Practice Thread

I just tried a new rink today, and it was awesome! It's new & nice inside, not too cold, decent ice quality. Plus it's 10 minutes closer to my house than any of the other nearby rinks! And not crowded at all.

They haven't posted their schedule for next month yet. Fingers crossed that they continue having some public sessions at accessible times for me.

Today was actually my first time skating in 2 to 3 weeks, it's been the usual end-of-summer scheduling disaster with my girls' summer camps, vacation days, pre-school appts, etc. Oh well, they're back in school now and I have high hopes of getting back on track this month. :):D
 
Despite having a cold I had a pretty good practice and lesson last night. We started with moves including the FI rocker pattern on a serpentine that I think I've described before. I'm still twisting out too far when I step on the RFI edge but I had them more under control and I was mostly doing a rocker as opposed to an inside three turn followed by an edge change :lol:

We also did a straightline quick double bracket exercise that I haven't practised in months and I obviously need to practice it a lot more - I don't really get all the way to backwards on the first FO bracket, so the returning bracket always catches an edge. I think it's more about hip turnout than anything else, and dropping too much into the turn with the rest of my body. But as with everything they are a work in progress.

We moved on to jumps and I hit everything first time all the way up to loop :cheer2: Flip took a good few attempts but eventually I landed a few on one foot. Then I managed to land a couple of salchow+loops and toe-loop+loop (which took a bit longer to get on one foot than the salchow. Then the long sequence that ends with a jumped outside three turn+salchow which i'm hitting every time now! It's not always very pretty but i'm making the jumps longer and keeping the rhythm and knee bend (and running edges) required to get through it all.

Overall a good lesson.
 
So last night's competition wasn't a total disaster. I had two invalid jumps (including the first Salchow which I never usually miss) and my ChSq was called invalid (I think I know why but I'll be seeking feedback on that today). But the super positives were a) I FINISHED THE DAMN PROGRAM, b) both spins were valid and I actually got neutral GOE on the first!, and c) I GOT A FLIP CALLED ROTATED (even if I landed on both feet).

I could feel my legs burning already after the first spin (which is only the third element in my program) and I could feel my lungs burning during the ChSq so that I finished at all is something I'm proud of. After getting off the ice I promptly doubled over and started coughing so hard I nearly made myself sick, proving that it probably wasn't the smartest idea, but hey, it happens.

TSS 17.40, TES 3.00, PCS 14.40, 3rd (of 3)

Artistic comp today. Feeling much better about this one as a) it's 10 seconds shorter and b) only two spins and 1 jump pass. And also the program I'm competing is one I did twice or three times a weekend for four weeks while we were doing shows, so I know it and the music very intimately!
 
Okay, so ChSq feedback was exactly as I thought it was - clarity. tl;dr - don't fudge your ChSq, misskarne!

And the artistic was, um...a bit of a disaster. I've never not finished before. I don't like how it feels.
 
I've been back on the ice. I can only manage half an hour; my feet get numb by then, completely. The expensive custom boots don't fit, but I am screwed, so I have to make the best of it. I went to an adult class last week and found it boring but I don't want to shell out the bucks for private coaching when I can barely skate longer than 20 minutes. 30 kills me. It's so sad.

Mostly just been doing laps, power pulls, that sort of thing. Did some jumps, managed a sit spin. But I'm not good at jumping. Haha. I did a few sals and waltzes tonight and tried a loop and fell on my butt.
 
Last week's lesson was a classic post-comp low-impact lesson - we literally did figure 8s on all my edges for half an hour. Great exercise. Will have to devote some practice time to it, now that my schedule is settling in more.

Tonight I decided I wanted a spin lesson. Went through the standard bunch of spins, failed the sit spin a few times, failed the combo spin, so coach decided to challenge me not once but twice: first by doing beginner back camel exercises (way fun!) and second by trying an attitude spin. I did okay on the back camel exercises (I don't think it'll be happening any time soon, but it's not like my forward camel will be either), but I loved the attitude spin and after I did it the first time my coach just grinned and said, "So, that's going in your program from now on. Let's aim for eight, shall we?" I could do it clean for four tonight, and for the most part that was to do with my free leg getting tired. I'm pretty keen on this one; it feels like a good position, I seem to be able to spin in it, and coach said it actually looked really pretty, plus, I'm about 90% sure that an attitude position held for eight might just bump me up to a level 1.

The one thing I haven't decided is if I want to do our spring competition in mid-October. I sort of want to - to try and end the year on a high...hmm. I'll have to think about it. If I decide I want to I'll have to start now, because I want to have at least one competition where I feel prepared.
 
All my practicing since Saturday, has been just getting used to the new skates. Was supposed to have lesson tomorrow, but the coach told me to skip it when she found out that I have the new skates now.
 
Due to schedules, I had to skate this morning before work, rather than later in the day. My body works better later in the day, and the ice is also better; but it is what it is. I used to have to leave for skating at 5:30am or earlier, so skating at 8:15 today, where I could leave at 6:30am - I am much better with that extra hour of sleep. But still, if I can do the later in the day sessions, I'll do them. I'm just not a morning person.
 
GarrAarghHrumph said:
Due to schedules, I had to skate this morning before work, rather than later in the day. My body works better later in the day, and the ice is also better; but it is what it is. I used to have to leave for skating at 5:30am or earlier, so skating at 8:15 today, where I could leave at 6:30am - I am much better with that extra hour of sleep. But still, if I can do the later in the day sessions, I'll do them. I'm just not a morning person.
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I am only a morning person in that I don't go to sleep until early in the morning. I would have to stay up past my bedtime to go to a 6am session.
 
I am not a morning person. My coach and I had this discussion on that very first day 7 years ago - my goodness, it must be nearly exactly 7 years - that there was not a chance she was getting me on the ice before 9am.
 
Fortunately, my coach prefers working later in the day. At least a couple days a week, she has students up until 10pm (I guard on those two nights, and she is always there with adult skater students). I do lessons with her usually around 1:30 or 2pm, and seem to be her first student on those days.

My lessons are on hold because of my new skates. Sunday the skate guy will decide whether or not to send them back to Jackson. If he sends them, but can put the new blades on the old boots temporarily, I will be able to get used to the new blades and practice even with the boots gone. But if I have to go back to skating on the old blades, I am not going to want to do any practicing.
 
I'd love to skate later in the day, but the afternoon freestyles are a zoo, and I value my life and limbs too much to skate on them. So early mornings it is.
 
Freestyles after school is out are really crowded here. I tend to try to skate during lunch when I can. It's actually one of the reasons why I took my current job - seven minutes to the nearest ice rink.
 
My lesson last week wasn't half bad - considering i'd not skated for two weeks. Jumps up to loop were fine (i'm starting to get the loop most of the time now - it's often not pretty and my upper body is not doing what it should, but it's up and around and on one foot so all good).

Flip is giving me fits - I know it's all in my head, but....I either do the take off and jump properly and well, but land on two feet, or I land it on one foot with a crappy take off that borders on a cheated two foot take off. It's all in my head! The good jump gets a nice straight three turn, with a strong kneed bend, stretching back to pick in - nice placement of the pic straight back getting the top pick in, big high jump and then a completely needless two foot at the end. When I think about getting it on one foot - I make everything smaller pick-in practically next to the skating foot and whip round and land on one foot. It's soooooooo frustrating. I can feel how much better the other jump is, but can't get my head round landing it on one foot. I know it will come but i'm getting impatient now :lol:

Spins went fairly well too, coach is now pushing me to get my sitspin lower, and even had me try a few camel-sit....which provided amusement if nothing else. I get ready to change position then one or other of my upper or lower body chickens out and doesn't go at the same time so it messes up the change in position. It was quite funny and then I did manage one where everything went at the same time, but by the time i'd plucked up the courage to go i'd been going round in the camel more than I should and was slowing down so it was all a bit pitiful :lol:
 
Had an excellent lesson/practice tonight. Did some spin work, including new attitude spin which is coming along very nicely, and even a couple of semi-decent camels. Then we did jump work, and I shared some of @antmanb 's flip pain. The landings I did get I had to fight very hard for. We also did some Lutz work, which is something we've always done from time to time but has gotten a little more serious lately. About three-quarter rotation on at least two attempts, which was good. Then I did the stroking patterns from the Elementary test for cool-down including possibly some of the most boss cross-rolls I've ever done. I got a "you did very well tonight!" from my coach so I'm sitting here like :D

Countdown to comp time again. A little under a month. It will be the last comp of the year.
 
Right, right. Thanks for mentioning the competition. I need to find the CD that has the song I want to skate to this year. I'd thought it was in my car. Now it appears to be in my house, but it's not where the other CDs are. Hmm...
 
I opened up my old laptop and found a bunch of music i'd cut to 1min30 that I might like to skate to....and sure enough I still like all the pieces. I might ask my coach if she fancies making up a programme for me, just for a laugh rather than any actual attempt to compete.
 
antmanb said:
I opened up my old laptop and found a bunch of music i'd cut to 1min30 that I might like to skate to....and sure enough I still like all the pieces. I might ask my coach if she fancies making up a programme for me, just for a laugh rather than any actual attempt to compete.
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Fun. Does your rink do a show? Maybe you could make a program and do it in that. It would be much less complicated than a competition, and probably much less expensive.
 
Managed to make it to the rink 2x last week. A record for me these days. Both times just lots and lots of stroking, edges, simple stuff, 10 min on, 5 off while my feet uncramp (par for the course when I'm not skating regularly). Managed a sit spin on Friday, managed a couple of LFI double twizzles, so, yay, one of the four 1.5 twizzles sort of kind of there for Intermediate moves? (As if any of the others will arrive. Ever.)
 
Did some toe loops and flips today - feet still get numb after about 20 minutes but I skated for about 45. I really am trying to get some height on the jumps as my coach teases me I walk through them and managed to get some height there. I was always a horrible jumper. Am getting my skates punched out this week, hopefully, so that may help.

@LilJen, twizzles! Yay! I could ever do them properly. I did a great sit spin tonight theeeen hit a rut in the ice and ended up falling on my butt. Not only did I fall I SLID and now I have like ice burn on my arse. :lol:

Plus to all this trying to skate 2-3x a week is I've lost 6lbs in two weeks. I haven't noticed any difference but hey! (I was 118, I'm now about 113-114. I'm BARELY 4'11", so it was a bit much for me!)
 
Lucky you! I think until I'm doing a lot more jumps, I will not lose weight by skating.

My practice this week not going to be much, given the skate situation. I had to put lessons on hold for a while because of the skates. Hopefully, it won't be too much longer. I am eager to do more jumps so I can lose weight (well, really just to have fun with them, but now that the subject has come up, I think losing weight from doing them would be great!)
 
I finally was able (on the new blades) to step forward from a back inside edge well enough today to attempt scratch spins. The last 3 I did were only about 6 to 7 revolutions, because I'm still too insecure on these blades, but they were all centered and felt so incredibly smooth compared to the old blades. The old blades made spins a big chore and the spins were too scratchy even when they were otherwise decent centered spins (though was only doing up to 14 revs).

I did a lot of edges, did some forward 8s, but I'm not used to backward edges on these blades enough to do full backwards circles. Did some backwards crossovers. The blades are a little bit off, but this is a temporary situation with them on the old boots, so I'm not going to bother with moving them.
 
Lanie said:
Did some toe loops and flips today - feet still get numb after about 20 minutes but I skated for about 45. I really am trying to get some height on the jumps as my coach teases me I walk through them and managed to get some height there. I was always a horrible jumper. Am getting my skates punched out this week, hopefully, so that may help.

@LilJen, twizzles! Yay! I could ever do them properly. I did a great sit spin tonight theeeen hit a rut in the ice and ended up falling on my butt. Not only did I fall I SLID and now I have like ice burn on my arse. :lol:

Plus to all this trying to skate 2-3x a week is I've lost 6lbs in two weeks. I haven't noticed any difference but hey! (I was 118, I'm now about 113-114. I'm BARELY 4'11", so it was a bit much for me!)
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Oh, I did a BRILLIANT failed spin in practice yesterday, landed on my right side and I should have a delightful, large bruise on my right forearm & elbow appearing any time now. Already tender.
 
Ouch!
Once when I was a teenager, I fell during a spin and wacked my face so hard that everyone thought I broke my cheekbone. After that, the only falls in spins have been failed sit spins, but I don't know if those even count as falls.
 
A few years ago I was trying to see if I could do a level 2 layback: 8 revs in position and then drop the leg to speed up for 2+ revolutions. I managed to get the revolutions twice in practice -- but I promptly fell on the exit. Therefore this spin was far from competition ready even if I had been able to compete in an IJS competition.
 
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