When did you start private lessons?

[littlerain]

My club does hybrids- everyone one the ice is the same level.  So they teach everyone at the same time (running through a dance pattern, or a spin for example) and pull people out for privates to work on specific things, or their program.  I like it- for me it works well.

As a kid, I recall starting privates after I finished Freestyle 1.  That may also have been where my rink stopped groups.  I feel like there were at least a handful of kids who never did groups; had privates from the start.

I think it really depends on you.  Sounds like you've made the step- enjoy!, but for the record, I'd say, especially as an adult, if you want privates, do privates.

That sounds like a cool program, though I could see how that wouldn't work for everyone!

I feel like there weren't as many options for groups in freestyle levels when I was a kid either, but who really knows!

[Loops]

That sounds like a cool program, though I could see how that wouldn't work for everyone!

I think this is the S.O.P here in France.  I think it works for me, because I have no program and no upcoming tests, it helps give me some structure in terms of what to work on.  I don't like that I don't have the freedom to work on what I choose (to a certain degree- I can always ask the coach to do something specific in group, or just not participate in the group that day or whatever).  But the alternative, especially at the beginning of the year (before I realised I could participate in the group lesson) was doing a dance more basic than the dutch waltz ad nauseum.

[cbskater]

My progression has been like this-
First year-skated once a week in public with daughter giving me pointers.
Second & third year- once a week group lesson, once or twice a week public skate.
For the past year- once a week group lesson, once a week private lesson & a mix of freestyle & public to practice.

I would have started privates sooner if I could have afforded them. Our adult group lessons have no structure, they don't test our levels. We work on random stuff that the coach comes up with or that some one requests. Sometimes I learn a lot & sometimes they could be incredibly frustrating for me when it was too difficult for me to do. Over time this is becoming less of a problem though.

I don't think privates would have been a big help in the very beginning. I think I just needed practice more than anything else. I think it was a couple of years before I wasn't scared the whole time I was on the ice. If I could have I would have started privates 6-12 months sooner. I can still remember my first private 13 months ago. I was sooo excited & I skated sooo good. I was wound up days before & after the lesson. I had wanted to do them for so long & it went so well.

Hope you loved your first private lesson littlerain!

[littlerain]

I definitely enjoyed my first private lesson. Got a lot of great pointers and went over elements for prebronze/prepre moves.

Weird, the rest of my message disappeared? Anyway, I'm not certain if I'll do every week just yet, and I have time to decide as coach is busy with conferences this week and next. At least I still have the group class, which sounds very much like yours, cbskater!

[Bunny Hop]

I only did group classes the first time I learned to skate, but I was probably getting to the point of needing private coaching when the rink closed down and I stopped skating. It was learning basic jumps at the time.

Second time round my husband was taking up skating us well, and I suggested he take a few lessons to get him started. As he travelled frequently for work group classes were out, and in any case I thought the individual attention would suit him better. When he kept going with skating beyond the initial coaching I started taking private lessons as well, as it meant I could have lessons at a time that suited me and that I could fit around work. At that point in my life the private lessons were definitely better for me than group lessons would have been.

[Doubletoe]

I took my first private lesson when I was learning the lutz.  I hadn't gotten stuck on any of the other jumps when we learned them in class but I got stuck on the lutz so I took some private lessons from our group coach.  If I had wanted to test and compete at the time, I would have started private lessons sooner.  That's when you absolutely need private lessons (and freestyle ice).  On the other hand, some people take private lessons from day one and never take group lessons.  Nothing wrong with that, either.

[robinsnest]

I just started about a month ago.  I am almost through Adult 6 which is the last level of adult group classes at my rink.  Working on the pre-bronze moves with coach and having quite a time!