How to get more serious?

[Cush]

I had a trial lesson with a coach this morning. This coach is at the rink daily from 6-9a.m. so the time works well for me. Tomorrow night I will have another trial lesson with a different coach. Then I get to think about it a while and decide who I would like to go with.

This morning when I arrived at the rink bright (actually gray) and early there were only 7 cars in the lot. In all we  were 5 skaters on ice with 2 coaches. Don't think I ever saw the ice look so nice. Initially I thought a half hour lesson was ridiculously short for the price. But surprisingly we covered a LOT. There are so many things for me to practice! I really liked today's coach. I had another surprise too: I am allowed on the freestyle ice outside my lesson time because I am already working on high enough moves!!! My problem is solved.

[davincisop]

Starting out I did only a half hour. It wasn't until I started working on silver moves and bronze free that I needed to switch to an hour to be able to go over everything with my coach. 

So glad you get to go on freestyle!!!

[Query]

I don't know Chicago, other than it seems like a huge portion of elite skaters train there, so you folks must be doing something right.

I do have four minor suggestions:

1. Take more USFSA LTS or ISI WeSkate classes. They provide fairly cheap, fairly focused ice practice time, under a degree of supervision. At most rinks I know, lessons are on evenings or weekends, and there is usually a public session just before and/or just after the set of classes. BTW, one thing classes don't provide (unless you take power skating classes) is endurance training. Off-ice training can supplement.

2. Cross country skiing is great off-ice training too - many muscles in common. 

3. I don't know about you, but for me, a lot of skating issues relate to muscle strength and flexibility. I need muscles to do deep knee bends, on one and two feet. I need muscles to push my limited flexibility. I need muscles to push and pull against edges. There are a lot of exercises you can do at home that build the same muscles, and that stretch my flexibility. But maybe those issues don't apply to you.

4. Run or jog during off-work hours. Probably the best possible overall conditioning exercise you can do, and strengthens your legs and core besides. Learn to keep your feet low to the ground so you glide through and don't have hard impacts - race walking technique works fairly well, or you will be hard on your knees. If it's a little cold, wear a scarf, so your breath isn't cold enough to freeze your lungs. If it's a lot cold - forget it, unless you have a gym with an indoor track.

[Cush]

Thanks dav. It's weird, I am excited yet so nervous at the same time.

Query, I am definitely keeping on with the Saturday morning LTS class. We get about 20 mins practice time after class ends. I am also going to keep with the Sunday public skate. Now I get to add a couple weekday practices and most likely one private lesson.  I also have a good share of strength and flexibility imbalance issues - working on it.

[jjane45]

I don't know Chicago, other than it seems like a huge portion of elite skaters train there, so you folks must be doing something right.
...
BTW, one thing classes don't provide (unless you take power skating classes) is endurance training. Off-ice training can supplement.

Ha, I'd like to know which elites train around here  

At my rink the first half of standard 60 minute group lessons is literally group power class to kill your stamina. When I was in those classes, sometimes there was no gas left for the instructions in the second half.

[hopskipjump]

YAY!  I'm glad you liked your private lesson.  I agree with your assessment - a private lesson covers so much more in the same amount of time as a group class.  My friend's daughter just started LTS and I told her after her first LTS session to get a coach once a week as well - 15-30 minutes of focused attention will give a rapid progress and good habits.  Mom was so amazed that she signed up for lessons as well.  I wish she lived locally, maybe I could have received a referral discount! 

[Query]

Ha, I'd like to know which elites train around here  

I confused Chicago with Detroit. Oops.

At my rink the first half of standard 60 minute group lessons is literally group power class to kill your stamina. When I was in those classes, sometimes there was no gas left for the instructions in the second half.

Interesting. LTS and WeSkate group lessons in my area are 25-30 minutes.

[Cush]

  Turns out I learned SO many bad habits while in LTS. Some basic skills I knew I could improve on, but other things I thought I was good at are in need of rework.
I am keeping positive about it even if I am a little bummed. Setting that good foundation will make more difficult techniques less of a struggle later on.

There was a lot of discussion on this forum recently about the role of figures in skating. I realised this week my coach is big into figures!!! So guess what I am practicing a lot of. It's all good, I will be better for it.

[nicklaszlo]

I am a little bummed.

Don't be, I think this happens to everyone.  I realized recently that I still don't bend my knees after all these years.

[Skittl1321]

Don't be, I think this happens to everyone.  I realized recently that I still don't bend my knees after all these years.

I'm quite certain mine just don't bend.

[jjane45]

Turns out I learned SO many bad habits while in LTS. Some basic skills I knew I could improve on, but other things I thought I was good at are in need of rework.

It's OK. All of us get picked apart every now and then. You should worry when the coach tells you everything is perfect. After I switched rink, I was sooooooo happy when new group coach said my crossovers need major fixes and actually spent time working on them. Attention to basics = the coach actually cares!!

I realized recently that I still don't bend my knees after all these years.

You bend. It's just everyone bends less than visualized in their minds. ;P

[Cush]

Thanks guys. After reading your replies I don't feel so bad anymore. 

One other thing that I forgot to mention: I love actually having structured approach now for my practise sessions. Coach has outlined for me exactly what she wants me to do to warm up before getting onto the ice, and everything to do when I get on ice.  Normally I drive to the rink, boot up and jump onto the ice. Not good apparently  hahaha! I kinda knew that but didn't know what I should be doing.   Ran through the entire thing tonight and took me about 1.5hr.

 

[ONskater74]

stretching is huge for me. I try to spend 20-30 minutes just stretching deeply prior to heading to the rink. Then I do a real quick "refresher" stretch in the change room once my skates are on before hitting the ice. Then I take it easy for the first 5-10 minutes on the ice.
old geezers like me  need to be careful

[Cush]

Is there a 'surviving freestyle ice without your coach' guide book somewhere? How long does it take to settle in?
I am getting a bit less scared in the 6 am session with coach by my side. I don't mind practicing after my lesson is done because she's still around too. And now I am understanding better how to duck away from what the 3-4 other skaters in this session might be doing.

However! Yesterday afternoon I got off work earlier than normal. I noticed another rink close to work allowed 'walk ons' during their Contract ice BEG hour. Called them up before going to make sure they'd be fine with me there. They assured me it was all good and the slot was set there for beginners anyways. Got on the ice and it started out fine. I had a whole corner circle and surrounds to myself except for having to yield for the occasional skater flying through. Then in the second half hour it got a lot busier, and I lost my confidence. I could not tell who was going to come at me next since there were too many! Those with coaches were easy to spot as they approached, as we're those skating with the ribbon on doing their program to their music. But there were too many others flying around too. Ended up just practicing 3turns at the goal half circle.

[VAsk8r]

Is there a 'surviving freestyle ice without your coach' guide book somewhere? How long does it take to settle in?

I still feel this way when I go to unfamiliar rinks. I'm working on my single jumps and bronze moves, so I know I'm allowed on anything advertised as freestyle (unless it specifies level.) But the kids are so much faster! And I look younger than I am, so I don't think other people necessarily think, "Oh, an adult, of course she's going to be slow. Let's not knock her down or she'll break a hip." I think they think I'm just some slow, insecure teen.

Of course I know where to spin and jump, but I still haven't figured out how to work on moves around a lot of unfamiliar, significantly faster skaters without getting off pattern and stopping/slowing down a bunch. I'm also not sure where to go if you need a quiet space to work on turns or footwork.

[AgnesNitt]

. Got on the ice and it started out fine. I had a whole corner circle and surrounds to myself except for having to yield for the occasional skater flying through.

May I suggest you have a discussion with your coach about freestyle etiquette? What you described above is sometimes called 'camping out' or 'hogging the circle'. It's generally considered bad manners since people need to do jumps in the circles or patterns through them. If it's  a lutz corner, your coach should point them out (my rinks have lefties so ALL corners are lutz corners  )  Also harness alley. Although I'm a very low recovering from injury skater, when I'm on freestyles, I make sure I don't stay in one corner, or work on one thing in one space for a long time.   I know the moves and dance patterns, and I pay attention to everything that goes on around me.


You asked for a 'surviving freestyle' guide. Here's a humorous look at 'first time on freestyle'
http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2013/01/first-time-on-freestyle.html

[Cush]

Hi Agnes. I will have that chat with my coach to make sure I am aware of everything.
However, at the time I was on the circle, it didn't feel like I was hogging the spot since no one was doing any jumping at all. I was the only one on that side of the rink. There were 3 or 4 other skaters with coaches working on moves along the center line or on spins up on the opposite end of the rink. Then there were a couple other girls practicing perimeter stroking (the occasional ones flying through). Then it got busier and I didn't dare use the big circles. I might be guilty of camping out for some time behind the goal line tho.

[Cush]

  Your blog is very cool! Thanks.
I think I will stick to my regular time and regular rink for now till I have learned how to deal with all the details.

[AgnesNitt]

Hi Agnes. I will have that chat with my coach to make sure I am aware of everything.
However, at the time I was on the circle, it didn't feel like I was hogging the spot since no one was doing any jumping at all. I was the only one on that side of the rink. There were 3 or 4 other skaters with coaches working on moves along the center line or on spins up on the opposite end of the rink. Then there were a couple other girls practicing perimeter stroking (the occasional ones flying through). Then it got busier and I didn't dare use the big circles. I might be guilty of camping out for some time behind the goal line tho.

Just realize those girls 'flying through' may be trying to get you to move because you're in a corner where they want to jump to for a program or a test. You'd think skaters would just ask, but it's been my experience that there's a lot of passive / aggressive stuff on freestyle. What can I say, it's the stock in trade of teenagers.   

[Cush]

Yikes. Ok, good to know.
I've got much to learn.

[Skittl1321]

It is helpful if you can get to know the people on ice with you. Talk to them while you lace up your skates.  The passive aggressive behavior usually stops when they know you better.  They might just say something instead (would you mind moving off this circle?), or give you a "you're okay".

I used to get buzzed by skaters, which would terrify me, but they'd skate by saying "you're fine!" warning me not to move, essentially.  Good skaters know how much space they take up. 

[pegasus99]

At minimum, I skate 5 days a week. On a good week, I'm skating every day with a combo of Public and Pre-Freestyle ice.

Public ice is for when I need a small amount of room or for elements I still need the boards for. (Mohawks, lunge stretches, FI3's, spread eagles.) I don't try to do anything "big" on publics unless they are lightly attended, which lately they haven't been. (Sunday skating I do Guard Duty so I can't really "practice," and I usually end up retying a lot of laces anyway..   ) Practice Ice I keep a tight schedule on as that's coming at a premium price; "accomplish these sets of things, no excuses."

I can make it work by using the combination of public and practice ice, but it has to be clearly delineated what can be expected on either surface. I would imagine I'll eventually graduate out of public ice entirely, but I don't see that day coming anytime soon.

[karne]

Ha, I'd like to know which elites train around here  

Jason Brown is Chicagoland based. Or was. I don't know if he's actually moved yet but he did say "March".


deliapm, one thing that helped tremendously after I started using figure skating sessions was to remember that I have as much right to be there as the girls doing doubles and triples. And one of the unintentional best things I ever did was I showed up to a competition with interstate competitors that I wasn't high enough level for to cheer on the girls from our state. After that they were a lot more open and friendly. I've even had the Senior lady offer to play my pathetic little Free Skate 3 music!

[Skittl1321]

Jason Brown is Chicagoland based.

So is Gracie Gold. 

[Robin]

It's amazing how there is so little ice time for beginning or developing adult skaters. This is a problem everywhere, even in skate-crazy Massachusetts. All public sessions seem to be between 10 a.m.-noontime, or on Friday nights when the rink is likely to be overrun by throngs of teenagers. Even freestyle sessions that accommodate no-test or low-test skaters always seem to be right after school gets out--not late enough for any adult with a typical weekday work schedule. Evenings seem to be reserved for hockey games. Yes, it is hard to find appropriate ice time. I lobbied for years at my club to have an adult skating session on a weeknight not so much for me (I can skate on any session and I also work afternoons) but for my husband who is an advanced no-test beginner who works during the day. He would love to develop as a skater but he can't find ice time to do it.  Even when I was working in New York, I found the rink schedules on Long Island were the same as those in the Boston area: public skating between 10 and 12, freestyle after school, and hockey in the evenings. The Chicago area must not be that much different.

I'm glad you were able to solve your ice time problem. Best of luck to you!