Just for fun: Ideal Adult Skating Programs and Facility

[Teresa]

What an interesting topic thread.

I'm not sure I can answer your questions per say. As an adult skater, who began as an adult, I often ask myself your questions; "Am I doing okay compared to other adults?", "Am I a total failure or I do have some hope.", "Do I look like a total idiot.", etc.  I skate with kids for the most part and I know I don't make progress like them. However, I wouldn't mind having some scale to gage myself. If I knew I was totally sucking I might rethink my time!

As for some progression scale, I guess it should be individual. Every skater, even adults, have their strengths and weaknesses and likes and dislikes. The progression should be made to fit the skater. As long as the skater is happy with their progress and their growing as a skater all should be good .I do know as an adult that my strengths don't always follow the rules. Ditto with my weaknesses. Having new challenges to work on keeps skating interesting. I'm a freestyle skater but dance patterns look fun.

Didn't really answer your question but to be honest I haven't really given an adult skating land thought. =-)
I do think an adult "summer class" set up like the kids would be fun.

Teresa


Mod note: Split thread from Adult Skating Progression topic.

[Query]

Assuming resources are unlimited,

(1) Import and subsidize lots of good coaches!

(2) Buy everyone good skating gear.

(3) Create and subsidize lots of nice skating rinks.

(4) Create and subsidize lots of gyms for strength and flexibility training.

(5) Provide baby-sitting and tutoring for skaters' children.

(6) Hire me to nominally oversee the program on a comfortably part-time basis, so I can afford to have fun.

Now we are ready to learn to skate!

[sarahspins]

(2) Buy everyone good skating gear.

Oh wouldn't that make like SO much easier?!  Honestly even mediocre skates would be fine for most new skaters if they fit right - that seems to be where the problem is, it's not the skates (Riedell 121 or 133 sets seem to be very popular, so at least most aren't trying to skate in sporting good store skates), but that they're usually the wrong size, usually at least a whole size too big, which makes learning a lot of things very difficult, if not impossible.

(5) Provide baby-sitting and tutoring for skaters' children.

I suggested this to our skating school director and she laughed at me!  I think it's a great idea though.. if I go work out at the community center I pay $3 for up to two hours of childcare (the day use fee for the center is $5, to give an idea of the relative cost).  I would totally do that at the rink (I'd be happy to pay even more, honestly), and they'd make more money from me since I'd be able to skate more sessions   I doubt it will happen, but I can dream.

[Query]

In my job as Minister of Skating, You'll hardly ever see me.

I know how to delegate.

ISk8NYC can be National Skating Director.

RSk8D can be National Director of Skate Medicine.

Everyone on this forum can be a government official.

We can have a jobs preference program for figure skaters. (E.g., put skating questions on the civil service exam.) And lots of national contests relating to skating. Skating poetry contests. Skating art contests. Skating choreography contests. Skate dress contests. Skating music contests. Skating video game contests. Skate logo contests- e.g., "Make ice, not war."

And of course government sponsored adult skating contests and social skating events.

...

Back to reality, FigureSpins, are you trying to advocate such an adult skating program at your rink? If so, sounds fun.

I rather like the ISI Manual progression. The availability of a written manual and DVD is a big plus for some adults. But I don't want people to have to stop when they reach flexibility limits.

For adults, I would incorporate strength and flexibility training into the sequence. E.g., leg presses, core training, the muscle training needed to stretch to skating positions, and to hold muscle tension through the areas that benefit skating, like the arms and shoulders. A local ice dance clinic included step exercises. Maybe adults could use warm-up runs too. It's a good way for a rink to make income from skaters during times the rink isn't available to the program. But you need to make it "relevant" - train fpr exercises they are currently learning, and explain why a given exercise will help them do something on the ice.

I was serious about the sponsored skating contests and social skating events thing. Many adults need more than just classes. When you pass, or spend a lot of time on, a given level, you should be able to attend adult events skated at that level.

I've mentioned in another thread that some of the best skate training I've seen was off-ice. A school teacher taught her class to skate by showing them how to stroke, before they put skates on. The same would work with adults. The "march and glide" thing is dumb - better to push people to push more sideways off-ice, so they do it on ice.

Again, a local skating program shows people how to fall safely, before they touch the ice.

And before people hit the ice, please teach them how to snugly lace up their boots. We don't need to make it hard to skate because the boots are flopping all over the place.

Again, off-ice balance training. When we stand on one foot, we do various things to shift our balance over the other foot. If we practice this off-ice, and it is pointed out what we are doing it and why, it is clearer what we must do on the ice. Understanding matters more to most adults than to most kids. For example, we never get those crossovers right until we are comfortable balancing on our edges.

A lot of skills are easier to learn if we learn the positions off-ice first. And it is very good use of the rink's ice time to teach and practice that way.

This may be a hard thing to do: It is easier for adults to LTS, when there aren't any kids on the ice at the same time.

Also hard to do: keep the student/instructor ratio low. Use volunteers if you have to, but adults need feedback, and sometimes want their hands held when they are still afraid of falling.

Here is my initial sequence:

1. Do a general warm up exercise, using exercises relevant to the upcoming class. E.g., back and side lunges (but don't stretch), because they relate to stroking.

2. Learn to fall on soft padded mats. Explain why they need learn to fall gently. Start with falls from a sitting position. Progress to kneeling positions, and finally from standing positions. Teach forwards, backwards and sideways falls, using rolls and slides. Make sure they practice getting up again.

3. Practice walking off-ice. Explain why forward/backwards movements work poorly on-ice, and demonstrate with socks on a slippery surface.

4. Practice going onto edges off-ice.

5. Practice swizzles off-ice. You need a slippery surface, and socks. Explain that pushing sideways is the key to efficient motion on ice, and that they almost never do it off-ice.

6. Practice stroking off-ice.

7. Teach how skates should fit, how they should balance, and why they need to be tight. Help them pick out rental skates.

8. Teach how to lace skates tightly.

The ice rink can be efficiently used for other purposes throughout steps 1 - 8.

9. Repeat 2 - 6 on-ice.

10. Take them off-ice, and do a stretch cool-down.

11. Bring them over to the snack bar or vending machine. Encourage them to buy a snack or drink. Show them the rink public session schedule, and encourage them to come.

12. Socialize.

End of class 1. Total class time=1 hour, excluding step 12.

---

Class 2 will briefly review everything in class 1, on and off-ice then proceed to new skills.

Note the difference between adult and child learning styles. The assumption with children is that they have a very short attention span. Classes for kids spend very little time on each skill on a given day, but introduce a lot of skills in the first class, and they keep repeating the same skill sequence for many weeks.  The entire class must be very short.

Adults can stand to learn more about fewer skills at a time. And adults want to know why they should do what they are told to do. Adult bodies need the warm-up and cool-down more. And they have money, so it is good for the rink to take them over to the snack bar or vending machine.

And they need a babysitting service. If parents can see their kids, the parents will not give their full attention to the class.

Caution: I am not a coach. I haven't tried this sequence on real adults.

[Query]

I expanded the previous post to be a little more to the point...

[Skate@Delaware]

I agree that some moves need reinforcement/teaching off-ice...that way there is no distraction on the ice of trying to maintain full vertical 

The parent's area needs to be clean and comfortable, with an available experienced person (not necessarily an expert) to answer questions.

The snack bar needs to have healthy food available, not just fried foods or sugary crap.

[Query]

The snack bar needs to have healthy food available, not just fried foods or sugary crap.

What a great idea! You can charge more for health food.  

Maybe while socializing, walk to the pro shop, where you can show a video or display a pamphlet on what was learned, which you casually mention to be available there.

And before the class, take them to the pro shop to buy gloves (for warmth and safety, especially on falls). Mention the importance of layers, giving an example using clothing from the pro shop.

I'm not trying to be mercenary. (Not much.) But adult skating programs aren't always economically viable. Every little bit helps.

Could we have a skating program or session for the kids while the adults socialize?

[Query]

Sorry. I took the imaginary new national adult skating program a bit too far,
talking tongue in cheek about the
off-topic skating infrastructure need to have a successful figure skating
program.

I'm sure the O.P. was more interested in ideas to make an
individual rink program successful.

These issues are relevant to creating a successful adult skating program. We've all seen rinks try and fail to create financially
viable adult skating programs of various types. Let's try to understand why they fail.

Many rink programs dip their feet in the water by delegating
a coach, who may or may not have adult teaching experience, to
come up with an adult class. It is taught, during hours most adults
can't come, in one corner of a busy public session, or is taught
in one 20-30 minute Saturday time slice on one small portion of the rink. No
pre-class preparation or post-class discussion or practice occurs.

These are problems for any skater, but typical adults (not the members
of this forum) are much less
tolerant of issues like cold, discomfort, injury or perception of danger, than
kids are. They need
to know there are good solutions to these problems, and what they are. They
also need sufficient space to practice without fear, for themselves or for
little kids.

Adults who join athletic classes
often place a value on socializing. Women in particular take many dance and exercise
classes in large numbers, so they must get as much
enjoyment out of the opportunity to socialize (mostly with other women) as from the activity itself. Being
shuffled on and off the ice without the opportunity to socialize misses this important point. The
socialization opportunity need not be led by a high priced coach, but it should to be there.

Rinks ignore opportunities for hockey and figure skaters to learn each others' sport. A reasonably accomplished hockey or figure skater need not take
low level LTS classes aimed at the other discipline. Rinks need classes like "hockey for figure skaters" and "dancing on ice for hockey players" class. (Couldn't hurt to have attractive ice dance or pair skaters volunteer to skate with the hockey players.) One rink I went to had a "couple skating" class
pitched at any couples who could skate forwards and backwards - nice
idea. And figure skaters shouldn't have to spend $500-$1000 on gear
to take the first classes. They must be able to buy or rent cheap used gear, as is often true for kids hockey programs.

Adult classes are always borderline. You should address the financial needs of the facility, by supplementing
the class with other opportunities to spend money at the rink. Without economic viability, any program
fails.

Finally, many rinks don't advertise outside the rink. What good is a Learn-to-skate class of
any sort if only those who have already learned-to-skate find out about it?

Mod note: moved post.

[sk8lady]

Ideal facility would include lots of "skinny mirrors" a la Seinfeld--so that we can see what we're doing and whether it's right or not without worrying about general looks (i.e., how short and chubby my thighs look in those Seku skating pants!).

Also, a non-judgmental videographer available all the time, so you can check up on whether that hip is still popped out as you do your back threes, and whether your leg is above the hip during your camel (trying to look in a mirror--or reflective glass-- during a camel is a bad idea. Trust me, I know.).