Author Topic: Skating and working?  (Read 1185 times)

Skateordie

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Skating and working?
« on: September 23, 2020, 05:31:29 pm »
I'm currently banned from skating for a bit because of an injury (oops) and it's got me thinking- I really do love this sport, but I'm in a very lucky position right now and I'm not sure how I'll handle things after this year. At the moment I'm in uni (which is online this year), and don't have a proper job. I'd like to ask advice from anyone who juggles both, and if my ideal scheduel could be somehow jammed around a 40h work week.

Normally I'd be practicing 4-6hrs a week, but I was working on increasing that because I want to do adults cometitions eventually. I want to get in at least 8-10 hrs ice time per week. Right now I do fairly long sessions (2-3 hours a go) because I can't afford the entry fee for the rink more than twice a week, but that will hopefully be less of an issue once I'm working, provided my job prospects aren't entirely ruined by the 'rona. Does anyone have tips for handling both?

transmissionoftheflame

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2079
Re: Skating and working?
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2020, 09:04:06 am »

Speaking as an oldster who came to skating late, I would advise you to go for it, follow your dreams, try to make it work, but don't get overwrought if you don't achieve certain goals in a certain timeframe.  For as long as you love to do it, do it, and if that ever changes, change what you're doing.  Skate for you, not for anyone's preconceived notions of what skaters should do or be.


8-10 hours ice time should be doable - I used to do probably close to 20 hours a week between skating (ice and roller), tennis, dance, fitness, pilates, swimming.  Routine is key - I integrated the various activities to fit my work schedule and my travelling, to make maximum use of my time.  I would also say you should make sure that you are doing the right things off the ice to make sure your body is in condition to withstand the demands of what you are doing on the ice.  Pilates worked well for me, some people do yoga, or ballet, or gym.  You may need to compromise.  Also proper rest and diet are helpful.  Sometimes I found I got stale practising so much and needed a break.  Get decent 1-1 coaching so you know you are doing good practice - bad practice is worse than doing nothing.  Don't skimp on the basics.




Good luck with uni - hope you get to do some in-person stuff at some point in the year - and make sure you're doing everything you can to recover from the injury and regain fitness.

Skateordie

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Re: Skating and working?
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2020, 11:44:47 am »

8-10 hours ice time should be doable - I used to do probably close to 20 hours a week between skating (ice and roller), tennis, dance, fitness, pilates, swimming.  Routine is key - I integrated the various activities to fit my work schedule and my travelling, to make maximum use of my time.  I would also say you should make sure that you are doing the right things off the ice to make sure your body is in condition to withstand the demands of what you are doing on the ice.  Pilates worked well for me, some people do yoga, or ballet, or gym.  You may need to compromise.  Also proper rest and diet are helpful.  Sometimes I found I got stale practising so much and needed a break.  Get decent 1-1 coaching so you know you are doing good practice - bad practice is worse than doing nothing.  Don't skimp on the basics.


Wow, that's impressive! thank you for the advice :) I'm doing 1-1 lessons right now, and I was planning on starting ballet when the dance place near me reopened, but it hasn't, so I might look on youtube?

transmissionoftheflame

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2079
Re: Skating and working?
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2020, 11:57:09 am »
IMO if you're going to do ballet or yoga or pilates you need someone who knows what they are doing to watch you and correct you, at least until you have a really good grasp of doing the exercises correctly.  Ideally that would be in person, but otherwise I know those people teach on Zoom these days so they can see what you are doing.


black

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1241
  • Skate free
Re: Skating and working?
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2020, 02:59:12 pm »
Live near a rink so that you can skate first thing before going to work (& at weekends).

That means patch sessions; often you can pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited skating.

It means discipline for going to bed early, for the (pre)dawn starts.

That much (cold) training you'll need lots of energy dense food, otherwise you won't function properly.

Ignore calories; listen to your body. Skate cause you love it, never for social media 'likes'.

Off ice training will help a lot; strength, flexibility & balance.

Regarding competitions, unless they're held at your local rink, get used to skating on different ice.

Watch skating; everyone is your coach.
The greatest trick figure skaters ever pulled, was convincing the world it was easy.

WednesdayMarch

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1085
  • Nicer when fed...
Re: Skating and working?
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2020, 11:22:56 am »
I was training and working to pay for my training when I was in my 20s.  I wanted to do my coaching certificate and also get higher skating tests.  It was hard work and finding a job that would fit around the skating was very difficult indeed.  I did all sorts of things.  Working as a casino cashier was the only job I had that was full time and still worked with skating but it meant a punishing schedule.  Back in those days, casinos only operated between 2pm and 4am, so provided I was on a night shift, I could skate between 10am and 2pm, drive the hour home, sleep between 4 and 6pm, get up, bathe, sort myself out and work from 8.30pm to (usually) 5.30am (I was head cashier), go home, sleep between 6 and 8am, and start all over again, until I had a day shift, when skating was impossible unless I was willing to operate on 2 hours sleep...  I also went through periods of other work, where I balanced part-time jobs around skating.  At one stage, we realised I was working 61.5 hours a week, when you added in the coaching I was doing!  It makes me need a nap just thinking about that now.  But yes, it is possible.  Whether it's recommended, however...   ;)  All I ever wanted to do was coach skating.  I achieved that dream but only for a brief period before a fall wrote off my right leg.  Would I do it again?  Hell, yeah.
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.

Skateordie

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Re: Skating and working?
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2020, 03:15:19 pm »

Off ice training will help a lot; strength, flexibility & balance.

Regarding competitions, unless they're held at your local rink, get used to skating on different ice.

Watch skating; everyone is your coach.

Off ice is kind of a sticking point for me. I exercise a couple times a week outside of skating, but I have no idea what the ratio between time on the ice and time spent conditioning should be.

And thats's a very good point re: different ice! That hadn't even occured to me. It won't be an issue for at least another couple years, but that's good to know about.

transmissionoftheflame

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2079
Re: Skating and working?
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2020, 05:39:17 pm »
Regarding the ratio between on and off the ice, I remember when we used to go to Oberstdorf and watched the elite skaters training and they seemed to do roughly half and half between ice and off ice.  Off ice was a combination of dance and fitness and stretching.  Listen to your body, and do what works for you.  When you are younger you get away with more but injury prevention is important and if you want to do things like sit or camel spins or multi rotation jumps you need to have good core strength.



 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy