Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and new-ish to skating. I started skating last year at the age of 30 just because it was something I’d always wanted to try. I’m currently on Skate UK Level 7 and find myself increasingly addicted – nobody warned me beforehand how addictive skating is!
Anyway, I was wondering if there are certain basic skills that good skaters regularly practice to build or maintain a good foundation. For example, I played a couple of musical instruments growing up, and there are scales and etudes and seemingly basic exercises that even professional musicians will practice for hours every day. These exercises are boring and nobody likes doing them, but they have to be done. As a kid, I hated these and rushed through them as perfunctorily as I could so that I could play the “fun” pieces, all because I didn’t have the discipline or maturity to realise their importance.
Similarly, I believe even advanced ballet dancers regularly practice the exact same foundation skills that are taught in newbie ballet classes, albeit far more gracefully and aesthetically pleasingly.
Now that I’m older and (arguably) wiser, I see the value in going back to basics, learning to do things properly and building a good foundation. So I’m wondering – are there certain “foundation” ice skating skills that even advanced skaters force themselves to spend a lot of time practicing, similar to scales and etudes in music, or barre exercises in ballet? I’m not talking about stuff that people think they’re weak on (although those obviously require practice as well), but stuff that people will regularly do as a matter of course in their training because it’s good for them, like eating your 5-a-day in fruit and vegetables.
Anyway, would welcome any thoughts people might have on this – thanks in advance!