Question for skaters

[moebius]

Is it easier to learn jumps or PCS elements?
I would think it would be more advantageous to learn PCS elements first then the jumps like Patrick Chan because at least it's harder to mess up on PCS elements, whereas one may not rely on landing on jumps most of the time unless you are Evgeny Plushenko.

[Aussie Willy]

Depends which PCS you are talking about. You cannot do jumps without learning to at least skate. So you need skating skills first. Because how can you do something like a salchow without being able to hold an edge? Or get a good quality entry into a spin.

I have found many skaters will focus on their elements as they develop. Unless they really understand music and can relate to it and a coach can use a skater in that way to develop a program. But for many it is only when they feel comfortable with their technique that they can start focussing on doing a bit more than just elements.

It is like learning an instrument. You can't work on putting in colour, phrasing and interpretation without at least being able to excecute the technique.

So the technique is like learning in the instrument. And for many being able to work with their music, creating emotion, character and nuanced interpretation is like the icing on the cake.

[aliceanne]

If you are a freestyle skater it helps to be proficient at both. You generally learn the basic edges (inside, outside, back, right, left) and elementary turns (3 turns, mohawks), stroking (back, forward) and basic moves (spiral, lunge, shoot-the-duck) before you start on jumps and spins, but most people are not experts when they start jumps and spins.

I have seen adult men learn jumps without learning anything else first, but they have no glide and their movements look contorted. They more or less muscle through it, rather than utilizing centrifugal force which comes from strong edges and speed.