Learn to Skate/WeSkate - How far did you get in one 6 week or 7 week session?

[wordsthatrhyme]

I recently registered to take Learn to Skate lessons starting late October for seven weeks.
I can awkwardly glide across the ice right now.

I'm hoping to be tested using the ISI testing levels as opposed to my rink's own levels.

For those of you who started from the very basics, how far did you get (Pre-Alpha - Freestyles) in six or seven weeks of group lessons?

I want to know how far I should expect to get.


Thanks.

[phoenix]

It is so hard to say....everyone learns differently.

If you've done any sports before, that will help you.

If you've done sports that required a lot of balance & coordination (gymnastics, dance, yoga, karate, etc), that will help you more.

If you've done much roller skating/blading, or downhill skiing, that will help you a LOT.

And it will depend on your ability to pick up new physical movements, how unafraid you are, AND how much you practice on your own.

If you have crappy rental skates, vs a decent pair of your own skates, that also can make a big difference.

Go in to have fun, work hard, and it remains to be seen the rate you progress at. Enjoy!

[wordsthatrhyme]

Thanks so much for replying.

I know that everyone learns at their own pace. I was simply curious how much every differed. I actually planned to underestimate what my progress would be compared to what others posted, because I am not athletic at all. I don't do sports; I only recently started going to the gym within the past month and a half. I'm actually in the obese range for my height, too. And I'm still afraid to step away from the wall.

But I do plan on skating at least four hours a week, and trying the hardest I can as soon as I get a little more comfortable. I'm going to need to mentally yell at myself to get off that wall.

[jjane45]

Hmmm. When I started group lessons I was comfortable gliding on one foot, and little bit of backward wiggling.
Started in alpha (with forward crossovers) and got thru it in 10 weeks group lessons.
Took me 2 x 10 weeks to get thru beta (failed backward crossovers), practicing once a week on public sessions helped tremendously.
Gamma and delta were 10 weeks each with 1-2 practices every week, so that's roughly one year of group lessons from alpha to freestyle 1.
I have seen adult skaters progress way faster and way slower. Rollerblading experience / natural athleticism really count.

[AgnesNitt]

Glaring generalities here:

If you are in your 20's you can learn faster than in your 30's which is faster than in your 40's......

If you have 'good knees' (no damage) you can learn faster than if you have 'stiffy knee'

I don't think there's anything in basic skills that can't be accomplished even by people who are 'people of size'.

If you are a 'person of size' jumping and edge pulls will be harder.

[skategeek]

I started classes a little over a year ago; I could already skate forward and was ok with backward wiggles.  My rink doesn't do testing for adults (grumble) but I'm now working on beta-level skills and a little higher.  I can only make it to the rink for the class, though, and rarely for a practice session.  Totalled it up and I've spent about 40 hours on the ice in a little over a year (!), which probably explains my slow progress.    Also I have no natural athletic talent, strength, stamina, or flexibility.     I lasted about 6 classes in rentals before getting my own skates.  I went for the Jackson Classiques and they've been fine for me (I'm about 160 lbs).  They really made a difference; I didn't realize how awful our rentals were until I got my own skates.

[wordsthatrhyme]

Wow. Thanks so much, all of you.

[ChristyRN]

I'm actually in the obese range for my height, too.

I do plan on skating at least four hours a week

If you skate four hours a week--and I mean skate, even slowly and build up--you will not be obese long! I was nearly 40 and obese when I started. By the end of a year, I was up to two-three hours a week.  The scale wasn't budging, but everybody was telling me I was losing weight. I could tell when I went back into the jeans I hadn't worn over the summer and they were loose. I skated the Christmas show that year, and competed at about two and a half years. I eventually lost about 70 pounds.

I find I learn slower because of a healthy fear factor. However, I'm out there twice a week now, still suffering for AOSS (Adult Onset Skating Syndrome) having a blast and mentoring new adult skaters.

[Meli]

On my first 8 week course, I didn't do a lot of skating outside of class (family drama coupled with raging bronchitis).  A lot of that was really just getting comfortable with the ice.  Swizzles, one foot glides, basic edges, some very sad attempts at backward wiggles, two foot turns and stopping was what was accomplished. Admittedly, I had a 16 year old instructor, who was a little intimidated by the adult group, so that probably didn't help the situation.

The more I skated, the faster the skills came... currently I skate about 7 hours a week, and it's my favorite workout in my weight loss plan, and I find myself wanting to do other workouts to get my cardio and flexibility improved so that I skate better.

[dlbritton]

At 59 I just took up skating this summer at a rink that follows the US Figure Skating Adult Basic Skills curriculum (what a mouthful) and we went through the Adult 1 tasks in 7 weeks. Looking at the the ISI testing requirements Adult 1 covered pre-alpha and alpha except for crossovers in alpha. I would think pre-alpha is reasonable for a new to the ice skater in 6 weeks and you may get to some alpha tasks as well. Once you feel comfortable standing and gliding on the ice I think progress on forward moves will come fairly quickly.

One hour of practice just doing some laps mixed in with practicing on your pre-alpha moves will burn some calories and help you become comfortable on the ice.  Just moving and getting comfortable with the ice will go along ways at this point.

[wordsthatrhyme]

I eventually lost about 70 pounds.

I find I learn slower because of a healthy fear factor. However, I'm out there twice a week now, still suffering for AOSS (Adult Onset Skating Syndrome) having a blast and mentoring new adult skaters.

Wow! Congratulations on the weight loss!

I'm hoping to lose 80-100 more pounds.

I am definitely suffering from AOSS. Afraid to skate away from the wall. When I try, it's really uncomfortable.

[aussieskater]

When I started at nearly 40, it took 3 weeks of concerted effort to get both hands off the wall.  Then several more before I agreed to move sufficiently far away that the wall couldn't rescue me when the inevitable happened.

If AOSS has already hit, I can guarantee that you will move away from the wall. 

[blue111moon]

At the other end of the scale, I taught a mother in her 30's who wanted to skate because her daughters were in the classes.  She was terrified and non-athletic - she'd never done any sports at all in her life.  She clung to the wall for six weeks.  It took her most of the season (fall to spring) to work up the courage to move away from the boards.  When she finally made it all the way across the width of the ice on her own, she cried.  The whole rink cheered and her daughters were so proud of her. 

Yes, that's extreme.  I also had a father zip through all the Basic USFS levels in six weeks.  He was a skier and runner and had no fear at all.  That's also extreme.  The average is probably the father who's been coming for a couple seasons now with his son and has made it through Basic 4 with almost no extra practise.  He's non-athletic and a little timid but persistent.  He actually does better than his son.

I would gues that, with no prior experience and little athletic ability, you should be looking at one level per six week session, possibly two at the onset because the skills are pretty basic.  Once you get past the first few levels, though, the skills get harder and take longer to master.

There's also a difference between being able to sort of do the skills enough to pass the test and move up to the next level and really mastering the skill.  To me, mastering a skill means being able to do it without having to think it through step by step.  I can think it through but I don't HAVE to in order to do it.  I KNOW what edge I'm supposed to be on and how my knees should bend and where my hands should be and I do it.  But how long it takes anyone to get to that point is different for everyone.

[wordsthatrhyme]

At the other end of the scale, I taught a mother in her 30's who wanted to skate because her daughters were in the classes.  She was terrified and non-athletic - she'd never done any sports at all in her life.  She clung to the wall for six weeks.  It took her most of the season (fall to spring) to work up the courage to move away from the boards.  When she finally made it all the way across the width of the ice on her own, she cried.  The whole rink cheered and her daughters were so proud of her. 

Yes, that's extreme.  I also had a father zip through all the Basic USFS levels in six weeks.  He was a skier and runner and had no fear at all.  That's also extreme.  The average is probably the father who's been coming for a couple seasons now with his son and has made it through Basic 4 with almost no extra practise.  He's non-athletic and a little timid but persistent.  He actually does better than his son.

I would guess that, with no prior experience and little athletic ability, you should be looking at one level per six week session, possibly two at the onset because the skills are pretty basic.  Once you get past the first few levels, though, the skills get harder and take longer to master.

There's also a difference between being able to sort of do the skills enough to pass the test and move up to the next level and really mastering the skill.  To me, mastering a skill means being able to do it without having to think it through step by step.  I can think it through but I don't HAVE to in order to do it.  I KNOW what edge I'm supposed to be on and how my knees should bend and where my hands should be and I do it.  But how long it takes anyone to get to that point is different for everyone.

Wow. Thank you for the examples.

Included with the lessons are two public skating sessions (about two hours each session), so I'm definitely going to try to practice as much as I can.

[ChristyRN]

And don't worry about how long it takes to pass a level.  Luckily, I had coaches and instructors that didn't totally stick to the levels, otherwise I'd still be stuck in FS 1 because I have been struggling forever (and I do mean something like eight to ten years) to master the simple scratch spin.

I'm one of those that would circle around the rink holding onto the walls.  My daughter used to laugh at me.  I laugh at her now because she isn't skating anymore and I still am!  It's so addictive.

[sarahspins]

with no prior experience and little athletic ability, you should be looking at one level per six week session, possibly two at the onset because the skills are pretty basic.  Once you get past the first few levels, though, the skills get harder and take longer to master.

I agree.  At my rink, Adult 1 is taught as a 4 week course, and since the curriculum is pretty much just an introduction to skating, almost everyone passes it on the first try - you'd basically have to be unable to participate in class (because of fear or not attending classes, etc) to be held back.  A select few are actually moved up to Adult 2 during or following the first class of the session when it's clear that they can skate and the elements in Adult 1 are already good enough for them to move up.  In Adult 2, the timeline changes to an 8 week course (or a 4 week course for those joining mid-session), and most skaters will complete the level and be working on elements from Adult 3 by the end of the session, but some will need additional time/practice in Adult 2 before they are ready to move on.  With the higher levels, some skaters breeze through, but others will just need more time - and it's okay to repeat a level, you'll end up being a better skater in the long run than if you moved up before you were quite ready.

Also, like everyone else has said - the more you are able to practice in-between classes the faster you will progress.  Even if that's just one extra practice session a week, it will make a big difference.

[WaltzJump413]

In 8 weeks of Learn to Skate (1 30 minute lesson per week plus about 1.5 hours of practice after), I got from Beginning 1 to Alpha. Well, first I tested into Beginning 2, but the director was really nice (and saw how upset I was ) and gave me a retest after I had some more time to warm up. Next session, I went from Alpha to Beta.

I'm hoping it will continue pretty regularly like this, at least until Freestyle. But I'm not sure.  I love the format of the classes, with lots of repetition (which I need).

It seems like a level per session is pretty typical.

Best wishes--the ISI program is great!

[wordsthatrhyme]

That's nice to know.
Thank you all.

[sampaguita]

Even if that's just one extra practice session a week, it will make a big difference.

I totally agree with this. I've been skating 2x a week for around 3 months now, and it has made a huge difference compared to just skating 1x a week.

As far as passing levels go, it also depends on your rink and on your coach. I've had coaches who were willing to pass students who had the bare minimum, because they believe that skills learned in higher levels will enhance lower-level skills. On the other hand, I've seen some coaches (definitely a minority) keeping students in Alpha/Beta for like forever because they demand mastery -- they believe that mastering the lower-level skills will make it easier to learn the higher-level skills.

They're two different philosophies, but they both have their own merits.