Author Topic: What did you achieve this week  (Read 630231 times)

Leif

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5203 on: March 18, 2018, 07:46:37 pm »
I’ve been doing the usual drills and repetitive practice of the basics, including hockey stops and crossovers. It can be interesting to analyse something I think I have cracked, to work out the mechanics. An observer probably thinks I have some weird form of OCD, or that a I am practicing for the dullard of the year trophy. Stupid is as stupid does. I think the trophy is in the bag.

The one move I’ve worked a lot on recently is tight turns. This is, err, a turn that is tight. Stop me if I get too complex. Essentially you skate forwards, bend one leg, and extend the other leg out to one side, and slightly behind, so that the skate blade is at a very acute angle to the ice. This forces the body to turn about the bent leg. I can do this in public sessions, but not with a stick and puck. The big problem though is that the skate at the end of the straight leg cuts a deep and wide groove into the ice, essentially destroying it. Obviously this makes me really popular, and other skaters congratulate me, and encourage me to continue. However, given that I do have some consideration for others (and a deep and irrational fear of being subjected to extreme violence) I only practice this towards the end of the session, during the last half hour, when few people are about.

Oh and I’be done more outside 3 turns on the right leg. I don’t have the courage to try on the left leg. I tried backwards crossrolls, and looked a right ‘nana. Them’s is hard. With luck one of the lovely figure skaters here will provide some marvellous insights ...

As an aside I do wonder if the really good figure skaters spend huge amounts of time doing the same thing over and over, until they get it right every time.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5204 on: March 18, 2018, 08:32:57 pm »
I’ve been doing the usual drills and repetitive practice of the basics, including hockey stops and crossovers. It can be interesting to analyse something I think I have cracked, to work out the mechanics. An observer probably thinks I have some weird form of OCD, or that a I am practicing for the dullard of the year trophy. Stupid is as stupid does. I think the trophy is in the bag. . . .

. . . As an aside I do wonder if the really good figure skaters spend huge amounts of time doing the same thing over and over, until they get it right every time.

Wonder no more.  That is exactly what they do.  Nothing stupid or dull about it.  You keep doing what you're doing.

The one move I’ve worked a lot on recently is tight turns. This is, err, a turn that is tight. Stop me if I get too complex. Essentially you skate forwards, bend one leg, and extend the other leg out to one side, and slightly behind, so that the skate blade is at a very acute angle to the ice. This forces the body to turn about the bent leg. I can do this in public sessions, but not with a stick and puck. The big problem though is that the skate at the end of the straight leg cuts a deep and wide groove into the ice, essentially destroying it. Obviously this makes me really popular, and other skaters congratulate me, and encourage me to continue. However, given that I do have some consideration for others (and a deep and irrational fear of being subjected to extreme violence) I only practice this towards the end of the session, during the last half hour, when few people are about.

Forgive me for being possibly a bit dense, but is that a kind of pivot...?  I think you're wise to be careful about when you practice it.  There's nothing irrational about a fear of extreme violence.  In this case, I think it's entirely warranted!

Oh and I’be done more outside 3 turns on the right leg. I don’t have the courage to try on the left leg. I tried backwards crossrolls, and looked a right ‘nana. Them’s is hard. With luck one of the lovely figure skaters here will provide some marvellous insights ...

Try those 3 turns on the left leg.  The better you get at them on the right leg, the easier you'll find it to do them on the left.  And the more you try on the left, the easier the right ones will be.  Cross training.

Backwards crossrolls are lovely when you get the hang of them.  You almost certainly need deeper knee bend, stronger edges and more speed.  Also, keep your arms out to the side in a neutral position, and your body facing forward, while your legs do all the work.  Work at them like you do the other things and you'll soon get there.
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

The Sacred Voice

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5205 on: March 18, 2018, 10:49:36 pm »
I tried backwards crossrolls, and looked a right ‘nana. Them’s is hard. With luck one of the lovely figure skaters here will provide some marvellous insights ...

This may or may not be helpful, but when I started doing backward crossrolls then I was taught to step into them, rather than trying to do the whole motion straight off the bat. So you take one foot and place it at a 45 degree angle under you, then take your other foot and place the toe end touching the heel end of the first at the inverse angle. Then pick up the first foot and take toe to heel with the reversed angle once again, just like you're doing an awkward backward step. Repeat. This should eventually cause you to pick up a bit of glide and you just get better at holding the glide as you practise it.

This was particularly amusing when I was in group lessons because we'd all stand in a circle round the instructor and start trying to do this stepping motion away from him and we'd all gradually drift further and further out from him, must've looked weird to an observer, just an expanding circle of adults with a coach wheeling round in the middle shouting improvements at people. ::) ;D

As an aside I do wonder if the really good figure skaters spend huge amounts of time doing the same thing over and over, until they get it right every time.

To build on what Wednesday said, you're trying to get as much consistency as you can in figure skating because you only get that handful of minutes from your short and free skate programmes to put in a winning performance at a competition, you can't afford to mess up anything because there isn't really a second chance. I've noticed they don't generally hammer the same thing over and over and over, more like run through one thing several times and tweak it then move onto something else just as challenging.
I'm blogging about my skating journey, please read along at dontexcelaxel.blogspot.com

Leif

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5206 on: March 19, 2018, 06:28:21 pm »
Thanks WM and TSV, very informative.

WM: A tight turn is simply a way to double back on yourself as sharply as possible. I was at the rink today, but avoided tight turns, it’s not fair on others to destroy the ice.

I tried backwards crossrolls again today, but they seem to demand more flexibility than I have. Still, it’s worth trying again, and again, and again ...

Regarding 3-turns, don’t forget my skates are less stable than figures.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5207 on: March 19, 2018, 06:40:39 pm »
Regarding 3-turns, don’t forget my skates are less stable than figures.

Wouldn't dream of it!  I can't for the life of me work out how you actually do anything on those but...!  Still, the more you practice those pesky 3 turns, the easier they will get.  In theory... 
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

VisuallyImpairedOnIce

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5208 on: March 20, 2018, 11:06:35 am »
Mohawks  :D  Going from my right foot to left, they finally feel natural! Need to practice them the other way though :)
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Laimelde

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5209 on: March 24, 2018, 01:03:57 am »
Long time no update in here!

I broke my left ankle during a skate lesson at the end of October, doing slip chasses of all things.  ::) Broke the tibia AND the fibula as well as doing a whole lot of ligament damage, which resulted in 2 surgeries and some permanent hardware installation. Started weight-bearing again around Christmas, started skating again at the end of January... and in March I joined a beginner adults synchro team  ;D

My achievement for this week though was learning the T-stop. I only learned the snowplough when I started skating, and though it definitely needs more practice, it's pretty cool to have another way of stopping under my belt!

FamilySkater

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5210 on: March 24, 2018, 09:19:18 pm »

I broke my left ankle during a skate lesson at the end of October, doing slip chasses of all things.  ::) Broke the tibia AND the fibula as well as doing a whole lot of ligament damage, which resulted in 2 surgeries and some permanent hardware installation.

That sounds terrible! You are so brave to get back to get back on the ice!




Laimelde

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5211 on: March 24, 2018, 09:32:04 pm »
That sounds terrible! You are so brave to get back to get back on the ice!

It wasn't fun, but I never had any fears about getting back on the ice - I was keen to get back as soon as I could and was annoyed it took so long. However, it has had an effect on friends and family - it's much harder convincing them to give skating a try now!

WednesdayMarch

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5212 on: March 24, 2018, 10:00:40 pm »
My achievement for this week though was learning the T-stop. I only learned the snowplough when I started skating, and though it definitely needs more practice, it's pretty cool to have another way of stopping under my belt!

Congratulations on overcoming that injury.  Many people would have never set blade to ice again!  (Or waited 18 years.  No names, no pack drill... <whistles>)

And well done on the T-stop.  It's a tricky one to master but once you've got it, you can then start doing it backwards!  Or bring your back foot round to the front instead.  Hours of, er, fun...!   :D
Returned to the ice in Sept 2017 after a major leg injury in 1999. Skating in Jackson Elite Pro & MK Vision Syncro. Still scary after all these years.

VisuallyImpairedOnIce

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Re: What did you achieve this week
« Reply #5213 on: March 24, 2018, 10:50:27 pm »
This week’s achievement: Easter show done, including a duet with my best skating friend. Didn’t fall over, loved every minute, no exhausted and going to bed! 😄
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