What did you achieve this week

[VisuallyImpairedOnIce]

and what level is it?

It’s level 2 within the inclusive skating system, so it’s a little different. More info, for those interested, is here: [size=78%]http://www.inclusiveskating.org/technical/competition-levels/level-two[/size]

[katepilarr]

  It's got to be harder on hockeys as if you overcook it in either direction your skate goes from under you.   

that sounds really scary!


i went to this new  group lesson  early this morning. while we did lots of good basic stuff that i really liked /swizzles both feet, swizzles one foot, swizzles with crossing feet, crossrolls, slip ees, crossovers/ and am sad about the coaching style. i have to write this down here as none of my friends understand. they considered the guy really nice and felt very well/gently treated. boy, i do miss the british style of coaching. 
my british coaches always show me what to do, then explaing what i need to be watching out for in that particular element. then tell me what i should do differently, what i did as apposed to waht i am ment to do and then happily say that was better/good/well done. this guy only showed us stuff, and than shouted  Thats wrong,  what about that foot, down, down, pull and such /i didnt even know what he ment half of the time. apparently it must have been instructions i would understand if i heard an explanation of the element beforehand/. i didnt think it was fair. and that was a "nice" coach :/ still, looking forward to next lesson as i desperately want at leas some coaching now.

[AndyinSwindon]

I am on my second coach now, not as a result of any issues, but purely because they rotate every few months for some reason.

My first coach was good, friendly, and I managed my first 4 levels with her, and was a little apprehensive about the new guy, as I had heard he wasn't particularly special.

However, the new guy (as he shall be known, though he is far from new), has turned out to be excellent.  He breaks up our groups of exercises to prevent too much fatigue, and breaks things down in terms of the physics and body mechanics.

When I passed that 3-turn yesterday, I just found myself thinking 'I can get through this level, with this guy coaching me'.  And that's about the highest praise I think a coach can get from layman like me.

[VisuallyImpairedOnIce]

I did bunny hops!! I passed them years ago but always hated them. Revisited them today and can now happily do them - my coach was very, very happy!


Also picked my program music- The Climb by Miley Cyrus.

[WednesdayMarch]

I did bunny hops!! I passed them years ago but always hated them. Revisited them today and can now happily do them - my coach was very, very happy!

Oh, well done!  They are strange things when you learn them, and only start to make sense much, much later when you realise they can work in conjunction with other steps and movement - or for sheer joy.  I think the name is a bit of a misnomer, but can't for the life of me think of a better one so...

I went skating again this morning, after a week off owing to illness.  It's still slippery but I think I'm improving.  I also met some people I remember from my teenage years at Slough and Richmond, which was lovely. 

And now I can barely walk... 

[Florence]

Well done VIOI bunny hops are weird, my daughter used to laugh at my attempts (a lot)


Good Job Andy!  I reakon most of skate Uk will be easily doable for you if you can do 3 turns so quick *hates 3 turns*


Me, I have been planning on booking on lessons for last week or two which start next week. Have been ok up until start of this week when the reality kicked in. This week I have been an utter nightmare. Can hardly skate, feel like a plank of wood! Went today and off within 15 minutes feeling incredibly mardy and a bit panicky. Drove home and told myself how utterly ridiculous I can be!


So got home and booked and paid (so I cant back out) for next Sk8UK lessons! I feel physically sick, but it is the right thing to do, have been putting off for well over a year.


I did have a telling off from my daughter few nights ago pointing out that the whole point of lessons is to Learn how to skate, not learn yourself before the lesson and pick up bad habits, and that I always do this, say I am going to get extra practice and start at the beginning of the next block, but never ever do. And she is so right!


So this is a big achievement for me, just booking the lessons. Next baby step is to get on that Ice next week. 

[WednesdayMarch]

Me, I have been planning on booking on lessons for last week or two which start next week. Have been ok up until start of this week when the reality kicked in. This week I have been an utter nightmare. Can hardly skate, feel like a plank of wood! Went today and off within 15 minutes feeling incredibly mardy and a bit panicky. Drove home and told myself how utterly ridiculous I can be!
. . .
I did have a telling off from my daughter few nights ago pointing out that the whole point of lessons is to Learn how to skate, not learn yourself before the lesson and pick up bad habits, and that I always do this, say I am going to get extra practice and start at the beginning of the next block, but never ever do. And she is so right!

So this is a big achievement for me, just booking the lessons. Next baby step is to get on that Ice next week.

You do know that everybody has days when they skate like a plank of wood, right?  And I mean everybody.  No exceptions.  (Of course, what you may not realise is that - and I'm whispering here - nobody else notices...    Seriously.  They're all far too worried about their own skating and possibly feeling like planks.

Well done for booking the lessons.  I often have trouble leaving the house unaccompanied so I feel your terror!

Oh, and your daughter is right... 

[Snufkin]

I had my first private lesson today with my new coach. She spent the whole time I was skating listing off corrections of my form and posture, barely taking a breath, so I thought I must really be doing it badly. But then at the end of the lesson she told me "You're quite competent and you learn well" and I could hardly wish for a better analysis than that!! She's asked me to pick some music for my pre-bronze competition programme which seems a little premature to me given that I can't do any jumps or spins yet so I don't really know what I would do in a programme, but perhaps she isn't intending for me to actually compete any time soon and just wants to give me something to focus on. My FO 3-turns and backwards crossovers are becoming much easier, and I have managed a few backwards outside edges which have been my nemesis recently, so I'm feeling good!

[The Sacred Voice]

I had my first private lesson today with my new coach. She spent the whole time I was skating listing off corrections of my form and posture, barely taking a breath, so I thought I must really be doing it badly. But then at the end of the lesson she told me "You're quite competent and you learn well" and I could hardly wish for a better analysis than that!! She's asked me to pick some music for my pre-bronze competition programme which seems a little premature to me given that I can't do any jumps or spins yet so I don't really know what I would do in a programme, but perhaps she isn't intending for me to actually compete any time soon and just wants to give me something to focus on. My FO 3-turns and backwards crossovers are becoming much easier, and I have managed a few backwards outside edges which have been my nemesis recently, so I'm feeling good!

Funny enough, I actually wrote up my first private lesson just the other night for my skating blog (I haven't published that post yet or I'd link it), but anyway, the gist is that my experience was very similar to yours: an endless stream of technique corrections, except my coach didn't tell me I was competent at the end! She said she wanted to get me a routine, which was exciting, but we didn't get as far as thinking about music. More recently, she explained that giving someone a programme to tie everything together helps a lot with getting skills ironed out, so that might be why your coach wants to get you going early.

Did you find the pacing quite relentless? I found my first private lesson to be really, really intensive; we got through so many skills and exercises in what felt like such a short space of time. It might just be the nature of the coach I have (she's known for being a hard worker), but I was absolutely shattered after my first lesson with her... Well, honestly, I still am shattered after her lessons, but my stamina's a little better now.

[WednesdayMarch]

From a coaching point of view, it's important to make the most of the time you have with a pupil; time that they are paying money for, especially as it's often a lot of money!  Private lessons are, by their very nature, a lot more focussed than group lessons, where there is always time for practice - or a bit of a rest! - when the coach turns his or her attention to other people.  As more of the basics become second nature, and as you settle down into a working relationship with your coach, it should become a bit more comfortable.  If it isn't enjoyable, however, then you may need to consider moving to a different coach whose style suits better.  Early days yet, though.  Hopefully you'll both start to feel the benefit very soon.

[The Sacred Voice]

From a coaching point of view, it's important to make the most of the time you have with a pupil; time that they are paying money for, especially as it's often a lot of money!  Private lessons are, by their very nature, a lot more focussed than group lessons, where there is always time for practice - or a bit of a rest! - when the coach turns his or her attention to other people.  As more of the basics become second nature, and as you settle down into a working relationship with your coach, it should become a bit more comfortable.  If it isn't enjoyable, however, then you may need to consider moving to a different coach whose style suits better.  Early days yet, though.  Hopefully you'll both start to feel the benefit very soon.

I totally agree that the focus was always going to be more intense one-on-one, but, for some reason, it was still a bit of a shock at first. Despite the difference, I still found the intensity to be a very good thing. I get so much done in my private lessons, but the rhythm's settled in a bit now so it doesn't feel particularly alarming anymore I'm actually several months into private lessons with my coach (my blog is trying to document my skating story since I started, so I'm only just reaching the events of my first private lesson in my current writing) and we've settled in pretty well together I think. She's definitely eased off on the intensity a bit now that we know each other better and now that I've managed to surprise her a few times