I faked an outside spreadeagle on Monday (all my weight was on one foot) and my kids/students went crazy. "We didn't know you could do one of those!"
I didn't enlighten them that I was faking it, snicker. "Never mind what I can do - you ladies get to work!"
I'm pushing fifty, it's time for me to teach, not do! roflol! (At least, not without proper training and stretching. ) Almost every one of my students can do spreadeagles, so I teach them well.
I have a decent inside spreadeagle, but I don't like doing bauers-they hurt my weak knee and never quite got the hang of an outside spreadeagle myself. Like I said, I can fake it.
Hi there,
THANK you so much for your detailed... explanations, & kind suggestions; and I'm sorry you hurt your knee - from your injury, isn't it possible? to heal...
Also when you said you're 'pushing 50'; where does that leave us?, a few days further down the road. - Are you saying it's no longer possible? - Lord, I have all these goals
Well,
I'm just gonna keep telling myself, I'm a beautiful 23 yr. young kid, lol
for Bauers - you should be traveling on a straight line, so using a hockey line makes a lot of sense.
If you don't have a glass reflection to focus on in your direction of travel, focus on the wall stripe at the end of the line. If a skater turns their head, it helps keep the upper body checked properly.
I can't quite get myself, to WANT to skate a 'Bauer'; don't get me wrong, they LOOK splendid on other skaters; but it just don't lick me on the nose, maybe later.
Stretching regularly after you've warmed or skated, is critical. You have to stretch while your muscles are warm. Stretch gently and hold the stretches for 30-40 seconds each.
Don't laugh now; but I used to wonder - What are these little girls: Running...around the rink for?, & twirling-around fast...?, and
Jump-roping?, and why are they Skipping, so High...? - I asked my daughter, who skated before me: isn't that a waste of ICEtime, Sweety?
um, she said:
"No mom, they are Warming-up, so they can skate their
beautiful Spirals, & Spins, & Jumps; that you can & will learn someday too
What a sweetest & Inspirational kid she was.
Well, I am just getting into this idea... of
Stretching..., or Warming-UP, before the ice, let alone after practice.
Initially, I have the skaters use the waist-high rink railing as a barre'
They stand in the plie' position and actually do a few slow plie's to get the feeling of turnout in the hips and knees.
Then I have them practice the leaning - they hold onto the railing, feet splayed, and press their belly-buttons towards the railing.
So far, so good. - Except, I just get on the ice, "hold onto the railing, feet splayed, and press belly-button towards the railing."
We repeat this on the ice using the dasher boards, then try a few pull-alongs.
I'm confused: isn't the waist-high rink railing, & the yellow dasher-boards, the SAME thing? - And yes, I can pull myself along just fine.
My challenge comes, when I let go... LOL - How do we get our
Blades to STAY-put underneath?? usThey have to also work on inside spreadeagles - it's part of their on-ice cooldown.
Aren't them INside spreadeagles even harder? - No? - I keep falling towards the circle, trying to skate them. Hm, another thing to learn...
The only skaters who can pick up a Bauer or outside eagle easily are those with great natural turnout.
Most skaters have to develop their turnout (which does have a natural limit) and also build the muscles needed to control it.
So, lots of inside spreadeagles are vital.
So you are saying, that INside spreadeagles, are Vital? - to learning OUTside spreadeagles, did I get that right?
The next step is to skate in a deeply-bent knee position on as straight a line as possible. It's not enough to squat, they have to press forward with the hips. Gradually,
as those muscles build, they'll be able to stand up more and more with straighter knees, but it takes a long time.
It's much easier, in the squatting position, to do the change-edge onto outside edges.
Oooh, I am so GLAD you said this: as last month, (the 2nd. week) I had 4 Adult-skating friends
observe me do this: as I start INSTINCTively in the Squatting-position,
as I have, since the last time I hurt my Right-knee, doing this. - So, I think it's really important that I respect
my mind's/body Messages...
but
this one lady (who's competed at AN for years) told me to "STRAIGHTEN knees, right now" - Erm, yes I CAN, & DO
Straighten my knees WHEN they are ready,
which they were NOT, at that very moment. ..........but I aim to PLEASE, so I Forced
my R-knee (which said: You'll live to regret! this);
and sure enough! - it moaned, it whined, and then I limped in no uncertain, sheer PAIN, for the last 3 weeks. - Um, apparently what my body tells me, is more important.
so, Thank you
for saying, that it's
quite Alright, to Momentarily start-out in the Squatting-position; But yes, Normally I CAN, & DO
Straighten my knees in this OUTside spreadeagle position.
Some skaters never get a pretty outside spreadeagle - they just can't straighten, and press forward with their hips, and hold the shoulders open to the back.
Some of it is trust in their own edges -
they have to be brave enough to lean back into the circle. Having someone "spot" them (ie. skate behind and provide support or fall protection) helps, but if your hips just can't do that, you'll be stuck in the butt-out position.
One thing to try off-ice is using a balance ball - lay across it so your hips are raised to the ceiling and your shoulders are pressed back towards the floor.
OK, so I leaned BACK alright; so far that my blades went flying... but I know, that I also have
Posture-issues, bad: & I'm doing all I can to Correct that too.
I take great Encouragement... from my daughter, + the Ballet-teacher who enjoyed helping me (however briefly), + my Skating-friends, + my own enthusiasm as I choose
Believing that Yes, I can & will learn a "pretty outside spreadeagle: - And when you have more suggestion for me, please FEEL FREE to share them. -
I don't want to hog dr.Skater's thread here, so you can share them in my
Skating Joyfully thread... THANK you so much!