Planet Ice - Skate UK

[ceca]

Oh dear oh dear....

[linny40]

Oh dear oh dear....

would these commetns you make oh dear be spam posts  to get your count up?? as they have no meaning or relevence to posts

[Tufty]

Please be aware that, regardless of the merits/demerits of Skate Excellence, it is not currently recognised by NISA as a valid step towards taking NISA Tests nor is it valid for the purpose of entering any NISA authorised competitions.  You could end up paying for this and then paying, at private tuition rates which are much higher, for pretty much all the same stuff again in order to complete the NISA Passport program.  On the subject of merits/demerits, I have studied under some of the top Dance Coaches in the UK and when I was a little younger I competed at inter-rink level.  A golden thread which has always run through every lesson is "don't look down" the head is the heaviest part of the body and if you look down you are disrupting the balance of your body.  For that reason I could never recommend Skate Excellence to anyone because the socks with the colour system encourage a novice skater to look at his or her feet, something that they should never do/be taught to do. 
 

[Tufty]

Planet Ice have replaced Skate UK and/or the NISA passport program with their own invention which is called "Skate Excellence"  This is not to be recommended becaus NISA does not, at present, accept the qualifications.  Consequently if someone who has attained Skate Excellence levels and wishes to progress to NISA tests and/or enter inter-rink competitions they will have to pay for private tuition in order to re-qualify through the NISA Passport program.  It is never, in any event, a good idea to teach skaters to look at their feet.  The head is the heaviest part of the body and if you are looking down you are putting your body out of balance.

[Tufty]

NISA does not recognise Skate Excellence so if people learn through this system and wish to progress to NISA tests or inter-rink competitions they have to pay for private lessons so that they can repeat the entire process through NISA's Passport system.  It might be a fun way of learning but the qualifications are, effectively, useless.  It is also, in my view, poor training because the boot covers encourage the novice skater to look at his or her feet something which no skater should ever do.  The head is the heaviest part of the body and if you are looking down you are off balance.

[linny40]

wow Tuffy you had to write 3 different posts. Part of the idea of learning colours is so you DONT look down, but you study the colours and the positions when your putting boots/covers on. I dont think you will find any coach telling students to look down at their feet during a lesson.

The purpose of the warm up is a) to warm different parts of your body up before going direct to skate - think you will find all sports you do a warm up 1st also it get you used to the colours and the positions

Do you know for definate that SE is not recognised by NISA? have you spoken to NISA.

[Tufty]

Yes Linny I do know that NISA is refusing to accept Skate UK Qualifications, it's causing quite a stir.  You don't have to take my word for it, you can 'phone NISA and find out for yourself.  If you are having fun doing Skate Excellence then that's fine but don't be fooled into thinking that it will be recognised or will get you anywhere, it won't.
 

[antmanb]

To be honest the whole thing feels politically motivated to me, the whole way that skating is run in this country has been overshadowed by the politics and "den of vipers" leadership that seems to be in place at NISA, and to what end? Our elite skaters barely even make the cut for a long programme (ice dancers aside).

Frankly the skate excellence programme sounds a little lacking to me, but I can't see what difference it makes - skate UK and passport purport to cover off a lot of the things that are in  NISA Level 1 and 2 tests and yet everyone accepts that none of those elements are at the "passing" standard for the full levels anyway, so I don't think it really matters which way you learn to skate because eventually if you want to test and/or compete you will end up starting at NISA Level 1 anyway which is the first official test you can take.

[transmissionoftheflame]

To be honest the whole thing feels politically motivated to me, the whole way that skating is run in this country has been overshadowed by the politics and "den of vipers" leadership that seems to be in place at NISA, and to what end? Our elite skaters barely even make the cut for a long programme (ice dancers aside).

Frankly the skate excellence programme sounds a little lacking to me, but I can't see what difference it makes - skate UK and passport purport to cover off a lot of the things that are in  NISA Level 1 and 2 tests and yet everyone accepts that none of those elements are at the "passing" standard for the full levels anyway, so I don't think it really matters which way you learn to skate because eventually if you want to test and/or compete you will end up starting at NISA Level 1 anyway which is the first official test you can take.

You make some good points.  You're right is saying you end up starting at NISA Level 1 anyway - a NISA test examined by NISA examiners and if you're going to pass then you'll need to be coached by coaches who know what they are doing, and accreditation for coaches in this country is done through NISA.  NISA is for sure imperfect and replaceable, but to replace it a body of considerable credibility would be needed, with some major figures from the coaching world behind it and a large measyre of support from grass roots coaches, not to mention people with the skills required to administer the whole thing.  I can think of few cases in the history of sport when an official body has been replaced or matched by a body started from scratch, and the ones I can think of (ATP and WTA in tennis) were done globally and in sports with WAY more money in them than figure skating.

[antmanb]

You make some good points.  You're right is saying you end up starting at NISA Level 1 anyway - a NISA test examined by NISA examiners and if you're going to pass then you'll need to be coached by coaches who know what they are doing, and accreditation for coaches in this country is done through NISA.  NISA is for sure imperfect and replaceable, but to replace it a body of considerable credibility would be needed, with some major figures from the coaching world behind it and a large measyre of support from grass roots coaches, not to mention people with the skills required to administer the whole thing.  I can think of few cases in the history of sport when an official body has been replaced or matched by a body started from scratch, and the ones I can think of (ATP and WTA in tennis) were done globally and in sports with WAY more money in them than figure skating.

I agree I can't see anyone else taking over NISA or starting a rival organisation, however, since speed skating has been taken from NISA and the management of the sport given to the English Institute of Sport (http://www.uksport.gov.uk/news/2015/06/25/uk-sport-to-transfer-management-of-the-short-track-speed-skating-programme-from-nisa-to-eis) it does show that NISA might be feeling a little vulnerable at this stage.

To be honest, though, I don't think there's anything wrong with the way skating is taught at the grass roots level - it really does the trick, and youngsters and adults alike seem to do well in the learn to skate programmes and beyond.  It seems to be the coaching and availability of funding for the elites or post level 10 skaters that is more difficult to manage.