What did you do in today's lesson?

[Leif]

I did my 45 minutes yesterday, and honestly I felt it was fine and worthwhile. It takes me ages to copy what she wants me to do, and the longer session allowed me to figure it out. Plus she’s off on her hols for two weeks, so I have lots to practice. Sob sob. Most of the session was working on crossovers, with some basic exercises to help. By the end she was quite pleased with my progress especially backwards, although some backwards exercises were scary.

I was at the rink yesterday and today practising, and I feel a huge improvement. Backwards I am getting two good pushes, with a good leg extension, and knee bend. It feels totally different. Forwards I am doing much better, ACW feels so easy, more speed from less effort and some quite deep grooves left in the ice. Oops. CW needs a lot of work, but it is so much better.

I’m rather impressed with the teaching ability of Lucy. Apparently she likes correcting rather than teaching from scratch, and I guess if you take someone who skates, but with poor technique, and sorts them out, it must be quite rewarding. I guess if you get to her level, you learn to see the mistakes.

[WednesdayMarch]

Well, this is excellent!  Congratulations on the improvement.  It's down your hard work as well as the coaching.

So, when do your figure skates arrive...? 

[Leif]

Well, this is excellent!  Congratulations on the improvement.  It's down your hard work as well as the coaching.

So, when do your figure skates arrive...? 

Steady on.

I don’t think my knees are up to figure skating, not jumping anyway. It might be quite fun, but hockey is a very technical sport, and takes all of my spare time. Maybe when I am too old for hockey ...

[WednesdayMarch]

I don’t think my knees are up to figure skating, not jumping anyway. It might be quite fun, but hockey is a very technical sport, and takes all of my spare time. Maybe when I am too old for hockey ...

I was actually that thinking you'd love Field Moves.  (And ice dance can always do with an extra chap...)  But seriously.  Consider Field Moves anyway.  Lots of people swap between hockey skates and figures.

[VisuallyImpairedOnIce]

Yesterday's lesson was a good one. After warming up with forward slalom, cross rolls, forward and back edges, we had a jump lesson.
Started off aiming to get more power from my 3 jump, then worked on inside 3 turns. I got signed off these when they weren't ready, I dislike them so never practiced - paying for it now. Coach has said if I improve them, we'll start on toe loop - we'll use whatever entry I want but I need to earn that jump. Then we had a play with the salchow entry to finish off.
Group was interesting - twizzles, then 2 foot spins, 2 foot spins with body in camel position, spirals, one foot spins with unusual arms, then finished with teapot up into spiral.


I hate inside 3 turns

[VisuallyImpairedOnIce]

Yesterday was a tough lesson. We did:
Outside and inside edges, forward and backward
3 jump, focusing on power, and also trying to land without sounding like a baby elephant has fallen from the ceiling
Worked on strengthening landing position
Salchow, then breaking it down into bits, getting used to being on that back inside edge with my leg in front.
Toe loop, oh dear that's wandered off, worked on jumping straight away from the toe in. Hard, think I've got to stop playing it safe with that and just launch myself.
Forward spirals, then back spirals. Feel like I'm going to kiss the ice when I get in the right position on the backward one. Coach wasn't reassuring - said I'm just as likely to do that when my body isn't as low. Well, thanks!
Also worked on my one foot spins again. Feel like they're never going to happen. Everyone else spins like a top and I just slowly rotate maybe 1 and a half times then stop

[WednesdayMarch]

Yesterday was a tough lesson. We did:
Outside and inside edges, forward and backward
3 jump, focusing on power, and also trying to land without sounding like a baby elephant has fallen from the ceiling
Worked on strengthening landing position
. . .
Also worked on my one foot spins again. Feel like they're never going to happen. Everyone else spins like a top and I just slowly rotate maybe 1 and a half times then stop

Oh no they don't.  There will be plenty of people looking at your 1 1/2 rotations and feeling envious.  Trust me on this one.  Just keep practising and it'll come.  Try to feel that you're suspended from the ceiling by a line that goes through the top of your head, through your upright body and down to the spin rocker on your blade. 

As to the rest of it, the key to all of it is those edges, especially the quiet landings.  The sound of an elephant landing is because you're landing on the flat of the blade rather than a running outside edge.  Practice those backward outside edges and landing positions.  A lot.

And sometimes you have to be brave with the jumping.  Think of the rewards for that bravery and jump. 

[VisuallyImpairedOnIce]

I've decided next lesson if we do toe loop I'm just going to go "ah, bleep it!" and throw myself into it. Weirdly, from an inside 3 entry, I had the momentum and could jump it. But my inside 3 is more of a twizzle according to my coach so we've swapped it to the outside 3 and change feet job. But with that I lose the momentum and can't really jump it. More speed, a slight disregard for my own wellbeing and some hope should do the trick!

[WednesdayMarch]

This week's group lesson involved strange pivoty-things (without toepicks), closed chasses for most of the group, a FI Twizzle FO closed chasse repeat on other foot sequence for me and another skater, some madness involving rockers and also loops.  Figure loops not jumps.  Quite fun but my poor right leg was not playing ball and my brain is now fried from trying to get the message through to it of what I needed it to do.  I have to hope that it has more of a grasp of the situation when I try all that stuff again on Friday, or I might be better off taking up crochet!

[Leif]

More speed, a slight disregard for my own wellbeing and some hope should do the trick!

That's the spirit. Have you thought about ice hockey? 

[DorvillAndTean]

I fell for the first time.