Non Skater But Want To Learn More

FitnessFanatic

New Member
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6
I don't do figure skating but its a sport I want to learn more about, particularly the competitive aspect. I am particularly interested in how to prepare for an official event, when you put on a performance in front of judges and are scored, how to physically and mentally prepare for such official events, including training for such an event.
 

gkelly

Well-Known Member
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16,441
I don't do figure skating but its a sport I want to learn more about, particularly the competitive aspect. I am particularly interested in how to prepare for an official event, when you put on a performance in front of judges and are scored, how to physically and mentally prepare for such official events, including training for such an event.

Are you looking to learn to skate and compete yourself?

Or do you want to learn about how competitive skaters prepare etc.?
 

VGThuy

Well-Known Member
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41,020
I don't do figure skating but its a sport I want to learn more about, particularly the competitive aspect. I am particularly interested in how to prepare for an official event, when you put on a performance in front of judges and are scored, how to physically and mentally prepare for such official events, including training for such an event.

I think the best thing for you to do is to first read many interviews and books from figure skaters themselves to get a sense of how they individually prepare for an event, what a competition schedule is like, what competing is like...before and during and after a performance, what the ins-and-outs of training daily is like, what their conditioning is like, what their diet consists of, how they stay motivated, etc.

If books and interviews aren't your thing, some skaters have vlogs you can watch and see how they prepare for competition and such.

You should also watch a bunch of competitions on YouTube to get a sense of it yourself and just to see how skaters look, act, etc. while they are competing. Absorb the environment, the nerves, the highs, the lows, the in-between. Also, keep in mind how long a competition is and the order of events. And then see how the Olympics differs from the more typical Worlds scheduling and then how that differs from other competitions, etc.

Then when you're ready to delve into terminology and understanding what the moves are, there are a wealth of resources for you to look into. One is ice dance specific but it has so much information regarding footwork and dance patterns, and holds and past rhythm requirements, etc. that it'll give you an idea of how exact this sport can be:


There are tons of youtube videos showing off the different steps, moves-in-field, and elements.

As for the judging system itself, this Vox article has a good explanation of how it works, though it's out-dated since the judging system has been revamped since 2018 but the way they explain how Rippon lost to Kolyada gives you a good idea:


Also, old trusty Wikipedia has a summary, brief explanations, and links to the actual scale of values and handbooks explaining the rules:

 

FitnessFanatic

New Member
Messages
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Are you looking to learn to skate and compete yourself?

Or do you want to learn about how competitive skaters prepare etc.?
I want to learn how competitive skaters prepare for competitions since although I don't skate I do other sports that are in some ways similar.
 

FitnessFanatic

New Member
Messages
6
I think the best thing for you to do is to first read many interviews and books from figure skaters themselves to get a sense of how they individually prepare for an event, what a competition schedule is like, what competing is like...before and during and after a performance, what the ins-and-outs of training daily is like, what their conditioning is like, what their diet consists of, how they stay motivated, etc.

If books and interviews aren't your thing, some skaters have vlogs you can watch and see how they prepare for competition and such.

You should also watch a bunch of competitions on YouTube to get a sense of it yourself and just to see how skaters look, act, etc. while they are competing. Absorb the environment, the nerves, the highs, the lows, the in-between. Also, keep in mind how long a competition is and the order of events. And then see how the Olympics differs from the more typical Worlds scheduling and then how that differs from other competitions, etc.

Then when you're ready to delve into terminology and understanding what the moves are, there are a wealth of resources for you to look into. One is ice dance specific but it has so much information regarding footwork and dance patterns, and holds and past rhythm requirements, etc. that it'll give you an idea of how exact this sport can be:


There are tons of youtube videos showing off the different steps, moves-in-field, and elements.

As for the judging system itself, this Vox article has a good explanation of how it works, though it's out-dated since the judging system has been revamped since 2018 but the way they explain how Rippon lost to Kolyada gives you a good idea:


Also, old trusty Wikipedia has a summary, brief explanations, and links to the actual scale of values and handbooks explaining the rules:

Thanks for all the advice. Anyway Im not sure if this is true but I once heard that if a skater is practicing a routine that they will perform in front of judges in an official event, that if they best their practice that can hurt their performance when they do it in front of the judged. Skaters will of course practice their routines before doing them in front of the judges, like all competitive athletes they have to train and practice for their events, but if they skate a perfect 10 during practice that can hurt their performance when they do it in front of the judges. The time and place to do your very best performance is when you do it on front of the judges, not when you're practicing. As I said, this is just something I heard and I don't know if its true but Im trying to find out if there's any truth to it since as I said in my previous post, although I don't figure skate, I have in the past, and presently do, other sports that are in some ways similar to figure skating in that you do performances in front of judges and are scored.
 

MsZem

I see the sea
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18,461
I want to learn how competitive skaters prepare for competitions since although I don't skate I do other sports that are in some ways similar.
Why are you looking for information - is it general interest? Are you planning on taking up skating? Are you writing a book with skaters as main characters?

Skaters can't fully control if their best performance will be in practice, in a minor event or at a major championship. Everyone tries to peak at the right time but there are so many factors that can affect what happens on the ice that there will always be surprises and disappointments.

The scoring in skating does have components that can go up to a perfect 10, but the total scores don't work like that.
 

MacMadame

Doing all the things
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58,282
Having been involved in various ways with several performance sports, I don't think figure skaters do anything differently than cheerleaders, gymnasts, dancers, etc. when it comes to preparing for performances, at least not when it comes to the mental aspects. Also, there is no magic formula. What works for some skaters doesn't work for others.
 

FitnessFanatic

New Member
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Why are you looking for information - is it general interest? Are you planning on taking up skating? Are you writing a book with skaters as main characters?

Skaters can't fully control if their best performance will be in practice, in a minor event or at a major championship. Everyone tries to peak at the right time but there are so many factors that can affect what happens on the ice that there will always be surprises and disappointments.

The scoring in skating does have components that can go up to a perfect 10, but the total scores don't work like that.
I am mostly looking for information on the competitive aspect of figure skating and how to max out your performance when it really counts, when you're performing in front of judges and being scored based on your performance.

I do not have any background in figure skating other than watching some competitions on television and I do not plan on taking up skating. The main reason Im looking for information is because I do other sports that are in some ways similar to figure skating in that you perform in front of judges and are scored. Specifically I do martial arts and we do have competitions where you do forms of arranged movements in front of judges, called katas, and you're scored on your performance much the same way figure skaters are scored. I want to be able to max out my performance when Im doing katas in front of judges and I am hoping to get some pointers based on other sports that use such a scoring system. If I were to take up figure skating that could probably really help with martial arts too but I just don't have the time and money to do that.
 

FitnessFanatic

New Member
Messages
6
Having been involved in various ways with several performance sports, I don't think figure skaters do anything differently than cheerleaders, gymnasts, dancers, etc. when it comes to preparing for performances, at least not when it comes to the mental aspects. Also, there is no magic formula. What works for some skaters doesn't work for others.
Well as I said in my last post Im into the martial arts and we do forms, called katas, in front of judges and are scored much the same way figure skaters are. As you point out, figure skaters probably don't do anything differently so Im hoping to get some feedback on how they prepare for competition.
 

Aerobicidal

Shut that door.
Messages
11,148
What is it about this website that attracts people asking for advice who are clearly not interested in getting or taking advice? The idea that a figure skating message board would be the ideal place to solicit competitive martial arts tips from anonymous strangers boggles my mind. I want this to be a subject of someone's PhD in sociology. If anyone has or does write something like that, let me know because I would buy and read it.
 

meggonzo

Banned Member
Messages
8,593
I am mostly looking for information on the competitive aspect of figure skating and how to max out your performance when it really counts, when you're performing in front of judges and being scored based on your performance.

I do not have any background in figure skating other than watching some competitions on television and I do not plan on taking up skating. The main reason Im looking for information is because I do other sports that are in some ways similar to figure skating in that you perform in front of judges and are scored. Specifically I do martial arts and we do have competitions where you do forms of arranged movements in front of judges, called katas, and you're scored on your performance much the same way figure skaters are scored. I want to be able to max out my performance when Im doing katas in front of judges and I am hoping to get some pointers based on other sports that use such a scoring system. If I were to take up figure skating that could probably really help with martial arts too but I just don't have the time and money to do that.
Your performance scores will be higher if you compete for a big country or if your coach is politically powerful.
 

overedge

Mayor of Carrot City
Messages
35,795
Well as I said in my last post Im into the martial arts and we do forms, called katas, in front of judges and are scored much the same way figure skaters are. As you point out, figure skaters probably don't do anything differently so Im hoping to get some feedback on how they prepare for competition.

There is a lot of information available online if you search.
 

Japanfan

Well-Known Member
Messages
25,532
The main reason Im looking for information is because I do other sports that are in some ways similar to figure skating in that you perform in front of judges and are scored. Specifically I do martial arts and we do have competitions where you do forms of arranged movements in front of judges, called katas, and you're scored on your performance much the same way figure skaters are scored. I want to be able to max out my performance when Im doing katas in front of judges and I am hoping to get some pointers based on other sports that use such a scoring system.

Elvis Stojko is past figure skater who also competed in martial arts. He is highly decorated and won world medals in both SFAIK - in FS, multiple national titles, three world titles and two Olympic silver medals. His won silver at the 1994 Olympics and a world title with his iconic martial arts program Dragon.
[/QUOTE]

He has a Facebook page and I'm sure he would be very willing to advise if you contacted him.

 

FitnessFanatic

New Member
Messages
6
So lets say during practice
Elvis Stojko is past figure skater who also competed in martial arts. He is highly decorated and won world medals in both SFAIK - in FS, multiple national titles, three world titles and two Olympic silver medals. His won silver at the 1994 Olympics and a world title with his iconic martial arts program Dragon.

He has a Facebook page and I'm sure he would be very willing to advise if you contacted him.

[/QUOTE]
OK thanks, I will try to contact him.
 

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