how to budget a 3-minute warmup

[sampaguita]

For the competition, all Delta-and-below competitors who are doing Spotlight are only given a 3-minute group warmup. No 15-minute group practice whatsoever. Meaning I'll only be on the ice for 3 minutes before I do my program.

Since I can't do anything about it, I'd like to ask some advice on how to maximize my 3 minutes. I'm skating on an Olympic sized rink. One lap of stroking takes around 30 seconds, and my routine is 1 minute long. I also need to work on my RBO edge, but due to the time constraint I'm wondering if it's better to do waltz jumps and waltz threes (my problematic elements) instead of doing consecutive BO edges. As for my arabesque, I'm not including it in the on-ice warmup -- too risky to pull a muscle.

I already have an off-ice warmup Jazzercise routine, starting with some side stretches, then some isolations, some cardio. The off-ice warmup routine takes 15 minutes.

[karne]

At the weekend for the technical competition the Aussie Skate people had a 3-minute warmup (as opposed to six).

Coach told me to do it like this:

- 1 lap stroking
- power three turns
- spirals
- crossovers
- spins
- jumps

It worked out pretty well, except I did my usual hyperventilating thing and took too much drink time so I only popped off a couple of dodgy waltz jumps right on the "thank you please leave the ice" announcement. Lucky the toe loop is my best jump.

[sampaguita]

Thanks karne! Do you remember how long you did each element, or for example, how many crossovers, etc? Thanks!

[Skittl1321]

Start practicing having only 3 minutes to prepare well ahead of the competition.  When the doors to the ice open for your session, go on and do your 3 minute warm up.  Then do your program.   If you have music available, even better, if you can't get it for a long time, just do it without it.

Don't always practice all warm from 15-30 minutes of skating!

As you get closer, start practicing even more realistic.  Get on the ice, do a 3 minute warm up, then get off the ice and stand for 5 minutes (like you will if you aren't the first skater) and then skate, having your legs gotten cold.

If you get the schedule and skate first, start practicing a 2 to 2.5 minute warm-up.  You need to go to the boards and take a few calming breaths before the warm up is over, as they don't generally like for you to take your time to get started after they call clear the ice.

As for budgeting the warm up (practice ice at comps is so expensive, I never do it.  Besides it is often 8 hours before the event, so I don't find it does much good)- I do a lap, then each of the elements in the program twice, and then work on any problem areas in the remaining time.  If my coach came to the competition he usually yells at me what to do in my extra time.   Another coach has his FS2 and below students just do their programs twice.

[Live2Sk8]

I agree with SKittl, I have a planned x-minute warmup for each of my programs, and about a month before a competition, I get on the ice and immediately do each warmup, one after another.  My programs are 1:40, so what I usually do is - 3/4 lap of stroking with crossovers around the end, then I do each jump one time, each spin one time, any other problem element (a twizzle), then I do my program run-through.  That usually takes up the 4 or 5 minutes.  If I have any time left over, I might do my hardest jump or spin again.  You have to allow for interference time, too (you try to do an element and have to stop because another skater is coming your way).  I've never gotten off the ice to simulate waiting, but that's a good idea.  I don't want to use up any ice time on waiting, but maybe I should.

I rarely do practice ice either - it's usually packed full of stressed-out skaters with their coaches screaming at them, and it's often too many hours before the event to do any good whatsoever. 

Sounds like you've put some good thought into what you do off-ice and on-ice.  My first competition, I had no plan, and I was so freaked out that I just skated aimlessly in a circle trying one element over and over until my coach called me over and snapped me out of it.  My current coach planned my warmup and I was so grateful as that had not occurred to me before (and I am the queen of planning, too!) 

[Kitten23]

Even though I didn't ask this question, thanks so much for the advice!!  Will take it with me!

[SynchKat]

Don't fixate on one it two elements if they aren't working.  If you miss an element leave it and do something you do well and go back.  You don't want to lose all your confidence. 

Also of you are the first skater after the warm up you will want to take a few seconds toward the end of warm up to regroup and relax before performing. 

I like shorter warm ups, I find the longer they are I just end up wandering around the ice with nothing to do.

[sampaguita]

Thank you, SynchKat, Live2Sk8, and Skittl!

Start practicing having only 3 minutes to prepare well ahead of the competition.  When the doors to the ice open for your session, go on and do your 3 minute warm up.  Then do your program.   If you have music available, even better, if you can't get it for a long time, just do it without it.

Don't always practice all warm from 15-30 minutes of skating!

As you get closer, start practicing even more realistic.  Get on the ice, do a 3 minute warm up, then get off the ice and stand for 5 minutes (like you will if you aren't the first skater) and then skate, having your legs gotten cold.

I've been practicing simulating competition day -- except that all the while I thought that the warmup was 5 minutes long! Yesterday, in practice, I tried to do a 3-minute warmup and thought that it was too short. Unfortunately, that's my last practice, so all I can do now is to plan for the 3 minutes.

I'm also the second skater -- so maybe I'll be standing for around 2 minutes after the warmup proper. Maybe I should be moving my legs during that time.

[karne]

Thanks karne! Do you remember how long you did each element, or for example, how many crossovers, etc? Thanks!

Oh, the crossovers I did in the figure 8 that they are in the program in, which was five in each circle. I did each element once except for the sit spin which I did three times in a vain attempt to claw it back.

[Skittl1321]

  I've never gotten off the ice to simulate waiting, but that's a good idea.  I don't want to use up any ice time on waiting, but maybe I should.

My coach had me do that twice.  After those two times- he had me start getting onto the ice as soon as I laced up my skates, NO warmup, and do my program.  This was when it looked like it would be 30 minutes+ between my warm up and my test.

[VAsk8r]

Have you skated at this rink before? It sounds like you have but if not, I'd approach this a little differently because I'd be worried about becoming disoriented. Skate a lap, do your edges and do one of each jump. Then get as much of the way through your program as you can. You can skate through the jumps and spins, the important thing is to be familiar with where everything goes.

If you ARE familiar with the rink and aren't at all worried about being disoriented, then disregard this and follow the other fine advice here. 

The only time I've ever bought practice ice, there were about 15 intermediate ladies on it with me and then a handful of juvenile. I got nothing done and felt more rattled than before when I got off. If I'm not skating until later, I'll go to my own rink first and skate for a half hour or so, and that's much better.

[turnip]

Definately practice skating your program after only a three minute warm up, or even 2.5 in case you're first to skate.

If you're going to another rink, try it the "wrong way round", pretending the judges are the opposite side from where they are at your rink, to allow for disorientation.

If you're a bit stiff on the ice at first, try a lap of stroking, crossovers round the end, then a lap of slaloms, then crossovers as it gets your knees going more.

Run through your elements in order of difficulty (i always start with a waltz jump even though my program is only salchow, toe loop and loop), my coach always says do jumps before spins. I do jumps first, then spins, then steps, then if i have time, spirals.

Three minutes always seems longer than it sounds to me in a warm up!

[hopskipjump]

My daughter skates a lap and then does her program.  Then she goes to her coach and she gives advice and instruction (fixing any element that needs to be "fixed").  Sometimes it means the coach says do this part over.