Anyone else get really demoralized?

[Doubletoe]

So you have one group lesson per week and one practice per week, or you just go to the rink once per week and that includes a group lesson and practice? If you can only skate one or two hours per week, that definitely makes it a little harder to progress. I started off with just one group lesson and one practice per week and managed to get all of my 1-revolution jumps that way, but my spins were pretty lousy and I did hit a plateau after awhile. I would suggest working toward a skills test (like your first moves-in-the-field and freestyle tests), but it's kind of hard to do that in a group lesson setting unless everyone else in the group wants to take the tests, too.

[LLOS]

I've definitely improved a lot, but sometimes I feel *so* demoralized.

Some things seem hopeless. Its seems like no matter how hard I work at it, I will never get certain moves right.

Definitely yes! I think it is normal in this sport. For me spins is the hardest element, it seems to take ages until I feel an improvement, my coach is almost desperate but still encourages me al lot to try it again and again...finally after about 9 months of practice (with him, I tried 2 years myself) I get it almost right. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4x4b21dZh0 but there is still a lot of room to improve...

There are always days where nothing really works but then there are days everything works perfectly, so I always wait for the perfect days that motivates me to always go on...one thing is for sure the good days always return, no matter what :)

[Miriam246]

LLOS~ I definitely know what you mean about the "on" and "off" days. So true. Gotta get through the cruddy days and savor the good ones and let them motivate you to keep going....

By the way, beautiful one foot spin!

[LLOS]

By the way, beautiful one foot spin!
Thanks so much, it's nice to hear that you like it, it was a huge amount of work to let it look like that :lol:

[southernskater]

Sometimes I feel that way too. I have a half hour drive to my rink and sometimes I think to myself "I love skating I'm going to have a really good day today I'm gonna do all my enitre moves test, warm up with spins and have a jump day" It feels really silly but sometimes it works ;)