Practice Thread

[treesprite]

It is the right inside 3s that I fight with. I have to be able to do the left ones to do toe loops, so I do them a whole lot more. Mohawks are really hard in that direction too. I think my brain just doesn't want to go counter clockwise.

My orthopedist told me not to skate for a month. I got hurt falling in the grocery store. Lawyer papers already signed. I wonder if extra can be added for the pain and suffering of not being able to skate.

 

[antmanb]

It was going all right, going all right - except for the left forward inside three turn. This was the one I nearly broke my wrist off, and I don't work on it enough, so I can't really do it. (Super embarassing, especially since my RFI three - which I use for the toe loop and loop - is quite solid). We worked and worked and worked on it, at the boards, off the boards. I even did a few. We tried to refine it a bit.

Coach asked me to describe where I was, because I could not turn to save my life. I told her I felt like I was on the front of the skate, with my knee bent, but the turn was getting stuck. She just stared at me and told me that I was over the heel, with my knee locked. And no matter what I tried after that, it still felt the same.

The LFI three is a problem for me too, but part of the problem is the weird things I do with my body when I try to do one from the minute I step onto the LFI edge.

The way I get mine to work (and not rush the turn, or push into it to initiate the turn) is to just practice LFI edges - holding the edge for as long as possible (and noting how differently I go into the edge without thinking about the turn).

On the LFI three I am always super tense, whereas on the RFI three i'm really relaxed, and do the turn by rising in the knee with just a little bit of shoulder involved.

SO after I've done some nice LFI edges, I push onto the edge and let it come round and then force myself to rise up in the knee and consciously nudge my shoulders into the circle to get the turn (I also let myself off hitting the toe pick on the turn to start with) and that gets my confidence up to do it. Repeat and it gets easier and cleaner with less bounce off the toe pick, and cleaner turn.

Getting them to work in a pattern with slightly more speed I tell myself i'm just going to do an inside edge, and to not worry about the turn, and I relax and can execute the turn.

Doing them on a circle in a pattern that is on our moves test also helps. RFO edge, swing the left leg through, step onto a LFI edge, turn the 3, hold the exit edge, step to RFO edge and repeat. That pattern gets them moving better than the alternating inside three pattern on a serpentine.

 

[gkelly]

I've stopped focusing on MIF test patterns along with jumps and spins because I've accepted the fact that I'm never going pass any more tests (except hopefully ice dance).

After a year or so of not practicing them at all, I couldn't do LFI threes at all. The back inside threes have also become weak and inconsistent.

I decided to recover the LFI three so I tried doing it as part of an LBO double three. That is doable, although my free foot is not in a good position and I have little speed or flow on the exit.

I can also now again do it on a circle if I take a whole half circle to set it up, although I can't maintain another whole half circle on the exit to get back to my starting point.

Will I ever be able to get back to the point that I can do it with a quarter circle setup, at speed? (Or 1/6 circle setup if I want to work on the forward double three pattern)

 

[Deleted member 53443]

After playing hockey 5 times a week for years, I bought my first figure skates and went on a public skate, Holy hell that was weird. I can do whatever I want on hockey skates but I felt like I was back to learn to skate level.

After 20 minutes I got a little cocky, gained some speed and fell forward on toe pick, straight on my knees and it hurt so much I was dizzy for minutes. Couldn't even get up but had to crawl to the bench. Not a great start, but it can only get better from here.

 

[misskarne]

Sunday I went to practice at one of my favourite rinks to skate at in Melbourne. The ice is harder than home which makes jumps easier but spins and turns harder.

I had a pretty good 45 minute practice, did some good jumps, struggled with spins (falling inside again). Did my turns including a lot of (very tiny) left forward inside turns and came up with an exercise that helped me continue turning instead of chickening out. They're not good turns, they don't have long edges in and out, but they're turns.

And then I felt a very familiar sharp pain in my heel and limped off to find that my sleeve had wrinkled inside the boot and I had developed a blister the size of a 5c piece on my heel - and that my skates had rubbed the skin off already. Ouch.

 

[Deleted member 53443]

My knee permitted me to get back on ice today, much better experience. Just need the patience to know that being able to fly around in hockey skates does not mean much, at least not now.

Some observations:

- figure skates allow so much feel of contact with the ice in the foot. Hockey boots are so protective that you have to rely a lot on sound to know if your edge is good or not. Here I can feel it in my foot.

- there is lots of lazy posture in hockey skates, can never have that in these skates

- glutes, glutes, glutes

- the ankles have to be active at all times, much more than in hockey skates

 

[SmallFairy]

I started landed the flip today! I had some lousy tries before, but not in control, and there's been a mental block in my head, so I've kept doing it on two feet. At Christmas camp we did lots of flip off-ice and that helped a lot. Today it just happened on the ice too. Hope it's still there tomorrow morning.

 

[misskarne]

I started landed the flip today! I had some lousy tries before, but not in control, and there's been a mental block in my head, so I've kept doing it on two feet. At Christmas camp we did lots of flip off-ice and that helped a lot. Today it just happened on the ice too. Hope it's still there tomorrow morning.

No feeling like it!!!

 

[treesprite]

I started landed the flip today! I had some lousy tries before, but not in control, and there's been a mental block in my head, so I've kept doing it on two feet. At Christmas camp we did lots of flip off-ice and that helped a lot. Today it just happened on the ice too. Hope it's still there tomorrow morning.

Congratulations! Flip was always my favorite jump. I hope sometime in the next year I can work on re-learning and maybe land them.

 

[misskarne]

Lesson day today, first one of the new year. Split into two fifteen minute blocks across two sessions because my coach got muddled up.

Block one, we did the Elementary pattern (sans three turns). This included a lot of work on the forward crossrolls including a frikin scary two-foot-crossover exercise to try and make myself comfortable with the motion. I did get some decent crossrolls out.

After this we had an ice resurface, and I retied my boots. My coach was delayed returning, so I surrendered to temptation and started warming up my jumps; coach joined me and we went through them. I did several Salchows, toe loops, loops (which are slowly getting bigger and stronger!) then probably five or six surprisingly good flips. Made some good progress on the Lutz including one really good one that rotated about three-quarters rather than my usual half. After that we did combos - waltz jump-half loop-Salchow (this makes me dizzy), then toe loop-toe loop, Salchow-toe loop, and flip-toe loop. Coach did have a wicked gleam in her eye as she contemplated trying for a loop-loop, but she decided I wasn't quite there yet!

 

[Bunny Hop]

First skating lesson for 2018 went very well indeed. This is rare enough to be cause for remark.

...or maybe I should just warm up properly before every lesson.

 

[SmallFairy]

The flip is still here I do it on every practice, to make sure my body don't chicken out and forgets about it again.

Mostly program run-throughs today, first in pieces, that went well. When I had my music played and put it all together it was more messy Coach says my speed is improved though and that I look relaxed. Practice again tomorrow, new chances

 

[antmanb]

I had my first lesson of the year last Thursday. I was expecting worse for two weeks off the ice and extra Christmas weight, but it wasn't too bad.

My last lesson before Christmas saw me barely able to hold onto a BO edge when trying BO three turns. I did considerably better in this lesson by actually doing the turns.

I don't know what it is but I kept psyching myself out throughout the whole lesson and imagining falling right before I would do a turn. I wish I could switch my mind off sometimes.

We did lots of moves and then a bit of jumping at the end. Coach wisely stuck to waltz, toe-loop and Salchow, with some combinations of those jumps.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

Ice time at my rink has been spotty on account of the rough weather we're having at the moment, and I'm headed off to Colorado for a skating camp this week, so this should be... interesting. Especially since the camp has a program feedback session and I've barely had a chance to run through my program in about a week!

On the bright side, I managed to finish sewing my competition dress for the season, and make some new cold-weather gear to bring with me to camp.

 

[Lanie]

I haven't skated since early November. I need to get back on the ice... It's just disheartening because I was not doing well, my boots were agonizing after spending all that money, and I'd lost so much of the flow and ease of my actual skating...

 

[misskarne]

and I'm headed off to Colorado for a skating camp this week, so this should be... interesting. Especially since the camp has a program feedback session and I've barely had a chance to run through my program in about a week!

Oooooh are you doing the 7K Adult Getaway? I may pepper you with DMs if so.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

Oooooh are you doing the 7K Adult Getaway? I may pepper you with DMs if so.

I am. Happy to answer any questions you might have about the camp itself (this will be a repeat visit for me).

 

[antmanb]

I had a pretty rubbish practice last night. I have no idea why but on the drive to the rink I started getting cramp in my left calf and shin, then in my toes. By the time I got to the rink the cramps were gone but my leg was still sore so I couldn't do any jumping. In my lesson we tried spins which were feeling bit wobbly and not secure just on uprights. Then I went to step into another and I think I clipped the bottom toepick on the step in, and my left arm had already started sweeping round so I actually fell and spun at the same time. Weirdly enough everything went into slow motion as I hit the toe pick so I purposefully went limp. I think I did a full rotation in the air (faster than anything I can rotate when i'm actually trying ) landed on my bum and rolled once on the ice.

My coach gasped loudly as did a few other skaters around me but they realised all was well as I laughing by the time I stopped rolling.

That pretty much set the tone for my lesson and I was glad to get out of there

 

[vesperholly]

Ah, the good old flying fall. Been there!

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

Exhausted, sore, and inspired after another wonderful installment of 7K's adult skating camp. Happy to answer any questions for those who are curious, but the tldr; version is that it's just really f'ing great and y'all should go if the opportunity is available to you.

 

[misskarne]

Exhausted, sore, and inspired after another wonderful installment of 7K's adult skating camp. Happy to answer any questions for those who are curious, but the tldr; version is that it's just really f'ing great and y'all should go if the opportunity is available to you.

I am about to spam you with questions.

Or I would, if I could start a conversation with you

 

[livetoskate]

Exhausted, sore, and inspired after another wonderful installment of 7K's adult skating camp. Happy to answer any questions for those who are curious, but the tldr; version is that it's just really f'ing great and y'all should go if the opportunity is available to you.

Please tell us more! How many people participated, who did you work with, how many days was it, etc. I went to the adult skating camp run by Morosov in Hackensack, NJ. It was only over a weekend, but man, I was so beat that I didn't even feel like skating anymore after the 1st day. My feet were killing me. It was a good, fun overall experience though, especially since I went with a friend. As far as I know, the adult camp is no longer being held there.

 

[Deleted member 53443]

I had my first ever figure skating lesson Wednesday. It was TONS of fun, pretty strict and demanding from the coach, and I like that. Part of it is really explaining to her how incredibly different this is from being in on hockey skates so don't be afraid to go very basic although you've seen me skate pretty advanced in hockey. She was great, we went through most of the pre-bronze test stuff, now I will go away for a month but will bring skates and have things to work on. She was very old-school technical and I so enjoy that. I'm really psyched about this. Put on my gear and hockey skates after 90 mins of figure skating and man, I felt like the blade is three inches shorter, what's up with that? This is such an exciting journey!

 

[treesprite]

I managed to do some scratch spins in my new skates today, in spite of having been off the ice not doing spins for a month, and in spite of still having a cold (missed 2 days of work). I managed to pull off a couple with at most 12 revolutions, which were very sloppy. I think the sloppiness was more from not having been skating than from having the new skates.

I was on and off the ice adjusting one of my blades several times, but still couldn't get it right, so I don't know what will happen when I go to skate guy tomorrow. I don't want to put the permanent screws in myself on these boots, because I have never before had skates with the rubber bottoms on the outsoles.

 

[antmanb]

I just about made it to the rink in time to skate for 15 mins then have a 15 min lesson on Thursday (bloody traffic....actually stupid rubber neckers on our side of the motorway, but I digress).

Actually had a more successful skate in that half an hour than I did in over an hour last week

Actually got some nice moves done. Back outside threes were back again at last, and I we did back change of edges too, which got up to a pretty good speed with more or less all changes done cleanly and where they should be (inside to outside still trickier than outside to inside). Then did jumps up to and including loop (whoop whoop!). And finished with a couple of good upright spins.

Was a complete waste of time and money getting there and home for half an hour, but at least I did skate.

 

[eonice]

This is the last week of practice before testing, so I'm freaking out a bit. Especially because yesterday, coach laid it on me that my backward powerpulls are sloppy as hell and though he's been letting it slide, it's not good form for the test (really? NOW??). Unfortunately, the rink was too crowded for giant patterns, so we really hammered the deep technicalities of brackets and twizzles on a half circle instead. I was just starting to get the hang of it, and then out of nowhere, coach stares at me and says "ok, now we learn loops." The next 20 minutes felt like a return all the way back to square one with me unable to complete a single one out of dozens of attempts. My mind is totally blown.

 

[SmallFairy]

Best of luck on your testing @eonice !

So, I made it through my competition on Saturday Actually, it was great fun, there wasn't that much time to be nervous, everything was kind of confusing, kids all over the place, when is the warm up? , when do I lace my skates? Then of course the right one was laced too loose, and I was on the ice, with no time to fix it, as the five minute warm up felt like 30 seconds. Anyone else experienced that? I was first to go, as bronze and silver was merged in the same warm up group. But it all went well, I did everything, though scratchy, and everything counted, even the spin. My score was 8.01. (I only do one spin, so one element less, I only have one spin It was very inspiring. Watching the video, there's so much to be desired from posture and stretch, but it just went by so fast, my brain wasn't really functioning. But, now I've done it, and know what to expect. There's one more competition this season, in early March. But I won't think of it. Tomorrow I'll just practice like normal, with my training mates, not thinking about the program

 

[Yazmeen]

I haven't participated in a practice thread in years, but here goes, because I started with a new coach today. For the record, Damian Dodge is also still my coach, but because of the distance between where he trains and I live, we agreed it would good for me to work with someone else at my regular rink since I can usually only get down there once a month. I did very little skating in 2017 on my new ice dance skates and blades for various reasons (work, travel, and 3 months of dental hell), so it was really starting over for me.

Philippe and I started fresh with stroking and basic skating and he was wonderful to work with. He worked with me on using more curved "Russian" arms, and where my weight should be. I have good body awareness which he picked up on, and he made several suggestions to help me bend more and straighten my upper body more.

The irony is that I couldn't help thinking of FSWer because I spent about half the lesson in either the Kilian position with my coach or a hand hold position. But not really as a partner - it was a way to get me either push into him to hold my upper body in a better position or push down on his hand for the same reason. It made me wish there a way to explain to FSWer that there can different purposes to skating with someone else than "partnering" and having that person AS a partner. I hope that makes sense.

 

[misskarne]

Last week's practice and lessons were bad. Like way bad.

Today my coach's flight back from Melbourne, where she'd been for the long weekend, was delayed, so no lesson. I decided to start laying down my new artistic program instead. It now has a rough skeleton and maybe a third to a half choreographed. I ran it through but my timing and skating was sloppy as hell and I way don't have the stamina yet.

I'm looking at my first comp of the year being an artistic on March 10. We'll see. Entries close on Feb 9 so if I don't get the program looking halfway decent soon I might have to bail.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

Whoops, the last month has gotten away from me with starting a new job and all, but wanted to follow up on everyone's Q's re: 7K Adult Getaway... (Warning, long-ass post)

This year the camp had about 60 skaters–an increase from last year's event–and they shifted the hours around so that we had spent more time at the rink (about 8AM to 8PM most days). Ice time felt less this year, though I'd have to check, but it didn't feel that different.

Last year, I put myself in the lower level group since I wasn't sure where I fit (and ultimately felt unchallenged), but this year I bumped myself up to the next group up, which they combined with the super-duper advanced group (which was fine). There was also an Ice Dance track, but I really did not cross paths much with them.

So if you're considering the camp, the groupings broke down accordingly: Group 1 I'd say was USFS Pre-Bronze to Silvers Who Don't Have An Axel, Group 2 was Silvers With An Axel to Int-Novice; Group 3 was a handful of skaters who could do 2As.

Group 2 worked a lot on the technical aspects of crossing the foot and jump theory. If you've ever watched the videos on icoachskating.com, a lot of the concepts discussed here are mentioned there. (If you don't use icoachskating.com, as as subscriber I can say it's definitely worth the price.) Our spin classes focused on difficult variations (i.e. Y/I/A spins, laybacks). For me, Y/I's weren't commonly taught when I was a competitor, so this was new territory and it was great to discover how easy it is to get into a Y spin. Does mine look great? No, but at least I know now that I cando it, and it's something to consider for next year's program.

My favorite part of the camp were all the ITNY-style edge classes, as well as the improv class we had in the dark (we wore glow sticks, it was totally wild and tons of fun). Technical stuff is super-important, but I think as adults we are not encouraged to have fun and play around on the ice, so I think this kind of creative outlet is equally necessary.

Also handy were the off-ice sessions, we had ballet, cardio, jumping/strength, stretching, theater, and team building exercises. Additionally there are sessions about how to incorporate periodization into your training, how to warm-up/recover like an elite athlete, as well as learning how to track your progress and consistency with elements and programs. (You get a bunch of worksheets for these, they are SUPER HANDY.)

You might think to yourself, "I don't need any of this because I'm just an adult skater," but I would challenge you to think otherwise. In fact, we might need more of this because our bodies are aging, and anything that can prevent injury, build strength, etc is good in my book. The recovery stuff was new to me this year, so I have been working on incorporating that into my overall routine (ice baths aren't fun, but they work). Plus, that high altitude training has really done wonders for my competition prep!

Overall, another good year in the books. I think they're exploring a variety of options for next year, but stay tuned to the website for details. I don't do a lot of competitions, but the camp is something I enjoy a lot. It's nice to be able to take a break, regroup and focus, on top of being able to connect with a bunch of great folks from across the country/world.

(P.S. Colorado Springs is gorgeous and the weather's been excellent each time the camp has happened [it was around 65F one day last year], though some folks who stuck around after the camp did get hit with a touch of snow.)