swerves(?) or the half circles, my left skate always seem to drag behind. It's like working with a leg that fell asleep? My coach says it's because my left side is generally weaker than my right, but my right side's balance needs work too.... How can I fix this? Thank you!
1. First off a question: Are you skeletally symmetrical? Tibias and Femurs in particular are often twisted to some degree (called Tibial Torsion and Femoral Torsion or Anteversion or Retroversion if you want to look it up). Good to know if you are, but it's not the end of the world, but it can explain a lot.
2. Free foot location is intimately tied up with fore-aft balance on the skating foot. You may be inadvertently trying to get that fore-aft balance right, i.e foot goes back in compensation for leaning forward. Typically, for upright postures, the deeper the knee bend, the more your ass goes back, so the more the free foot has to come forward to counterbalance it (this is why forward powerpulls are doing with the free foot ahead of you).
3. Free hip height is really really important, i.e. hiking or dipping the free hip can be (and perhaps usually should be) used as a steering mechanism. If you're inadvertently hiking or dipping you could be steering in ways you don't intend to be.
4. Are you inducing unwanted/excess/insufficient rotational momentum? If you don't match your rotational momentum to your curve you will fall off the curve. You do this by rotating the free foot, or by twisting the upper body/arm. If you're inadvertantly rotating the free foot out or in you might be instinctively trying to manage your rotational momentum, but either overdoing or underdoing it.
5. Remember that every screwup is serving a purpose. Find this purpose and you can substitute a more effective mechanism.