Skating Advice

[Cachoo]

As a person who never took figure skating lessons and who rarely ice skates I would like to hear from those who do ice skate regularly and have even been trained in so much of what we see when we watch competitions.

Is there an element(s) or something you think we, the untrained audience, especially overlook when we watch these competitions? Or is there something we acknowledge but don't value enough when we see something done well? If you were giving welcome advice what would you advise?

I'm interested in everything----from the basics to the most difficult elements----and the skaters who do them. Thanks.

 

[bladesofgorey]

I think that one of the main things non-skaters don't realize- because good skaters make it look easy- is how difficult the turns and steps in footwork are and how much upper-body (especially the shoulders) and core control and strength they take. There are a lot of counter forces at play every time a skater shifts edge or direction and because a lot of these steps and moves appear to be reproduced fairly easily on a dance floor and a lot of the moves look at if they effortlessly glide or turn, footwork *feels* completely different than it looks to a spectator. With lower level skaters the effort and precision required is more apparent, but higher level skaters don't necessarily find their steps and turns less taxing, they are pushing harder while exhibiting enough control that they make it look easier.