I recently met someone who had been learning to skate for four months, and I still find it hard to believe she hadn't been learning for several years. She did what looked to my eye to be perfect forward crossovers, right and left, and my memory is not great but I think her backwards ones were excellent too. She did an excellent spread eagle, and excellent Mohawks. This person had skied and skateboarded before for a fair few years which definitely helps balance. And yet she could not do a snow plough stop! Eh?
But still, I'm green with envy. I work very hard, 5-6 hours skating a week, and gradually plod along and improve. There does seem to be a wide variance in learning.
There's a slightly annoying little fat kid who comes up to me during public sessions. He asked me to teach him a hockey stop, so I taught him a one sided snow plough. After a few weeks, he'd learnt it. I asked him to show me it on both sides. He did. I asked him to show me a full snow plough. He did one. I was impressed, he'd learnt far faster than another little kid who's been trying for months. I've encouraged him to practice his edges, and tried to correct his crossovers. Anyone any suggestions what to teach him next that will help him? He wears hockey skates, and his feet do bend a bit at the ankles. It's odd, I'd not have though that the annoying fat kid would learn quickly!