Good Form and Grace

[Query]

P.S. ISI and USFSA BS group lesson programs teach a lot of tricks, to a lot of people, in a very short time. They can't focus on form and grace. Performance dance lessons that focus on form and grace help. (But for guys like me: Many Modern and especially Ballet lessons are oriented towards feminine form, not masculine form, and expect impossible flexibility as well.) Private lessons help.

You can learn form and grace. It helps to have a concrete definition. Mine, still evolving:

• 1. Move as smoothly and efficiently as is possible within the standards of the art.
• 2. Few extra uncontrolled motions - but not so stiff you look like a robot. Large motions should be intended, not accidental.
• 3. Continuous lines and curves of body form and muscle tension. But when standards require you to isolate the motions of the arm and the pivots about the waist from the rest of the body, which breaks those lines, make the isolation look deliberate, not a motion you forgot to do. I notice that freestyle skaters don't isolate as much as ice dancers, at least not in competition, which often gives more graceful, continuous lines.
• 4. To look feminine, gals should hide the inner muscle tension needed to create and maintain body form beneath an apparent outer relaxation. Ballet teachers talk of relaxing the outer muscle layers that are next to the skin. To look masculine, guys should more often show their strength. Not sure everyone agrees with these.
• 5. Concentrate on posture a posture that says, "I am here and this is how I mean to look", not something relaxed and casual. I think of what Figurespins said about posture and performance. In ice dance, coaches have mostly talked to me about aligning things vertically, not curving the spine too much or letting the hips or knees drop to one side - I'm not sure what the equivalent is in freestyle.
• 6. Strengthen all your muscles, on and off ice, so you aren't struggling to maintain form. Warm up on ice using and feeling all your muscles, including core muscles, moving towards deep knee bends, strong sideways pushes and pulls, scissoring crossovers. When you warm up with completely relaxed muscles, you aren't getting stronger.
• 7. A relaxed and happy facial expression. Don't look like you are struggling.

Can someone else can come up with additional/corrected concrete standards of what constitutes good form and grace?

And say how to strengthen jump and spin stabilization muscles - I'm not sure.

[Skate@Delaware]

And say how to strengthen jump and spin stabilization muscles - I'm not sure.

Very well-said!

For jump & spin stabilization, you need core strength. There are many ways to build core strength but some of the top exercises are: planks (any variation), working on a bosu ball (one-legged balance), pushups (either full body or from the knees), bridges, squats (with or without weights), lunges, supermans, and v-sits (which must be done correctly to be useful).  You can also use some yoga poses and pilates (which is awesome at building core strength).  Keep in mine with the exercises-it is not how many you do or how much weight you can use, it is utilizing proper form that will be the best benefit.

here is an article about core strength:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/a/NewCore.
Another article about core stability:
http://www.sk8strong.com/articles/article/6311334/115198.htm