Moves in the field / ice dance progression

[jjane45]

Do you work strictly on one level at a time or get a head start on some "reach" elements from higher tests if possible?

I am working toward silver moves (which will take a loooooooong time) and not sure if I should get familiar with gold moves too. It's my understanding that some tests are trickier than others, what problems do you see working on the next level once in a while? Freestyle tests really build on each other and one may not always be able to work on the next level without getting the current level solid. In MITF and ice dance, it does not seem to be a strong dependency at the lower levels, please correct me if this is not true when the tests get way harder!

So, what are the "reach" elements that you started early from higher tests while getting ready for a lower test?

[Sierra]

I was learning various moves from Prelim and Pre-juv before I ever tested Pre-pre. That's just part of the kid's LTS though, five-step mohawk is in the freeskate levels and we get taught the alternating crossovers as part of warm-up.

Now in a higher level, Juvenile, I've already learned the entire Intermediate test. I asked to, though. Before I asked, I had been taught the twizzle pattern. I was working on both tests every practice, but then I had to start working on a freestyle test so now I don't have time to work on Int moves. For me Int is actually easier and more natural than Juvenile. My coach occasionally teaches me even higher patterns, we did the Junior footwork once.

Pros of working on higher moves is greater variety for program footwork. My footwork contains several turns found in Novice moves, and a few from Junior and Intermediate. Cons is if you don't really have enough ice time or lesson time to work on more than one test. It could become inefficient. But if you have enough ice time and lesson time to work on extra stuff, go for it.

I just looked at the Gold test- something like the back circle 8 would be good to work on for any level because of the improvement to your back edges and back push.

[Icicle]

I've been working on backwards figure eight too. It's part of the gold test, and I'm only about to test my bronze moves. The coach told me to start working on it because it takes a long time to master it. I tried some of the silver moves too, but unfortunately, there isn't enough time to do everything.

[turnip]

I tested Level 1 field moves in April (and passed), but before then I was working on and off on level 2 and 3 field moves (only 3 out of 4 of level 3 exercises though). Now I work on level 2 all the time but also on level 3 (again, 3 out of 4... the other is fw and bw 3 turns and I'm struggling enough with the fw 3 turns on level 2 lol). Coach even tried to think if there was any on level 4 i would be able to attempt lol!

[jjane45]

Well, time is indeed a big limiting factor. Also one needs to be careful picking up stuff without coach's guidance, bad habits are painful to correct.

[Rachelsk8s]

When I started skating again as an adult, my coach had me work on MIF from pre-pre through maybe juvenile, I can't remember exactly.  I definitely didn't work as hard on the ones that were higher as I knew it would be awhile before I'd test them, but I think that its a good idea to be familiar with MIF higher than your test level, or what you plan to be testing.  It can't hurt right

[Rachelsk8s]

I've been working on backwards figure eight too. It's part of the gold test, and I'm only about to test my bronze moves. The coach told me to start working on it because it takes a long time to master it. I tried some of the silver moves too, but unfortunately, there isn't enough time to do everything.

Agreed This is exactly what my coach had me do too.

[irenar5]

When I was working on silver, I practiced backward figure eights.  Now that I am working on gold, I  also practice the twizzles from the intermediate and figure loops from the novice. My coach definitely encouraged me to work on those as they take a looooong time to perfect :-)

Now and then we check the progress and she gives me pointers on those more advanced moves.

[icedancer]

When I was doing just dance back in Boston we basically worked on one dance at a time once I hit Silver level.  I tested one dance a year.  Lessons (half-hour once a week) consisted of working on basics that related to the dance, working on the solo and then learning, practicing and then rehearsing the dance for the test.  This method got me through to one pre-Gold passed in 3 years of working through Silver and then starting on Pre-Gold.

This was before there were even MITF at all so this is what we worked on.

Then I moved to Portland in 1993 - started with a coach here and basically worked on basics and remaining pre-Gold dances for a couple of years.  My coach, although male, didn't skate with his students because he had been badly injured by a student and so everything was done solo.

After he fired me (!) I changed to another coach who I then worked with for about the next 14 years (!) - I think her goal was to teach me about SKATING and not just getting the dances done.  We would work on all of the dances up through the Golds because she always had something she wanted to teach (like about my right hip basically) and could find places in all of the dances that would help me understand the concept she was trying to teach.  I never tested any more dances (lack of male partners/adequate male coach for me) but I learned more about skating than I thought possible.  She was also interested in training people to either coach or judge and since I already have a career and probably couldn't really qualify to be a coach because of my lack of credentials, I got involved in judging.  

But as far as progression goes I think it is very valuable to learn from every discipline - since working with her I have learned and tested Moves through Bronze and completed Adult Bronze figures and competed figures a bunch of times - now I am going back to dance (coachless at this point but want to get back with her) because I just need to and am starting at the beginning with the lower dances.  If I was going to start testing again I would probably go back to the "working on one or two dances exclusively" style for a while because it takes a lot of time to get those dances ready to test --

[alejeather]

My coach had me working on the 5 step mohawk sequence practically before I knew there was such a thing as a moves test. She also introduced me to back threes in the double threes pattern from the gold test and shortly after taught me what I recently found out were back power 3s. In my head I had always called them helicopters.

Recently, though, we got so focused on the pre-bronze and bronze tests I had coming up that we hadn't worked on anything from higher levels. However, the decision to think about testing bronze moves along with pre-bronze came fairly late in the game and we hadn't covered three of the five patterns before then so those took a lot of time, whereas if I had been working on them longer, maybe we could've continued playing with things from silver and gold.

I haven't yet worked on any dances from higher levels. Looking forward to it, though.

[jjane45]

Thank you for all the insights shared in this thread! Please keep them coming

[techskater]

Currently working on Novice and some Junior moves with he intention of passing Novice in the next few months

[turnip]

I'd never attempt to teach myself! We do them in my lesson every now and then so coach can correct any huge errors :-)

[jjane45]

I could totally see the benefit of starting back figure 8 and twizzle patterns early. Figure loop is probably too hard and too far down the road, for now

I'd never attempt to teach myself! We do them in my lesson every now and then so coach can correct any huge errors :-)

I have always had very limited private lesson time. Never messed with jumps and spins, but the gliding maneuvers were picked up from all over the place: group lessons, fellow skaters, forum members, online video, etc.

With MITF and dance, my approach is to do some preparation work on my own like memorizing the patterns and watching demonstration videos. Learning steps on the fly usually does not work well for me, and the prep work makes lesson time more constructive. To avoid picking up more bad habits, I may run thru the steps slowly, but never practice them full out until a coach has looked at it.

It's hard to find a balance, I try to deal with the resources I have

[taka]

I tested as a kid so Level 3 will be the 1st level I sit in Free, Elemements (both no chance!!) and Field moves. I mainly focus on L3 FM's (struggling with the forward / backward 3 turns!). We learnt some higher ones (like the L4 outside mohawk pattern) during bronze passport group lessons and occasionally do the odd higher level one with my coach too!

I'm working towards Level 1 in dance but regularly practice dances up to and including Level 6 in and out of my lessons. I've only just started work on the 14step and European waltz and can't actually manage the foxtrot mohawk in situ yet though! (UK pattern dances are listed at the bottom somewhere). Every lesson we do the L1 dances at least once to music and them pick another level or 2 to work on too depending of what else we want to cover and how busy the CD player is.

I have a L1 variation to practice too. (1/2 a Rhythm blues sequence, own steps for 10 bars and then do the other 1/2 pattern of the RB pattern - 2 full combined sequences needed.) I will be working on a free dance too if we ever decide on music! Hopefully it will do me for the first few NISA level tests if we choreograph it well.

Hmmmm... that sounds quite a bit! I really need to add another day to practice more but it is hard to manage due to work.

[taka]

With MITF and dance, my approach is to do some preparation work on my own like memorizing the patterns and watching demonstration videos. Learning steps on the fly usually does not work well for me, and the prep work makes lesson time more constructive. To avoid picking up more bad habits, I may run thru the steps slowly, but never practice them full out until a coach has looked at it.

Me too...  Coach mentions we will start work on dance X soon so I learn the new dance pattern off ice. (on the bus usually! ) I learn the shape of the pattern and try it a few times very slowly on ice (with a print out of the pattern) to see if it makes sense and get a rough idea of where my body parts need to be in order to do the next step. I try to watch higher level dancers doing the dance too if I can. Usually only then does my coach start to go through it with me.

If we start with no prep beforehand we just spend the entire lesson with me getting steadily more frustrated and very, very confused and it is a complete waste of both our times! I struggle to learn things visually as I can't take in arms, legs, edges, direction etc all at the same time and have a hope of repeating it or remembering it all.

When we start choreographing my free dance I will need to write down every single step, element, arm movement and edge etc, sketch it out and learn it in a similar way.

[TreSk8sAZ]

I'm currently on my Intermediate MITF. Although I know many of the patterns for Novice, my coach has me do drills incorporating the steps rather than the actual moves patterns. So I'll work on the actual turns down the ice or on a line rather than doing the pattern full out.  I have limited lesson time due to finances, so we can't take time away from my current stuff to work on the Novice patterns. That way I have a knowledge base for when we work on them, but I'm not getting into bad habits with the actual patterns that take too long to fix.

In dance, I was regularly taught higher level dances as something "fun" to do when working towards testing the lower levels so I wouldn't get bored. Nothing we seriously worked on, but made sure I had the basics and could practice on my own until we got to that point.

[techskater]

I am released move by move on Junior as it is introduced as something to work on from my coaches.  We have also incorporated the rockers, back loops, and power pull/quick rockers into some footwork and connecting steps.

[jjane45]

Ice dance progression recently came up in the practice thread and I am wondering what other ice dancers choose to do: one dance at a time or multiple dances at the same time? If multiple, on average how many?

During group dance lesson last week, a fellow skater said he was very surprised that when he returned to the class after a summer off, the class is already doing bronze dances like Hickory Hoedown, while previously we'll just getting to pre-bronze. I said we haven't really tested or mastered the pre-bronzes yet, but it seems like the coaches' teaching philosophy to get us going with more dances, and by the time the higher level ones are good, the lower level dances would likely pass with flying colors. (Did not tell him we experimented with 14 step too, lol)

From reading older practice threads, I got the impression that dance group lessons tend to work on multiple dances (even across many levels) at the same time. Is it true in general? The most likely reason I can think of is to keep skaters at all levels interested. Or in some regions, lack of testing sessions maybe.