turns - part 2.
Disclaimer: this is
my understanding of the technique and my experience in learning skating, could be not the correct one...
The Forward 3-Turns allows you to go from skating forward to skating backward without changing feet, so you stay on the same foot. It is called a 3-turn because it make a mark on ice resembling the figure three. As I was saying in the previous post about the Forward Inside Mohawk, it is not an easy skill. I actually don't find it a beginner's skill. At this level you get the idea, and you do it better and better as you progress.
When I learned these in my group class, the only instruction I remember I was given, was:
- to go on an arch (lobe), so outside edge turned at the top of the lobe into an inside edge,
- start with the opposite hand than foot in front,
- twist the shoulders towards the inside of the circle
- turn on the ball of the foot
- twist the shoulders back (to check)
And it was demonstrated. I was saying before, the group classes were more "monkey see, monkey does"... While I understand that beginners can be overwhelmed by too much instruction I wish I knew a little more. Like:
- to keep my weight on my skating hip (that usually translates to me in don't drop the free hip)
- twist your shoulders is actually twist your upper body (from the waist up, so the core, rib cage and shoulders) while engaging the core and keeping the upper body connected with the hips. I had a breakthrough when I was told bring the hips around too, but it may be a correction just for me because I have open hips, and I used to really leave the free hip back...
- you turn on the ball of your foot to lift the rest of the blade of ice so it won't scrape and stop the turn
My private coach says for 3-turns you should work on 4 things
- head (turn your head first)
- upper body (that I explained already)
- bend- rise- re bend, that is you ride the edge with the knee bent, you rise to bring your weight on your skating hip and the ball of your blade, then bend again after the turn to hold the inside edge
- AND LEAN. I mentioned the lean when I was talking about edges, and I was saying that that's more an intermediary requirement, because it wasn't mentioned to me as a beginner. But I think the beginner should be aware about the lean and start working on it
The most interesting fact that I learned about the 3-turns was that the turn is done from the skating knee. This may an intermediary level information, so as a beginner maybe ignore it...
I think this is a good time to say that, surprise!, there are different types of forward outside 3-turns...
The "figures" style 3-turn is an oldie but goldie or goodie. This would be done at slow speed in a controlled and exact manner. I don't think this is a beginner turn but maybe it should be...
And here is a link to an old book I found online. Do notice that what they call spirals are actually edges: http://iceskatingresources.org/Chapter3FO3Turns.html
This 3-turn relies in the understanding of edges done using the lean. And the free foot is kept at the back of the skating foot (in a T-position) and the free hip hold back (that I was saying I was corrected to not hold back... as a beginner). The foot and hip in this position help to hold the back inside edge, more precisely to do not over rotate it after the turn. And the turn is done by shoulder rotation, leaning and turning on the ball of your blade while being align on your skating hip. They also mention to press into the ice. That would be bend-rise-bend that happens a lot in skating.
The Freestyle 3-turn (before jumps or spins) is faster, straighter and with the free leg extended.
Ice Dancing 3-turns that I know are the dropped 3-turn and the American Waltz 3-turn. They are exact, compact so the partners can do them together, they have a very specific count and they are very pretty :)
The MITF 3-turns are a little bit of everything. Plus each level of testing asks for the 3-turn to be put in a different combination. One of the skills in the first test (Pre-Preliminary) is the "waltz eight", and while there is no specific requirement about the 3-turn, is customary to be done with the free foot extended on the exit edge, to look waltzy... I think this is the easiest, the beginner, waltz eight 3-turn and goes like this:
- stroke on an outside edge from a T-position. Opposite hand is in front, the skating hand laterally-back. The skating foot is bent and the free foot is extended as long as comfortable then brought near the skating foot, laterally, not in the back. This helps keeping yourself over the skating hip. Also it brings the hip around, which ideally would be done with the core being engaged during the upper body twist, but I feel beginners don't engage the core properly.
- twist the upper body until facing the inside of the circle, the free hand should point to the center of the circle. Press into the ice with the skating foot while still bent and when you feel the twist is almost turning straighten the knee and get on the ball of your foot while still pressing into the ice. Then release the pressure into the ice to allow the foot to turn. The ball of your foot is the axis of the turn, the heel of the foot will make an arch.
- check the upper body after the turn (twist the other way so the skating hand is now in front), press into the ice again and extend the free foot back to help with the check. The skating knee should bend again to have a better inside edge. I was kind of snapping that free foot back while holding the lower back and buttocks tight, and while it helps with the check it flattens the edge... The alternative was that I couldn't hold the exit edge at all, I would have put the free foot down immediately, so while not ideal, it was helpful. I also could't bend the knee until I was stable on the edge.
The 3-turns are hard!!!
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Monday, October 22, 2018
Skating Technique: turns - Open Forward Inside Mohawk
turns - part 1.
Turns are what allows you to skate from forward to backward and backward to forward. Disclaimer :) this is my understanding of the technique...
Looking back, I'm surprised that the 3-turns and Mohawks, which are turns from an forward edge to a backward edge, are covered by ISI before the actual edges. They are covered in Delta and Gamma levels, which are the last to level of the Intro to Skating (read my view about skating levels here). More then that, my backward skating, when I started learning these turns, was less developed that the forward one. But, as I said two posts ago (Beginner Forward and Backward Skating), the backward skating takes time to develop because anything that messes your posture, messes the balance point on the blade. One thing that messes the posture is the backward push. From this point of view, the 3-turns and Mohawks are just another way to start going backwards, instead of the push... It will be equally hard, but they'll develop at the same time, and at the same time as the edges.
I vividly remember when I was first taught these turns, that I was laughing inside at the "crazy" idea that I will ever learn them. But I did... And I wish I've known at that point, that there are levels of precision expected for any skill, turns included. You first get "the idea" of them, you "kind'a... sort'a" (this is how an instructor in dance class was asking if we've got the choreography) do them. And then you improve them, and improve them more. My coach says that you still improve them on the expert level.
For me the Mohawks came a little easier so I'll start with those. I looked on youtube and most of the instructions there, are for a more intermediate quality, like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p-nKfrM2PU&t=29s
The instructions for a correct Forward Right Open Inside Mohawk (this is the easier side for me, the left one is the same but on the other side) are:
- stroke on an RFI (Right forward Inside) Edge on a bent skating leg with the free leg extended, facing the imaginary circle the edges curves on, right hand forward, left hand back, hugging the circle and hold the stroke for a length equal with your height
- at the point you want to turn rotate the upper body so the right arm and shoulder point towards the center of the circle, the left arm and shoulder press back. The skating foot increases the pressure into the ice at this point as you rise into your knee and bring your free foot at the instep of the skating foot. As a beginner I was bringing the heels together, not the heel to the instep. One tip I've got that helped me correct this was to bring the foot a little more forward then the instep. It helped at the time, but I have the feeling that messed up the turned out of my free foot and I started to bring the knees together too. Now, I'm trying to think of turning the foot out as I take the first stroke, and to lead with the heal when I bring the foot in and keep the knees separated (another tip I heard is make a diamond with your knees)
- immediately bend both knees, as a mini ballet plie, and put the left blade down on an backward inside edge (LBI), pressing into the ice and rising a little, then bend again to hold the edge. The right leg could be extended or kept at the back of the ankle. At the same time, the upper body checks the rotation, so the right hand and shoulder goes back and the left ones in front, hugging the circle and still looking inside the circle.
Finally I found one video showing exactly what I was doing as a beginner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHCmI7tAc94
- stroke on RFI edge, right hand forward, left one back, on top of the circle
- turn out your free foot as much as you can, don't mess up with the upper body
- just put the left leg down on a inside (LBI) edge somewhere where you are comfortable, it's ok if it's a blade length apart from the other blade, and it's ok if it's more near the heel than the instep... for now... Now extend the right foot between back and lateral, like 45 degrees (if it's back it won't hold the inside edge. And really tighten the right side of your lower back and buttock. And push your right arm and shoulder back.
The ISI Delta level also asks for this Mohawk to be put in a 7 step combination:
1 left LF stroke
2 right RF stroke
3 left LF stroke
4, 5 right Mohawk RFI to LBI
6 push with the left inside edge into a RBO
7 turn around keeping your weight on your right hip and step on a LFO
They call the steps 6 and 7, so the RBO to an LFO, a backward outside Mowhak. and while everybody agrees it is a Mohawk, nobody calls it a Mohawk, but simply "step forward", being implied that is from an back outside edge .
Turns are what allows you to skate from forward to backward and backward to forward. Disclaimer :) this is my understanding of the technique...
Looking back, I'm surprised that the 3-turns and Mohawks, which are turns from an forward edge to a backward edge, are covered by ISI before the actual edges. They are covered in Delta and Gamma levels, which are the last to level of the Intro to Skating (read my view about skating levels here). More then that, my backward skating, when I started learning these turns, was less developed that the forward one. But, as I said two posts ago (Beginner Forward and Backward Skating), the backward skating takes time to develop because anything that messes your posture, messes the balance point on the blade. One thing that messes the posture is the backward push. From this point of view, the 3-turns and Mohawks are just another way to start going backwards, instead of the push... It will be equally hard, but they'll develop at the same time, and at the same time as the edges.
I vividly remember when I was first taught these turns, that I was laughing inside at the "crazy" idea that I will ever learn them. But I did... And I wish I've known at that point, that there are levels of precision expected for any skill, turns included. You first get "the idea" of them, you "kind'a... sort'a" (this is how an instructor in dance class was asking if we've got the choreography) do them. And then you improve them, and improve them more. My coach says that you still improve them on the expert level.
For me the Mohawks came a little easier so I'll start with those. I looked on youtube and most of the instructions there, are for a more intermediate quality, like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p-nKfrM2PU&t=29s
The instructions for a correct Forward Right Open Inside Mohawk (this is the easier side for me, the left one is the same but on the other side) are:
- stroke on an RFI (Right forward Inside) Edge on a bent skating leg with the free leg extended, facing the imaginary circle the edges curves on, right hand forward, left hand back, hugging the circle and hold the stroke for a length equal with your height
- at the point you want to turn rotate the upper body so the right arm and shoulder point towards the center of the circle, the left arm and shoulder press back. The skating foot increases the pressure into the ice at this point as you rise into your knee and bring your free foot at the instep of the skating foot. As a beginner I was bringing the heels together, not the heel to the instep. One tip I've got that helped me correct this was to bring the foot a little more forward then the instep. It helped at the time, but I have the feeling that messed up the turned out of my free foot and I started to bring the knees together too. Now, I'm trying to think of turning the foot out as I take the first stroke, and to lead with the heal when I bring the foot in and keep the knees separated (another tip I heard is make a diamond with your knees)
- immediately bend both knees, as a mini ballet plie, and put the left blade down on an backward inside edge (LBI), pressing into the ice and rising a little, then bend again to hold the edge. The right leg could be extended or kept at the back of the ankle. At the same time, the upper body checks the rotation, so the right hand and shoulder goes back and the left ones in front, hugging the circle and still looking inside the circle.
Finally I found one video showing exactly what I was doing as a beginner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHCmI7tAc94
- stroke on RFI edge, right hand forward, left one back, on top of the circle
- turn out your free foot as much as you can, don't mess up with the upper body
- just put the left leg down on a inside (LBI) edge somewhere where you are comfortable, it's ok if it's a blade length apart from the other blade, and it's ok if it's more near the heel than the instep... for now... Now extend the right foot between back and lateral, like 45 degrees (if it's back it won't hold the inside edge. And really tighten the right side of your lower back and buttock. And push your right arm and shoulder back.
The ISI Delta level also asks for this Mohawk to be put in a 7 step combination:
1 left LF stroke
2 right RF stroke
3 left LF stroke
4, 5 right Mohawk RFI to LBI
6 push with the left inside edge into a RBO
7 turn around keeping your weight on your right hip and step on a LFO
They call the steps 6 and 7, so the RBO to an LFO, a backward outside Mowhak. and while everybody agrees it is a Mohawk, nobody calls it a Mohawk, but simply "step forward", being implied that is from an back outside edge .
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Exhibition: Canasta Tango Demonstration
Last Sunday I demonstrated the Canasta Tango in an exhibition. My new coach, the one that's gonna choreograph a pre-bronze program for me, is very involved in the adult skating community. He coaches many adults, I think, mostly adults, including a group that does ice theater. Some of his students will go to the ISI nationals and they decided to do a dress rehearsal with their numbers. And they had extra ice time, so the coach asked me if I wanted to demonstrate a dance, since I don't have a program just yet.
I hesitated for just a second, because of old thoughts of not feeling confident that I have that much skating skills to show. I will have to add that I've never been in a show as a kid, the only shows I ever did were the adult group numbers at my rink. But I realized, because this exhibition was between adult skaters, it was a perfect opportunity to check the waters, to see how I feel now, and to work on building confidence.
I choose Canasta Tango because for now, it's my favorite dance from the first nine I know. I also like the Willow Waltz but it's a more difficult dance and I wanted no pressure. Let's see what pressure I'm talking about:
- I used to get very nervous at both the group number at my rink shows and the tests I took.
- It would be my first time on ice by myself. At the Ice Dancing tests I had the coach there as my partner, and at the MITF tests there were 3 of us sharing the ice.
- I just started with the new coach to work on arm movement and presenting. And we started from nothing, as I haven't taken dance as a kid. I could have kept it simple with just lifting the arms in a ballet position at the beginning and presenting at the end, but I challenged myself to do a little more. To add to the pressure, I choreographed that myself, because I didn't see my coach again before the exhibition. Tango asks for sharp movement, I worked at it at home, in the mirror, but didn't look right so I did more of a flamenco movement that is softer.
- I have no experience in skating on music on my own. I sometimes try to do the dances on music but as I work on correcting a million things, I usually lose the rhythm. The music was not a priority because I know at test I have my coach there to keep the rhythm.
- I decided to wear a dress that I made and I love it, but... I had a sample fabric that I couldn't buy anymore, and while I first meant it to became a skating dress, I decided to let it be a regular dress so I can wear it more often. For skating is mainly it is too long and not tight enough.
How did it go?
- I wasn't nervous but I wasn't at ease either. I felt a little award.
- The restart of the music gave me an adrenaline rush. The first version of the hand movement was more controlled, the second time I rushed, I didn't extend as much, maybe was more tango like? But hand movement needs work.
- I blame being ahead of the music on the adrenaline rush also... but I knew skating on music needed work. That's one of the reasons I want a program.
- I got distracted as I got cheers in the middle of my third pattern. I thought they expected me to finish after the second pattern. It seems though, that Ice Dancing etiquette is for the spectators to cheer when the skaters are closest to them, because there are no focal points like spins, jumps, spirals to cheer then.
- I love taking videos of me skating because I see clearly what needs to be improved.
- The pattern of the dance and edges weren't totally correct. I wasn't even trying because I didn't do this dance in a while, I didn't have time to work at it and I didn't want to put pressure on myself...
- It didn't look polished and I didn't expect to. The thing that hit me was the lack of toe pointing. I'll definitely work on that... Then my posture... I work on it continuously but it seems I have to work harder.
- Commitment to the music and character and presenting... I think that would do wonders and I see two ways to work on this. Firstly my new coach asks me to present everything I do on ice. Like when I do MITF, a spin, a jump, to put them in a sequence. It's gonna take a while. I think it's gonna be easier when I'll have a program and I'll practice parts of it. Secondly, I'll have to do more shows, exhibitions, competitions...
- Now, surprisingly, I also felt a little proud of my skating, in the sense that I felt it improved, not that it was perfectly done. I had speed and quite deep edges compared with when I tested it more than a year ago . Below is the solo warm up for that test. You can see that here I don't go too deep into the center of the rink.
I hesitated for just a second, because of old thoughts of not feeling confident that I have that much skating skills to show. I will have to add that I've never been in a show as a kid, the only shows I ever did were the adult group numbers at my rink. But I realized, because this exhibition was between adult skaters, it was a perfect opportunity to check the waters, to see how I feel now, and to work on building confidence.
I choose Canasta Tango because for now, it's my favorite dance from the first nine I know. I also like the Willow Waltz but it's a more difficult dance and I wanted no pressure. Let's see what pressure I'm talking about:
- I used to get very nervous at both the group number at my rink shows and the tests I took.
- It would be my first time on ice by myself. At the Ice Dancing tests I had the coach there as my partner, and at the MITF tests there were 3 of us sharing the ice.
- I just started with the new coach to work on arm movement and presenting. And we started from nothing, as I haven't taken dance as a kid. I could have kept it simple with just lifting the arms in a ballet position at the beginning and presenting at the end, but I challenged myself to do a little more. To add to the pressure, I choreographed that myself, because I didn't see my coach again before the exhibition. Tango asks for sharp movement, I worked at it at home, in the mirror, but didn't look right so I did more of a flamenco movement that is softer.
- I have no experience in skating on music on my own. I sometimes try to do the dances on music but as I work on correcting a million things, I usually lose the rhythm. The music was not a priority because I know at test I have my coach there to keep the rhythm.
- I decided to wear a dress that I made and I love it, but... I had a sample fabric that I couldn't buy anymore, and while I first meant it to became a skating dress, I decided to let it be a regular dress so I can wear it more often. For skating is mainly it is too long and not tight enough.
How did it go?
- I wasn't nervous but I wasn't at ease either. I felt a little award.
- The restart of the music gave me an adrenaline rush. The first version of the hand movement was more controlled, the second time I rushed, I didn't extend as much, maybe was more tango like? But hand movement needs work.
- I blame being ahead of the music on the adrenaline rush also... but I knew skating on music needed work. That's one of the reasons I want a program.
- I got distracted as I got cheers in the middle of my third pattern. I thought they expected me to finish after the second pattern. It seems though, that Ice Dancing etiquette is for the spectators to cheer when the skaters are closest to them, because there are no focal points like spins, jumps, spirals to cheer then.
- I love taking videos of me skating because I see clearly what needs to be improved.
- The pattern of the dance and edges weren't totally correct. I wasn't even trying because I didn't do this dance in a while, I didn't have time to work at it and I didn't want to put pressure on myself...
- It didn't look polished and I didn't expect to. The thing that hit me was the lack of toe pointing. I'll definitely work on that... Then my posture... I work on it continuously but it seems I have to work harder.
- Commitment to the music and character and presenting... I think that would do wonders and I see two ways to work on this. Firstly my new coach asks me to present everything I do on ice. Like when I do MITF, a spin, a jump, to put them in a sequence. It's gonna take a while. I think it's gonna be easier when I'll have a program and I'll practice parts of it. Secondly, I'll have to do more shows, exhibitions, competitions...
- Now, surprisingly, I also felt a little proud of my skating, in the sense that I felt it improved, not that it was perfectly done. I had speed and quite deep edges compared with when I tested it more than a year ago . Below is the solo warm up for that test. You can see that here I don't go too deep into the center of the rink.
Friday, October 12, 2018
Skating technique: Beginner Forward and Backward Skating
It seems that my blog unfolds as a presentation of skills, starting from beginners ones and growing in difficulty. If you read my view on Figure Skating Levels, I have an Intro to skating category before the Beginner level. So I'll go over the skills in the Intro level and that is equivalent with the first levels taught on group classes I took under ISI (Ice Skating Institute) curriculum. Here is the link to their page, they also have videos! Today I'll cover the Pre-Alpha, Alpha, and Beta levels.
So these are skating exercises for the first times on ice Beginners to Low-Beginners, (disclaimer: as I understand them).
- learning to fall, described here
- learning the "safe" posture: with feet hips apart, bent knees and ankles, straight back, core engaged, feeling your hips "underneath you", so over your feet, arms relaxed, palms facing down at waist level, looking up. This is the posture used as a beginner. Later it's gonna be improved. And, spoiler alert, the posture skating forward is different than the posture skating backwards...
Going forward ( use the "safe" posture for all)
- for skating forward the balance point of your blade, where you feel your weight falling on, is on the back part of you foot arch, some call it the back of your blade, but it's not really that back.
- march on ice holding the safe posture (on the whole blade as you cannot step heel to toe)
- march into a two feet glide gliding in the safe posture position and one foot glide lifting one foot straight up to the ankle of the skating foot.
- swizzles - you do eights on ice starting with the feet heels together, bending the knees and ankle, pressing into the ice, coming to hips apart straightening the knees but not locking them, then again heals together, on bent knees. These are done on an inside edge.
- swizzles are helpful to learn the balance point on the blade for going forward
- half swizzles on a straight line where you'll start to have to shift your weight on the skating hip
- half swizzles on a circle, you'll shift you'r weight even more
- learn the alignment of the upper body for weight transfer for a one foot glide (bring an imaginary neck zipper on the same line with with your belly button, hip, knee and foot. The ankle and knee are bent and the knee can and will go forward over the toes (I didn't know this until recently)
- understand that "bend the knee" means bend the ankle too and press into the ice. I heard that you should bend 90 degrees and I had an image in my head that the thigh should be parallel with the ice, that would make the tibia perpendicular to the ice, so no ankle bend. Actually the 90 degrees is between the thigh and tibia and there is lots of ankle bend!
- forward stroking: push with your blade at 45 degrees not using your toe pick (so from an inside edge) into an one foot glide. The skating foot will be on a slight outside edge for a little while, then will be flat for the glide, and will go on a slight inside edge just before the next push, to help with the push
- consecutive pushes on a circle on the same leg and that will be on an outside edge
- beginner crossovers: on a circle, you push on an outside edge using the alignment described on the previous point, and twist the upper body towards the inside of the circle, look towards the inside of the circle, then, with the weight transferred completely over the skating hip, lift the free foot, cross it over the skating foot and place it on an inside edge. These are beginners crossovers, they'll get way more complicated and better looking...
- stopping. The easiest one is the snowplow, when with the weight equally over both hips, you pigeon toe both feet and apply pressure on ice. Or you transfer your weight over one hip (for me it's easier on my left hip) and pigeon toe the right foot. Well, the easiest stop is going into the boards, no shame in that... It's very important to learn to stop on ice, not into the boards, because if you know you cannot stop, you are afraid of the other skaters moving, so you are afraid to skate.
Going backwards (again, use the "safe" posture for all).
- the balance point on the blade for going backwards, is the forward part of your arch foot, just after the ball of your foot
- I find that the most important thing for skating backwards is maintaining the posture. The first place where I lose my posture is while pushing, if I don't keep the core strong, it makes me break at the waist (stick the butt out, lean the upper body forward). The second way is by looking down. I don't know why I look down, but I do it a lot. The third way is by looking back to be sure there is nobody in my way. Instead of turning my head around and using the peripheral vision, I turn around from the waist and break at the waist again... So, don't do any of these!
- The second important thing in skating backwards is to find the balance point on the blade and keep it. Losing the posture is one sure way of loosing the balance point on the blade. Another way would be improper pressure into the ice, learning that takes some mileage...
- backward wiggles
- backward swizzles
- the backward swizzles will help you find the balance point on the blade
- two feet and one foot backward glide
- half swizzles on a straight line
- be aware of the weight transfer on the the skating hip (move the imaginary zipper and belly button over the skating hip, knee, and hip)
- backward stroking. The push is a quarter to one third of a swizzle (on inside edge), at that point you pick up your foot using your core and turn it out pointed and you shift your weight on the other foot. I heard the push being described as scooping ice cream.
- half swizzles on a circle shifting the weight
- half pushes on a circle. With the weight transferred on the hip towards the circle (outside edge on that foot), the upper body turned towards the inside of the circle and looking inside the circle, outer arm and shoulder in front, inside arm and shoulder back. Push with the foot outside the circle, extend the foot in front after the push.
- beginner backward crossover. Push with the leg outside the circle as I just described, lift the foot and place it over the other foot, inside the circle. Now push the foot from inside the circle with the outside edge, laterally, underneath you, then extend it towards the outside of the circle and then it's placed beside the skating leg.
I've learnt all these in group lessons. The instructors didn't explain much, they were more "monkey sees, monkey does". I wish I had the awareness that all these exercises had a purpose (discovering the posture, the alignment for weight transfer onto the skating hip, the inside and outside edges feel, the knee bend that goes together with the ankle bend and pressure into ice). I look back and I realize I was doing everything kind of half way...
So these are skating exercises for the first times on ice Beginners to Low-Beginners, (disclaimer: as I understand them).
- learning to fall, described here
- learning the "safe" posture: with feet hips apart, bent knees and ankles, straight back, core engaged, feeling your hips "underneath you", so over your feet, arms relaxed, palms facing down at waist level, looking up. This is the posture used as a beginner. Later it's gonna be improved. And, spoiler alert, the posture skating forward is different than the posture skating backwards...
Going forward ( use the "safe" posture for all)
- for skating forward the balance point of your blade, where you feel your weight falling on, is on the back part of you foot arch, some call it the back of your blade, but it's not really that back.
- march on ice holding the safe posture (on the whole blade as you cannot step heel to toe)
- march into a two feet glide gliding in the safe posture position and one foot glide lifting one foot straight up to the ankle of the skating foot.
- swizzles - you do eights on ice starting with the feet heels together, bending the knees and ankle, pressing into the ice, coming to hips apart straightening the knees but not locking them, then again heals together, on bent knees. These are done on an inside edge.
- swizzles are helpful to learn the balance point on the blade for going forward
- half swizzles on a straight line where you'll start to have to shift your weight on the skating hip
- half swizzles on a circle, you'll shift you'r weight even more
- learn the alignment of the upper body for weight transfer for a one foot glide (bring an imaginary neck zipper on the same line with with your belly button, hip, knee and foot. The ankle and knee are bent and the knee can and will go forward over the toes (I didn't know this until recently)
- understand that "bend the knee" means bend the ankle too and press into the ice. I heard that you should bend 90 degrees and I had an image in my head that the thigh should be parallel with the ice, that would make the tibia perpendicular to the ice, so no ankle bend. Actually the 90 degrees is between the thigh and tibia and there is lots of ankle bend!
- forward stroking: push with your blade at 45 degrees not using your toe pick (so from an inside edge) into an one foot glide. The skating foot will be on a slight outside edge for a little while, then will be flat for the glide, and will go on a slight inside edge just before the next push, to help with the push
- consecutive pushes on a circle on the same leg and that will be on an outside edge
- beginner crossovers: on a circle, you push on an outside edge using the alignment described on the previous point, and twist the upper body towards the inside of the circle, look towards the inside of the circle, then, with the weight transferred completely over the skating hip, lift the free foot, cross it over the skating foot and place it on an inside edge. These are beginners crossovers, they'll get way more complicated and better looking...
- stopping. The easiest one is the snowplow, when with the weight equally over both hips, you pigeon toe both feet and apply pressure on ice. Or you transfer your weight over one hip (for me it's easier on my left hip) and pigeon toe the right foot. Well, the easiest stop is going into the boards, no shame in that... It's very important to learn to stop on ice, not into the boards, because if you know you cannot stop, you are afraid of the other skaters moving, so you are afraid to skate.
Going backwards (again, use the "safe" posture for all).
- the balance point on the blade for going backwards, is the forward part of your arch foot, just after the ball of your foot
- I find that the most important thing for skating backwards is maintaining the posture. The first place where I lose my posture is while pushing, if I don't keep the core strong, it makes me break at the waist (stick the butt out, lean the upper body forward). The second way is by looking down. I don't know why I look down, but I do it a lot. The third way is by looking back to be sure there is nobody in my way. Instead of turning my head around and using the peripheral vision, I turn around from the waist and break at the waist again... So, don't do any of these!
- The second important thing in skating backwards is to find the balance point on the blade and keep it. Losing the posture is one sure way of loosing the balance point on the blade. Another way would be improper pressure into the ice, learning that takes some mileage...
- backward wiggles
- backward swizzles
- the backward swizzles will help you find the balance point on the blade
- two feet and one foot backward glide
- half swizzles on a straight line
- be aware of the weight transfer on the the skating hip (move the imaginary zipper and belly button over the skating hip, knee, and hip)
- backward stroking. The push is a quarter to one third of a swizzle (on inside edge), at that point you pick up your foot using your core and turn it out pointed and you shift your weight on the other foot. I heard the push being described as scooping ice cream.
- half swizzles on a circle shifting the weight
- half pushes on a circle. With the weight transferred on the hip towards the circle (outside edge on that foot), the upper body turned towards the inside of the circle and looking inside the circle, outer arm and shoulder in front, inside arm and shoulder back. Push with the foot outside the circle, extend the foot in front after the push.
- beginner backward crossover. Push with the leg outside the circle as I just described, lift the foot and place it over the other foot, inside the circle. Now push the foot from inside the circle with the outside edge, laterally, underneath you, then extend it towards the outside of the circle and then it's placed beside the skating leg.
I've learnt all these in group lessons. The instructors didn't explain much, they were more "monkey sees, monkey does". I wish I had the awareness that all these exercises had a purpose (discovering the posture, the alignment for weight transfer onto the skating hip, the inside and outside edges feel, the knee bend that goes together with the ankle bend and pressure into ice). I look back and I realize I was doing everything kind of half way...
Monday, October 8, 2018
Test: Pre-Bronze Dances (Swing Dance, Cha Cha, Fiesta Tango)
This was my second test session
I won't go into the details of these dances, I'll come back to them after I go over more beginner stuff. If you read my view on Figure Skating Levels, I split beginners into Low-Beginners, Beginners, and Advanced Beginners. I find that Preliminary dances correspond to a Beginner level and The Pre-Bronze Dances correspond to an Advanced Beginner level.
I tested these Pre-Bronze dances on March 2017, just 2 months after testing the Preliminary dances. Looking back, I think my skills level was in between Low-Beginner and Beginner. I had no business in testing these... I did pass them at standard track, but I didn't succeed at that point in developing the skills for that level. I also didn't enjoy working at them and I was terrified when I tested. It's all part of the learning experience I guess.
There are many reasons I tested them. I was mentioning that I've learned the first 9 dances, so 3 levels, from a friend during 6 months and it was exciting. Then I started private lessons with a young male coach/partner with whom I continued dancing at the advice of my friend. She was advising from her own experience learning the dances after 40s, 30 years ago. The thing is that then, Ice Dancing was huge as social dancing. She was learning Ice Dancing as a fun and social activity and she was having lots of fun. It was mostly partnered dancing for her and she developed skills necessary for that (like speed), while counting on the partner to help other skills (like turns). She also didn't do any Freestyle, MITF or Free Dance. Where I'm getting at is that her skating experience didn't translate perfectly to my skating experience. At that point I added private lessons from a young female coach that started me on MITF and started correcting my Freestyle technique. I don't know how my learning experience would have gone with them (the young coaches). Maybe they were too inexperienced to have a methodology and at some point I would have plateaued, but I felt I was learning a lot and I was having fun. And then, they moved away, both of them at the same time, both of them a little unexpected, to follow great opportunities. I continued lessons with an Ice Dance coach that taught both of them, an amazingly accomplished skater and person. Her approach was very different, very methodical. I appreciated the lessons but I didn't settle into them. To keep myself excited and motivated I decided to test, and so I met my current Ice Dancing coach that is a male I can partner with. It was confusing to me on which coach is teaching what. So, confused, bored from doing the same dances for a while, and obviously thinking I've got them, I asked to test and my female coach signed the registration form. My male coach reaction was an obvious surprised one, but he did his best to get me ready.
Driving to the rink on the day of the test I didn't feel as nervous as on the first test. On the first test I didn't know what to expect, now I did. I've got really nervous at the rink waiting for my turn, around an hour. My coach babysat me again. And he used the time to teach me warming up off ice, running the steps of the dances off ice, breathing technique to relax and I suspect he was trying to get my mind off the test.
The warm up: my coach didn't have anybody else testing those dances so he was all the time with me. After 4 min with random music, the organizers played the rhythm for each of the Pre-Bronze dances. And my coach partnered me on each of them. On the Swing Dance music, the first dance of the set, we were the only ones on ice so I asked him if that is the actual test. He said something that I thought it's yes and I perked up and present it at my best. When I realized it wasn't the test, I felt an adrenaline rush and a panic wondering if I'll have it in me to do it again... for all 3 dances.
The Swing Dance (here is my video from the test), is a longer dance. Its pattern goes around the full rink and you have to do it twice. It's done in a waltz hold and for half the women goes backward and for the other half the man goes backward. I wasn't too good on going backward both on my own and with a partner. As I didn't have enough speed I was feeling push backwards, not comfortable. Going forward with the coach going faster backwards wasn't comfortable either :( I've got passing average points on both technique and presentation and a comment that the dance felt cautious. Yeap, that's exactly how I felt.
The Cha Cha (here is the video) is a dance that goes just forward as the Preliminary ones. So it was my "better dance" from the 3. There was another student testing this, and my coach pull me back to let them go first so I can catch my breath and my composure. Those 10 seconds of resting helped... I've got points over the passing average (testing standard) on both technique and presentation.
The Fiesta Tango: (here is the video) has a quick inside Mohawk on which on the exit edge you keep the free foot at the ankle, you don't extend it. I wasn't used with both he quickness and not using the free leg as a balancing tool. I was usually doing it in practice but now at the test I was spent. I messed it up a little on both passes. I didn't actually mess up the Mohawk but I was slowing down more then acceptable and unable to continue going backwards confidently. My coach practically dragged me! I didn't get passing points on the technical part, but I got extra on presentation (hey, I love the tango rhythm) so the points added up to passing average.
I wasn't happy after the test. The redeeming experience was the yearly rink ice show where for the Ice Dancing number we did the Fiesta tango and I did reasonably well.
I won't go into the details of these dances, I'll come back to them after I go over more beginner stuff. If you read my view on Figure Skating Levels, I split beginners into Low-Beginners, Beginners, and Advanced Beginners. I find that Preliminary dances correspond to a Beginner level and The Pre-Bronze Dances correspond to an Advanced Beginner level.
I tested these Pre-Bronze dances on March 2017, just 2 months after testing the Preliminary dances. Looking back, I think my skills level was in between Low-Beginner and Beginner. I had no business in testing these... I did pass them at standard track, but I didn't succeed at that point in developing the skills for that level. I also didn't enjoy working at them and I was terrified when I tested. It's all part of the learning experience I guess.
There are many reasons I tested them. I was mentioning that I've learned the first 9 dances, so 3 levels, from a friend during 6 months and it was exciting. Then I started private lessons with a young male coach/partner with whom I continued dancing at the advice of my friend. She was advising from her own experience learning the dances after 40s, 30 years ago. The thing is that then, Ice Dancing was huge as social dancing. She was learning Ice Dancing as a fun and social activity and she was having lots of fun. It was mostly partnered dancing for her and she developed skills necessary for that (like speed), while counting on the partner to help other skills (like turns). She also didn't do any Freestyle, MITF or Free Dance. Where I'm getting at is that her skating experience didn't translate perfectly to my skating experience. At that point I added private lessons from a young female coach that started me on MITF and started correcting my Freestyle technique. I don't know how my learning experience would have gone with them (the young coaches). Maybe they were too inexperienced to have a methodology and at some point I would have plateaued, but I felt I was learning a lot and I was having fun. And then, they moved away, both of them at the same time, both of them a little unexpected, to follow great opportunities. I continued lessons with an Ice Dance coach that taught both of them, an amazingly accomplished skater and person. Her approach was very different, very methodical. I appreciated the lessons but I didn't settle into them. To keep myself excited and motivated I decided to test, and so I met my current Ice Dancing coach that is a male I can partner with. It was confusing to me on which coach is teaching what. So, confused, bored from doing the same dances for a while, and obviously thinking I've got them, I asked to test and my female coach signed the registration form. My male coach reaction was an obvious surprised one, but he did his best to get me ready.
Driving to the rink on the day of the test I didn't feel as nervous as on the first test. On the first test I didn't know what to expect, now I did. I've got really nervous at the rink waiting for my turn, around an hour. My coach babysat me again. And he used the time to teach me warming up off ice, running the steps of the dances off ice, breathing technique to relax and I suspect he was trying to get my mind off the test.
The warm up: my coach didn't have anybody else testing those dances so he was all the time with me. After 4 min with random music, the organizers played the rhythm for each of the Pre-Bronze dances. And my coach partnered me on each of them. On the Swing Dance music, the first dance of the set, we were the only ones on ice so I asked him if that is the actual test. He said something that I thought it's yes and I perked up and present it at my best. When I realized it wasn't the test, I felt an adrenaline rush and a panic wondering if I'll have it in me to do it again... for all 3 dances.
The Swing Dance (here is my video from the test), is a longer dance. Its pattern goes around the full rink and you have to do it twice. It's done in a waltz hold and for half the women goes backward and for the other half the man goes backward. I wasn't too good on going backward both on my own and with a partner. As I didn't have enough speed I was feeling push backwards, not comfortable. Going forward with the coach going faster backwards wasn't comfortable either :( I've got passing average points on both technique and presentation and a comment that the dance felt cautious. Yeap, that's exactly how I felt.
The Cha Cha (here is the video) is a dance that goes just forward as the Preliminary ones. So it was my "better dance" from the 3. There was another student testing this, and my coach pull me back to let them go first so I can catch my breath and my composure. Those 10 seconds of resting helped... I've got points over the passing average (testing standard) on both technique and presentation.
The Fiesta Tango: (here is the video) has a quick inside Mohawk on which on the exit edge you keep the free foot at the ankle, you don't extend it. I wasn't used with both he quickness and not using the free leg as a balancing tool. I was usually doing it in practice but now at the test I was spent. I messed it up a little on both passes. I didn't actually mess up the Mohawk but I was slowing down more then acceptable and unable to continue going backwards confidently. My coach practically dragged me! I didn't get passing points on the technical part, but I got extra on presentation (hey, I love the tango rhythm) so the points added up to passing average.
I wasn't happy after the test. The redeeming experience was the yearly rink ice show where for the Ice Dancing number we did the Fiesta tango and I did reasonably well.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Monthly skating review: progress and goals adjustment
First week of last month I skated just once, because of the inconvenient ice schedule. I was waiting for the second week to go back to my regular schedule, but on Monday I bumped into somebody, well, we bumped into each other, and fell on my bad side. It didn't seam that I hurt the hip, but there was pain on the muscles compensating, that lasted 2 weeks. Yeap, I had to take it easy again... So what did I work on?
Freestyle: I went through my jumps occasionally so I don't loose them again. But without corrections from a coach they are just as bad as they were 2 years ago (pre rotation, no height, no speed, obviously other things that I'm not aware off). I also just try to maintain my forward scratch spin as I don't want to put pressure on the abductors. The backspin improves every week! I enter now from an inside 3turn and I do cross my free foot. It's slow and shy but it's consistent. I'm curious what the next instructions will be from my coach. I'll have to ask how to exit from it... I know, bend the skating leg and pull, but I don't really know how to do it.
MITF: I've got big compliments from my coach on the power alternating crossovers. They were: "Well, for somebody that started skating as an adult, these look great!" I looked at him confused, because my goal is to not look as somebody that started as an adult, and I'll test these on standard track like the kids... It sounded to me that they are not that good, even if I knew he said it as a compliment. He continued, surely answering to my confused face... "No, no, they are good, I saw worse than this pass"... I think this is all the compliments I will get! My coach is famous for being stingy with the compliments... But he thinks these are ready for the test, so they are good enough for this level. That's all I need to know :)
The backward circle eight initial push was giving me trouble. I think because I was pushing from the bad hip, in time, I stopped pushing. I also forgot to pigeon toe and lead with my heel the foot that's gonna became the skating foot. And it seams that I was dropping the free hip, again....
The 32 3-turns... My hip was hurting when I did 3-turns on it. So each time I skated I did just 2 of each... just to maintain. I still got the correction that I'm not transferring ALL my weight on the skating hip, and that I rush the turn sometimes. The biggest correction was to make the upper body movement continuous. I was actually trying to snap them, as I do in Ice Dancing. There, I stroke on an edge and hold the edge on bent knee with a good extension, and I twist the upper body just when I rise for the turn. I can do them with continuous upper body movement too. I was happy that I'm starting to be able to control these timing differences.
Ice Dancing: We keep working on backward skating: stroking, chasses, progressives. We work on the push, posture, extension, quickness and finishing the lobes. The Willow Waltz I think looks good, the Ten fox we didn't do together too often so I don't know.
The biggest thing this month was, again, feeling frustrated that I cannot push for progress. I'm happy that now my hip seams better. But it seams that it's very easily re injured. I'm trying to find ways to enjoy what I have. What else can I do?
So, coming from my adult Freestyle group lessons I always wanted to be able to connect the elements. At that point I had nothing but elements: some small jumps, the one foot spin, lunges, spirals. I had no speed and the turns, the Mohawk, the 3 turns were not solid on their own, so surely I couldn't have done them at speed. And they are the connecting elements. Now I have some control... So I asked a new coach (after consulting with my main coach that doesn't do choreography) to do a program for me. We would start with few lessons to see what I have, and go from there.This new coach is specialized in adult skaters and he's trying to bring the "fun" into skating. I overheard him telling somebody "let's not put this into an equation". Myself, I love to put everything into equations, forces, momentum, angles... So I was curious if he was gonna be a good fit. I had one lesson and half of it we did hand movements and half a step sequence. So, yes, he doesn't provide a doctorate paper on how to paint a masterpiece but rather a paint by numbers instructions. And I have to say, for now, seams effective.
Goals for next month:
- Order some hip pads. I researched as much as I could, I've asked all my skating friends, I've red reviews and forums and I think I'm leaning towards the gel ones. They are $40 each but I'll order just one for now.
- I still stretch regularly but I'm adding strengthening exercises. I'm doing one leg calf raises for a while now, I recently added 2 exercises for hips and core (I was doing core but I stopped at some point).
- Handle the frustration...and motivation. My goal at this point is progress. I was cautioned about over training and boredom and advised to have fun. But, I feel that, as an adult over 40, I'll be limited in my progress sooner or later. So I was trying to get my satisfaction from the progress and I was planing to have fun later... With the amount of time I skate these days the progress is soo slow, sooo frustrating. I hope working on my first program with my new coach will bring some fun and motivation.
- And I hope I'll get to test the Willow Waltz at the end of the month to give me some confirmation of progress and some confidence.
Freestyle: I went through my jumps occasionally so I don't loose them again. But without corrections from a coach they are just as bad as they were 2 years ago (pre rotation, no height, no speed, obviously other things that I'm not aware off). I also just try to maintain my forward scratch spin as I don't want to put pressure on the abductors. The backspin improves every week! I enter now from an inside 3turn and I do cross my free foot. It's slow and shy but it's consistent. I'm curious what the next instructions will be from my coach. I'll have to ask how to exit from it... I know, bend the skating leg and pull, but I don't really know how to do it.
MITF: I've got big compliments from my coach on the power alternating crossovers. They were: "Well, for somebody that started skating as an adult, these look great!" I looked at him confused, because my goal is to not look as somebody that started as an adult, and I'll test these on standard track like the kids... It sounded to me that they are not that good, even if I knew he said it as a compliment. He continued, surely answering to my confused face... "No, no, they are good, I saw worse than this pass"... I think this is all the compliments I will get! My coach is famous for being stingy with the compliments... But he thinks these are ready for the test, so they are good enough for this level. That's all I need to know :)
The backward circle eight initial push was giving me trouble. I think because I was pushing from the bad hip, in time, I stopped pushing. I also forgot to pigeon toe and lead with my heel the foot that's gonna became the skating foot. And it seams that I was dropping the free hip, again....
The 32 3-turns... My hip was hurting when I did 3-turns on it. So each time I skated I did just 2 of each... just to maintain. I still got the correction that I'm not transferring ALL my weight on the skating hip, and that I rush the turn sometimes. The biggest correction was to make the upper body movement continuous. I was actually trying to snap them, as I do in Ice Dancing. There, I stroke on an edge and hold the edge on bent knee with a good extension, and I twist the upper body just when I rise for the turn. I can do them with continuous upper body movement too. I was happy that I'm starting to be able to control these timing differences.
Ice Dancing: We keep working on backward skating: stroking, chasses, progressives. We work on the push, posture, extension, quickness and finishing the lobes. The Willow Waltz I think looks good, the Ten fox we didn't do together too often so I don't know.
The biggest thing this month was, again, feeling frustrated that I cannot push for progress. I'm happy that now my hip seams better. But it seams that it's very easily re injured. I'm trying to find ways to enjoy what I have. What else can I do?
So, coming from my adult Freestyle group lessons I always wanted to be able to connect the elements. At that point I had nothing but elements: some small jumps, the one foot spin, lunges, spirals. I had no speed and the turns, the Mohawk, the 3 turns were not solid on their own, so surely I couldn't have done them at speed. And they are the connecting elements. Now I have some control... So I asked a new coach (after consulting with my main coach that doesn't do choreography) to do a program for me. We would start with few lessons to see what I have, and go from there.This new coach is specialized in adult skaters and he's trying to bring the "fun" into skating. I overheard him telling somebody "let's not put this into an equation". Myself, I love to put everything into equations, forces, momentum, angles... So I was curious if he was gonna be a good fit. I had one lesson and half of it we did hand movements and half a step sequence. So, yes, he doesn't provide a doctorate paper on how to paint a masterpiece but rather a paint by numbers instructions. And I have to say, for now, seams effective.
Goals for next month:
- Order some hip pads. I researched as much as I could, I've asked all my skating friends, I've red reviews and forums and I think I'm leaning towards the gel ones. They are $40 each but I'll order just one for now.
- I still stretch regularly but I'm adding strengthening exercises. I'm doing one leg calf raises for a while now, I recently added 2 exercises for hips and core (I was doing core but I stopped at some point).
- Handle the frustration...and motivation. My goal at this point is progress. I was cautioned about over training and boredom and advised to have fun. But, I feel that, as an adult over 40, I'll be limited in my progress sooner or later. So I was trying to get my satisfaction from the progress and I was planing to have fun later... With the amount of time I skate these days the progress is soo slow, sooo frustrating. I hope working on my first program with my new coach will bring some fun and motivation.
- And I hope I'll get to test the Willow Waltz at the end of the month to give me some confirmation of progress and some confidence.
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Monthly skating review: progress and goals adjustment
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