Maribel Vinson's Primer of Figure Skating -- relevance to today's skaters

[aftershocks]

Why that book specifically? There have been lots of how-to books on skating from the 19th and 20th centuries, from different experts' perspectives. Vinson herself wrote more than one. What makes this book more applicable to today's skaters than any of the others? Some of the lessons and tips therein, which I'm sure will come in handy for a 21st century competitive career:

Shorts are all right for the youngsters while they are practicing school figures but should be completely discarded for dancing and free skating, where the swish of a well-cut skirt adds so much to the grace of the movement...

The best way of gaining speed [for spirals] is literally to take short running steps on the flat of the skate. Turn the toes out on each step, so that you hit the inside of your edge, and run. At first you will probably feel that this Charlie Chaplin toe-out run makes you look ridiculously clumsy (I know I did), but the truth is that if you move your feet really fast the onlooker does not see your toes go out at all, and you will gain tremendous speed.

Okay now @gkelly, for sure the excerpts you cite tongue-in-cheek are pretty funny. But I didn't say that everything in Vinson's 1938 book is relevant to today's skaters. I was also trying to avoid writing a long post. But since you've decided to provoke, I will point out in this MITF section of FSU, the passages that I think are very relevant to the piss-poor skating we often see today. And that's taking nothing away from the fact that in many respects the sport has evolved in a good way, and surely even in ways that Vinson at that point couldn't possibly have imagined.

The sad fact is that the decision to completely scrap figures from 1990 onward, was bonehead and not well thought out. It was based on catering to television network coverage. It was a good decision to drop figures from singles event competition, but everyone should still have been required to understand and to apply the basic foundations of practicing figures. That's why in recent years, we had the very gifted Patrick Chan bless the sport with his rare expertise. And yes, not everyone made to practice figures the way Patrick had been would necessarily have been as good as he was in SS. Yet surely many skaters today would benefit if they diligently practiced figures, and at the very least, they might be more knowledgeable about skating if they better understood the concept of and the necessity behind figures practice.

I think it's quite interesting that Vinson's passages about skaters wanting to advance quickly to jumping before mastering other basic skills is as relevant today, as it was in 1938 and beyond. Of course, the irony is (and has probably always been) that if skaters would actually spend more time on the basics of learning how to skate, maybe they could become better and more consistent jumpers.

I'll post some relevant passages from Vinson's book in separate posts. I think Vinson's book is helpful for anyone who wishes to learn how to skate, whether recreationally or competitively.

 

[aftershocks]

Obviously, it makes sense to read Vinson's book with a clear eye to what actually might apply and be of aid to today's skaters. I think it might be helpful to many skaters if they had someone who could judiciously assist them in understanding and practicing good blade skills that would involve better control of edges and developing softer knees.

Maribel Vinson, Primer of Figure Skating, Introduction, p4 (original edition):

*Today, that would probably read 'quadruple revolution jumps'
“My instructors used to say, 'Show me how you do an outside forward edge [the first figure in skating] and I will tell you just how good a skater you are.' Even though a skater may do double-revolution jumps* in the air and spin faster than a whirling dervish, he is not a true skater unless he has the gliding stroke, the effortless speed, the 'soft' knee and ankle, the graceful form, and the correct way of putting his skate upon the ice that come only from a thorough education in the first few fundamental figures.

"There are champions and near champions today who will do well to read over the instructions that follow on how to push off and how to complete the forward and backward strokes. Choppy steps and an unnatural style are usually the result of trying to become an advanced skater too soon. Once the fundamental figures are really mastered so that they are done with control, even speed, and correct form, the advanced figures come twice as quickly and they will then automatically be done with control, even speed, and correct form. Walking comes before running. A good primary figure comes before an advanced figure, and conversely, a half-mastered primary figure means many half-mastered advanced figures. Therefore, although the figures described in this book are only a small part of figure skating as a whole, they are by far the most important part.”

Now obviously, figures are no longer part of competition, so spending a lot of time on primary figures is not the most productive use of time for young skaters who have so much else to learn. However, I don't see why someone doesn't find a way to adapt figures practice to the needs of current skaters, in a way that is beneficial. I don't think merely practicing stroking and moves in the field is adequate to mastering blade skills. Especially since some of the stroking is probably not being done correctly.

Also, here's a passage from Vinson's book that no longer holds true, but was true in 1938 (Introduction, p.6):
“There has been an increasing tendency the last few years for the ordinary non-skating spectator at ice shows to think that acrobatics on ice are figure skating. That is not true. Acrobatics on ice may be enjoyable, but they are still acrobatics and not skating. No one has to be able to do a 'split' or … an exaggerated back-bend to become a good figure skater...”

Of course acrobatics, splits and back-bends are important in today's skating. There's no way that Vinson could have foreseen the direction in which skating would venture. She would probably be okay with some of the ways in which skating has evolved. But the poor state of blade mastery and resultant inconsistency of technical skills among far too many skaters, is rather appalling. That's not an across-the-board slam, because there are quite a few skaters who have improved their flow over the ice and their SS, which has often led to them winning and to being more consistent, particularly when they also possess other compelling attributes.

In general, however, the over-abundance of URs, poor cross-overs, and choppy steps detracting from the ability to build speed that we see among some top skaters, likely has Vinson spinning in her grave on a rotisserie.

Of course, URs today are more often a result of pushing to perform difficult rotations, and being nervous under competition pressure. Perhaps a focus on mastering proper edge control would go a long way toward helping skaters who are prone to URs, even though there are other factors involved in correcting the problem. In any case, 'Why not learn how to walk before running?' 'Why not master the four primary edges, before prematurely rushing to perform acrobatics?' Per Vinson: “It is always harder to break a bad habit than to learn a good one, no matter how difficult the good one may seem at first. And this is even truer of skating than of most other sports.”

 

[aftershocks]

Additional passages of interest:

Chapter 11 First Strokes on the Ice, p. 26:
“… on each stroke, you should extend the free leg behind, with that knee straightened and the toe pointing down and out from the instep. Be sure to bring the feet close together at each push-off. Don't straddle. As you take each stroke, keep the weight of your body over your skating foot. Practice arching your back and bending your skating knee deep at the same time. Also try, on each edge, to rotate your free hip backward. This is called 'turning out the free hip' and will help you to turn your free toe down and out.

"These may sound like a lot of instructions for a beginner but if you will get the basic positions of the skating edge well in mind from the start, things will come easier later on. It is always harder to break a bad habit than to learn a good one, no matter how difficult the good one may seem at first. And this is even truer of skating, … than of most other sports.”

In the Introduction, p. 5, Vinson speaks joyfully about ice dance:
“Figure skating not only looks like fun, it is fun… It is first of all a sport, a highly technical sport that is at once healthful and social… you need no partner to enjoy it, yet … if you have many partners you will be able to dance in turn with all of them. Indeed, it is because dancing on ice is more rhythmic and lilting than dancing on a ballroom floor that a majority of you will want to learn to skate and then will keep on skating year after year until your old bones refuse to move any more… But remember, even good dancing hinges on your complete control of your four primary edges...”

Introduction, p. 4:
“If you learn these primer figures well (and anyone, no matter what age, can learn them well), then, depending to a certain degree on your physical limitations but almost entirely on your own capacity for practice, you can become a really accomplished skater capable of giving yourself and others much pleasure by your ability.”

 

[concorde]

There may be lots of skaters with those qualities but if they cannot jump, we will never know about them. I think some of the "Theatre on Ice" groups are pushing those qualities as a group but individual elite skaters are not.

Individuals only have so much time to devote to skating. As with all limitations, one must determine how to maximize the return on investments. Each person creates their own path forward.

I do believe that once skaters reach a certain point, they realize how important those qualities are and they finally decide to focus on them if they truly want to become a well rounded skater.

Years ago, Nathan was criticized for focusing only on the jumps. I think he has since evolved into more of a complete skater.

 

[gkelly]

Now obviously, figures are no longer part of competition, so spending a lot of time on primary figures is not the most productive use of time for young skaters who have so much else to learn. However, I don't see why someone doesn't find a way to adapt figures practice to the needs of current skaters, in a way that is beneficial. I don't think merely practicing stroking and moves in the field is adequate to mastering blade skills. Especially since some of the stroking is probably not being done correctly.

What did pair skaters such as Gordeeva and Grinkov do to develop skating skills, since they didn't need to train school figures the way singles skaters did?

Not to mention numerous ice dancers over the decades.

What do the Japanese skaters do these days?

Obviously there are methods to develop strong basic skating skills without spending hours a day going around in circles. More coaches could probably learn from whatever the coaches were doing who produced strong skaters without school figures.

 

[aftershocks]

What did pair skaters such as Gordeeva and Grinkov do to develop skating skills, since they didn't need to train school figures the way singles skaters did?

Not to mention numerous ice dancers over the decades.

What do the Japanese skaters do these days?

Obviously there are methods to develop strong basic skating skills without spending hours a day going around in circles. More coaches could probably learn from whatever the coaches were doing who produced strong skaters without school figures.

As I already said @gkelly, it's obvious that practicing figures the way skaters used to back-in-the-day is not viable, financially feasible or productive in the sense that figures are no longer a part of competition. But that does not negate skaters reading Maribel Vinson's book, which is helpful in many respects, despite it's age and unavoidably dated outlook in a number of instances. If nothing else, Vinson's book is in part a much needed history lesson, which a lot of fans and skaters alike could definitely benefit from.

There is no cut-and-dried answer to what figure skating training regimen would work best to develop better skating skills. Quite clearly, many Japanese skaters have excellent skating skills and exquisitely soft knees. I have no idea how they were coached or trained to develop these quality attributes, which doesn't mean that they are all perfect in every aspect of their skating. Obviously, many Russian skaters possess superb technique and skating skills. Some of their aesthetic look on the ice has to do with Russia's historic connection to dance and theatre training, which as a culture, Russians revere and deeply respect. But not all Russian skaters today have great blade skills or that traditional aesthetic look that Gordeeva/Grinkov possessed in spades. In any case, I'm not an expert on Russian training methods for athletes. With the number of Russian coaches who have imparted great knowledge even in the U.S., it's clear that there's a lot to be gained from Russian coaches and their training methods. Maybe you should grab Raf and ask him some questions the next time you see him. But, I don't think all Russian coaches are necessarily great. For example, the technique Eteri trains is obviously flawed.

I don't have answers. I am just saying that the sport of figure skating is too cut off from its past. There definitely should be more attention paid to the sport's past and how figure skating developed. I think it's beneficial for everyone to have some grounding in that. It's certainly a part of other sports such as tennis and baseball (a well-developed knowledge of and respect for the past and the foundations of how those sports developed).

I'm actually quite surprised at you being so flippant about this. Maybe you missed Scott Dyer's recent interview with TSL (though I have issues with DL & his cohost, I love Scott Dyer and I really enjoyed hearing from him). Dyer spoke very eloquently about the need for skaters today to better understand the importance of developing mastery of blade skills. He wasn't talking about figures practice, but he was talking about a basic, fundamental knowledge of how to skate. They were talking about pairs, and so he happened to speak about Tarah Kayne and how she might improve to better match Danny's speed and edge control. I think that's true.

I'm not sure what your persnicketyness is about Vinson's book or about the need for figure skaters to find a way to incorporate better blade skills practices and training methods.

 

[gkelly]

I'm very much in favor of skaters developing blade skills.

I'm not in favor of fans deciding that there is one answer about how to do so that must be forced on them.

 

[ioana]

I'm very much in favor of skaters developing blade skills.

I'm not in favor of fans deciding that there is one answer about how to do so that must be forced on them.

All of this. Also, everyone learns things differently. I am definitely very odd when it comes to figuring things out and somehow working on my LFO paragraph loop helped my axel take off. Finally understood the difference between leaning into an edge to the point where you are forced into a loop and just holding the edge and timing your take-off. Yes, I had to work on a paragraph loop for this to fully make sense to me in terms of body alignment. See previous comment about being an oddity . When it comes to leaning back on my back edges, however, the pattern on adult gold moves did nothing to help my basic posture https://www.usfigureskating.org/content/Adult-gold-mitf.pdf. That's mostly because it's done so much slower than someone's normal 'program' speed. Doing back cross strokes into an extended back edge as a drill was a lot more helpful when it comes to that -for me.
Figures are definitely useful, but by no means the be-all end-all of good basic skating. Going to the occasional seminar (like these https://scboston.org/event/patch-work-figures-workshop/) tends to be good enough for most coaches and skaters who want to focus more on basics and edges.

 

[concorde]

I once asked our coach if there is a benefit for a competitive skater to learn figures. The coach responded "no." This comes from a coach that has trained international level competitors both under IJS and when figures were required.

I agree that current skaters can benefit by more focus on edge control. But bringing back figures to teach those skills is a dud view IMO.

 

[vesperholly]

What did pair skaters such as Gordeeva and Grinkov do to develop skating skills, since they didn't need to train school figures the way singles skaters did?

Not to mention numerous ice dancers over the decades.

They all would have trained figures as singles skaters before they focused on dance and pairs. Katia Gordeeva started skating at 4 and was paired up with Grinkov at 11 - that's 7 years of training figures.

I trained in figures as a child, thought MITF were introduced very shortly after I started privates so I never tested figures. I believe that the figures are one of the reasons I have a very strong outside edge lutz. All the young skaters at the rinks I go to have flutzes.

Hours on figures? Not necessary. But learning the fundamentals of them is important. The geometry of where you're placing double 3s translates directly to MITF elements. How to control edges.

 

[Japanfan]

As I understand it, at least some skaters do learn the fundamentals of figures, without actually doing them - as a part of SS training.

 

[Spun Silver]

FWIW, you convinced me, @aftershocks. I just started learning to skate and I'm using this book to supplement what my coach is telling me. It's very helpful. She has you SKATING from your first step on the ice. So far what my coach has me doing is more like walking, which at my advanced age is probably safer, but I'm practicing Vinson Owen's technique off the ice, and perhaps on the ice this week.