Author Topic: lessons.  (Read 906 times)

Redemption1895

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lessons.
« on: March 08, 2019, 11:18:10 am »
hey :) i am new here, i have been doing lessons or a few weeks. skate uk lessons, i was self taught before but i wanted to do lessons.
so here i am, i am wondering about private lessons with coaching, i get nervous going to a public session and with no coach around and with loads od kids and stuff i get nervous and feel like i cannot do a thing like a failure but i know if i was alone and no one around i would be fine. i am fine with the sessions i go to now, the lessons. there is quite a lot of adults in their groups but 30 minutes feels really quick and i go once a week. i would try to go during the day when kids are in school lol maybe it is more quiet then.
i have done most in level 5, i just want to learn more and get everything perfect. well perfect for me nice and smooth flowing :)
also what happens after level 8 i did see you could go to bronze,silver then gold. i want to level up and keep going and going.
any help would be great :) thanks.

The Sacred Voice

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Re: lessons.
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2019, 04:15:21 pm »
As a general rule, rinks are a bit quieter during the day and I knew a lot of adults at my last rink that would practice on the public sessions in the day after they'd dropped their kids off. Your mileage may vary depending on your rink, but I've been to some VERY quiet day sessions.

Finding your own coach is something I'll let others chip in on.

In terms of progression beyond level 8, you're correct in thinking there are a Skate Star Bronze-Gold series of levels that you can do in Ice Dance, Free Skating, Synchro or Pair Free Skating (separate Bronze-Gold certificates for each discipline). If you'd like to look ahead then you can find the elements for each of those levels here - the tabs down the left let you select the different disciplines. A lot of adults at my current rink tend to do both the Free Skating and Ice Dance Bronze-Gold, but it's really just whatever you feel interests you most - a coach would be able to guide you a bit more in person.

After the Bronze-Gold then you can move into the NISA test levels, where external examiners are brought in to assess you (rather than just being assessed by your coach). Whether you choose to do this is, again, entirely up to your own level of interest. You can see the test manuals for those levels at this link, but as adults doing the sport then the certificates for achieving these won't change anything about your learning other than provide recognition of your work. Some people like the continual goal, but it's worth noting that they're a little more stressful because of the external assessment factor, which some people don't like. If you plan to do competitions then the NISA certificates are one way of meeting the entry requirements for some adult competitions, but there're other ways too. Otherwise that's it for the tests.

Hope that helps :)
« Last Edit: March 08, 2019, 05:54:49 pm by The Sacred Voice »
I'm blogging about my skating journey, please read along at dontexcelaxel.blogspot.com

transmissionoftheflame

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Re: lessons.
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2019, 08:08:14 am »
One of the many rewards that comes with improving your skating skills is the ability to enjoy yourself and relax on the ice even when it is a bit busier than you would like.  You are more confident, stable and can change direction and stop more easily so you worrry less and less about other people - while always of course looking out for them.

WednesdayMarch

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Re: lessons.
« Reply #3 on: March 10, 2019, 09:13:27 pm »
Ah, you've been bitten by the bug...

Skating as an adult, without the pressure of becoming the next champion or making a career out of show skating or teaching, is a joy.  Enjoy the journey.  You'll definitely progress faster with private lessons, but don't be too quick to pick a coach.  If you're in group lessons, then you'll be able to work out which of the coaches clicks best with you and can then ask them if they have time to teach you privately.

As to worrying about skating on busier sessions and feeling like a failure, think about it this way: ice skating is a minority sport in this country and a very small percentage of the population can actually do it at all.  And there is always someone who thinks that you're amazing, even when you're still only just starting out or if you're having what I call a "plank day".  Everybody has plank days.  Those days when you skate like you're a piece of wood are equally shared out between all skaters, even the professionals.  Trust me on this one.  ;) (The week before last I could barely demonstrate a mohawk for some strange reason!)

And if you ever think that precocious children are looking at you as if you're a no-hoper, you're almost certainly wrong.  What they're feeling is envy that you don't have the pressure that's put on them to progress and win things so you can just enjoy the sensation of the nearest thing we get to flying.   
« Last Edit: March 11, 2019, 04:13:15 pm by WednesdayMarch »
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.

Redemption1895

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Re: lessons.
« Reply #4 on: March 11, 2019, 04:05:57 pm »
Thank you for the replies :) it means a lot.



 

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