End of month updates

Ok... Everything has gotten a little better!

Firstly, my whole body hurts a little after each skating session but I feel I do more and more on ice each time, so I think it is just that my body is getting stronger. I was especially worried about my left hip muscles as I was hurt before, and they were hurting a little more then the right side, but up to now they recovered immediately. I think the left hip muscles may be weaker so I'm hurting more as I am building strength. I also do off ice core exercise regularly, that's gonna help too.

And how did my skating go? Well enough! But I haven't put any pressure on myself, and I'm always enjoying more when I skate relaxed. I was also late getting there, almost every single time, as I skate at a rink 30-40 minutes away from where I live...

From when I got back on ice, I've had three lessons. As I wasn't sure I was going to be able to see my coach again until fall (as I couldn't find ice at the rinks he's at), I've strategized a little and asked in the lessons I had, to be helped on many things, so I can work on all those things until I see him next. It's always fun when I don't stay and work again and again and again on something that it's not getting much better anyway. On the first two lessons we reviewed what I was working on before the quarantine, Pre-Juvenile MITF, that I told you about here, the Ten Fox, dropped 3-turns and I've asked to be started on the European Waltz, that I told you about here. On the last lesson I asked to work on the Figures, and Foxtrot, and skills that are needed for those new dances (edges, rolls, the Foxtrot mohawk,). Next week I'll skate on my own and I plan work a little on everything.

For MITF everything from the test itself feels good, but I feel slow at points. I think I'll need to fell physically stronger and then I'll need a little push from my coach to get it where it has to be for testing. I plan to start working on the "5 minutes  warm up", that is the time that I would have for warm up on test day.

Ten Fox, the 3-turns are correct on more and more days. But there are days when they are scratched/ skidded and the problem is that nothing I do, including with my coach's help, corrects them. My theory is that I'm skidding them when I'm tired, and my body is slower to respond on what I'm asking it to do, and the mind thinks it is doing it... I'll have to learn to overcome this. The rest feels fine, but I still remember after I finish a pattern that I didn't do something. So, I can work on it more. With Ten Fox, the real work it's gonna be the partnering...

On the European Waltz and Foxtrot I'm still learning the steps... Well I know the steps, but at points I loose focus and forget something. I also feel that I have to go into both of them quite fast, otherwise the pattern is not getting where it is has to be. And when I go fast, if I miss something I usually cannot readjust, I have to stop and start over. I'm also not quite sure yet where certain steps go on the exact spots on the rink so I always start from the beginning. I can use some time on my own to work on learning the steps...

Figures... I imagine how boring they must have been for kids. But for me, they are soothing and a safe skill to work on whenever I feel tired.

I didn't ask my coach for help with Freestyle yet. But on my own, the jumps feel right were I had them before quarantine. The Back spin is better then before, the Forward spin is not. I don't think it's worst, it's just not very pleasant. I think I get dizzy very quickly and I'm cautious to commit to the spin. I work on it a little each time, so I'm sure I'll feel more comfortable at some point.

So I think I'll be able to make it work for a while without my coach, I can work on many things on my own. But hopefully as more and more ice is gonna be available, I will be able to add some lessons soon.

Mid month updates

To balance the joy of skating... I'm hurting, I feel tired and some frustration is sneaking in. I did say I wanted to balance my skating life, just two posts ago... right? Well, it's not what I've meant...

This week, on Monday, it was the first time skating after the quarantine break, when I allowed myself to not hold back at all... and I don't know... ... Firstly, some of my hip muscles were more tired then on the previous weeks, hopefully they are building up not getting hurt again. Then, my whole body was feeling tired and hurting. I went through this tiredness before, as I was building muscles and stamina, and if I remember well it took weeks to months to feel strong, I hope this time is gonna be easier.

On Wednesday I had my lesson. We corrected the Ten Fox, the dropped 3-turns, and I wanted to learn the theoretical technique on the  backward cross rolls and the backward outside edges from the European Waltz. I felt it was a productive lesson, but it was my least energetic day on ice since I've been back on ice, so not a happy skating day. I haven't said it before, because I didn't want to jinx it, BUT... when I first got back on ice with a refreshed awareness on alignment, my dropped 3-turns worked like a charm! And now, they are not :(

That brings me back to the goals I've set at the beginning of the month: to keep the alignment awareness and to work off ice on my core strength. I've done the core exercises, and got sore muscles after, proof that they've got weeker. But it seams to me that the alignment awareness is not as strong... The first step in fixing things is identifying what is wrong with them. Some reasons I can think of: body feeling tired and hurting, less mental engagement, rushing, feeling less excited to "feel" the ice, probably because I was tired and hurting.

As for the frustration... On Ten Fox, the coach gave me 3 corrections. I was unable to do what he suggested on the 3-turn as my mind took over and gave me extra stuff. I was disappointed, but my coach pointed out that the 3-turn was better, and I corrected the other 2 things he asked for. Then, he asked me for speed/ power and instructed me to just go for it and not think about mistakes. He was happy with what I put out there, I was unhappy about the mistakes!

I don't think there is another way to learn then to have something explained, then corrected until you do it. And there are so many corrections in skating... This brings me again to the goal I was working on just before the quarantine break, of having my skating training (learning), process oriented, not goal oriented (that led me to feeling frustrated a lot). And I feel I'm trying...

And still, I feel I need something more to balance the effort of learning. When I first got on ice after the 3 months break, I was soo into what I (me, me, me...) was feeling. I'm trying to remember what I was feeling. And I remember I felt that I didn't care if somebody is watching or how do I look, I've just stepped back on ice after 3 month, I was allowing myself to " re learn" without judgment.   But I also remember I actually felt "pretty" (like not awkward). And that may be because I was doing easy things that I was comfortable with. And this may be what I'm yearning for... to have some time on ice when I don't learn/ train, to be there, on ice, feeling "pretty". I used to think of this as a goal of skating for my own enjoyment. So I'm planing to look for exercises that are comfortable enough so I can enjoy skating trough them, and also try to not "work" when doing some harder exercises, just go trough them...This may add joy to the training process and give some confirmation of progress.

About my progress... After the break I was lucky I skated the first three times at a rink with uncrowded sessions, we were just 4, 6 and  2 skaters on ice. Where I skate now, we are 10 skaters on ice and in the Monday session all skaters were high level and fast. I felt intimidated, but way less, then I was felling lets say a year before, and I felt I've held my own way. That's the biggest proof of the progress I've made!

First lesson after the break

I've got to skate on my own four times before I've had a lesson. As I told you in the previous post, some things felt better then before the 3 months break. Not the speed and power, but the balance and alignment. I was very eager to see my coach to get feedback on if I truly improved my alignment and how bad is my power, speed and extension...

I decided to use this first lesson for the MITF exercises from the Pre-Juvenile test. I will mention that at this rink, coaches are not allowed on ice, they teach from the hockey box, or by the doors, I was skeptic on how this will work. Only 10 skaters total are allowed on ice, all students.

1. Forward and backward crossovers on lobes holding the inside edge. For forward I was reminded to start the inside edge perpendicularly away from the axis, so I'll get to set a good inside edge.On the backward ones, while I understood theoretically, I've never truly felt that I've done well the weight transfer for the inner edge. And now I did, it needed a wider step then I used to do so the weight could go solidly on that side while being on an inside edge. Before, I either steeped on an outside edge, or to correct that I wasn't transferring all the weight to that side, so to force the edge I was twisting the upper body too much. My coach also hasn't mentioned anything about power, I know that The moment to work on it will come in the future, but it confirms to me that it is not appalling.

2. Forward outside to backward inside 3-turns. The first two I was in my head as I knew the coach was watching... and I haven't rotated the upper body enough, but I self corrected, and they all when well. I've got the correction to extend less, as it makes me lean forward with the upper body.

3. Forward inside to backward outside 3-turns. The only correction was on my best of these 3-s... On the left forward inside, on the exit edge I was holding the free leg to much to the back, making the edge too deep., so I have to hold the free leg more to the side... no problem. Everything else fine! I asked.... ok how slow are they, because that was an issue in the past when I was getting them ready for test. He said, well, they are slow, but you are not a freestyle, the judges shouldn't mind.

4. Power pulls, forward great. Backward, I never truly got them, but again, I feel I understood now a little better. I knew I was using the upper body too much and I also was leaning forward. Now, as my coach demonstrated in the hockey box, I saw more clearly the hips movement. He also said it should feel like a hop. I did a little better, still leaning forward. I'm thinking next time when I'm on ice to try to hold the free foot bent near the skating foot. It may be that I extend too much and that makes me lean forward.

5. Back circle eight. Outside is really good. Inside, it slows down after 2/3rds, to the point that if I don't get a very good push, I'm always worried if I'll make it all the way around. I've got the same corrections that I've always got: that I'm leaning outside of the circle as I move the upper body and bring the foot in after the half circle, and that I'm opening the free hip.

6. I haven't got a chance to do the 5 step mohawk, but that was generally good before.

So I'm filing all the moves in my head as on the right track! If I would have my coach available once a week, I think I would be tempted to work at them to test them. But, I'll see my coach only twice more. I misunderstood that he said he'll be at that particular rink for the entire summer, and I've bought ice only for June. Now, of course July and August ice is sold out. Hopefully as more rinks open we'll find ice that works for both of us and I can add more lessons.

Anyhow, coming back to testing, I definitely don't want to get caught up again in working at my skating so hard (for progress or for passing tests) that I lose the joy, so I'm welcoming the fact that I don't even have the possibility to test soon, to hopefully figure up a skating rhythm that will suit me better than the one I had before.

I'm also happy to report that I've skated now 6 times, and I'm mostly pain free! While skating, I'm not holding the extensions for now, I hope until I get to really get to work on dances to build the muscles needed. I also started this new skating journey by taking it easy, by holding back on bending the knees too much, so I'll give the quads a chance to strengthen. I'm adding more  knee bend on each skating session. After skating, I fell my left thigh and hip tighten,  so I stretch after immediately and I roll when I get home.

For now, all is well in my skating world.

Monthly skating review: progress and goals adjustment

Last week I skated Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I've already wrote about Monday, "the first time on ice after 3 months". Wednesday I followed the same plan to take it easy and work on alignment an balance and it went way easier the Monday, though I still felt little of balance moments going backwards. Friday I kind of felt very good.

Firstly, I was surprised by the intensity of the joy I've got from being on ice. I felt blissful, nirvanic, I don't think there is such a word, but it should be...

Now on the technique side, some aspects of my skating regressed for sure and I'm haven't even tried to add power, speed, extension and knee bend, though on Friday I haven't hold back as the days before.

But interestingly some aspects of my skating improved? I'm wondering if it was because I was very focused as I skated and I took it slowly and methodically, or because I worked during quarantine on posture awareness through ballet ( I found the upper body lift that some instructors call for) and on core strength trough pilates, but I felt better alignment, body lean and I felt that my hips and shoulders are leveled, not dropped.  It took me by surprise on Monday and I tried to think about it, and control it on Wednesday. Then, I haven't thought about this body alignment awareness on Friday until after the skating session was over, and it's not that it was gone, but it wasn't as strong. I  sooo don't want to loose it! So, I'm making this one of my goals going forward: to channel this posture awareness and engagement during the first minutes of each skating session.

Then I'm thinking I should be sure that I have the muscle strength to engage. Unfortunately I've never enjoyed working out, and even if during this 3 month quarantine I've done  regularly the 3 weekly zoom classes my ballet instructor was offering, it doesn't seem I've developed a habit.Yeap, I've done... none this last week. So I'll add to the goals list to develop and maintain core strength and posture awareness  trough off ice exercising, and it shouldn't even take away from the skating time.

This brings back the thought that I consider to balance my life, by not giving skating as much time and priority as before the quarantine. I have this suspicion, but it could be wishful thinking, that I would be happier overall and the skating progress wouldn't suffer much. What I would lose because of less training on ice I may gain trough other activities that lift my spirit and prepare my body, including maybe more dance classes. Looking back, before the quarantine, I think I skated without joy at least half the time, maybe I even got to the point of burn out. Maybe skating less, or at least with less intensity will work better.  At least I should give this a try, and see where is taking me. If it's gonna affect my skating progress in a big way I'll either have to accept that, or push skating more again.

Ironically, for now, as ice time is limited, I have absolutely no choice but to schedule my life around ice time, or I wouldn't get to skate at all...

First time on ice after 3 months

Yesterday was my first time on ice. I reserved ice at a rink 45 minutes away from me, when they first announced they'll open. I thought I'll allow one hour for the drive and half hour for warming up (outdoors) and doing the paperwork (waiver and receipts) and putting on the skates. Guess what, I barely made in on time. The traffic got worst as I was driving and I saw some exists barricaded (protests related I would think). But I've made it...

Once there and I entered with the mask on, one person took care of the paperwork by the entrance, took my temperature and escorted me to the bench near the rink. I put my skates on and got on ice. I've literally haven't touch anything, so they did a really great job on keeping the environment safe! They also asked us to keep the masks on while skating.

On ice there was a young skater with a coach and a teenager that laced up at the same time with me.

As I stepped on ice I got stuck? Like the blades wouldn't glide... and I almost tripped on my toe picks. I didn't panic as I remembered the advice to check the blades for rust after not using them for a long time. I made it to the hockey box and looked at the blades they seemed fine. I also remembered that I asked if the rink was cold, and they said no, that means the ice was soft. And it felt soft. Probably it was a combination of the blades needing few strokes to clean themselves and me needing to adjust to softer ice then I usually skate on, and after stroking easily twice around the rink I felt fine.

I've checked my "what exercises to do list" and did some swizzles forward - good, and backward - I was way too forward on my blade, hitting the toe picks... The kid was spinning and jumping between a blue line and the central line, and the other skater was doing twizzles on the other blue line. They were somehow in my way to go straight on the length of the rink, and  the short lines were all taken, so I didn't do the swizzles with breathing and the simple edges that were on my list.  I took a hockey circles and started forward circles 8.  They felt fine, but as payed attention to feeling the ice and my alignment, and I haven't payed attention to follow my tracing I realized I've made too many tracings so I couldn't really do "figures" style work. I was anyhow eager to try all my skills... So back circle 8. I had a mental hesitation about how to start it... the back push... I couldn't really remember, luckily my body did. First circle went around and as I started the second circle. Uups, I fell. Totally surprising! Luckily I've put my hip pad in, after I've initially forgotten... I did the back circle eight again twice, successfully, but I've realized that my balance going backward is not "muscle memory", I had to pay attention. I did the waltz 3-turns circles and they were fine but not very uniform. The exit edge for the 3-turns (going backward) felt short. I did some forward inside 3-turns and the exit edge (going backward) was short for sure. Half rink was empty and I did some crossovers on a circle, I found myself holding back on the forward ones as I didn't want to put too much extension or catch speed. On the backward ones I was on my toe pick scratching, a lot. Urggg. Everything going backwards needed adjustment...

Checking again my to do list I've started the next section with a little more "power" exercises. The slalom forward felt so satisfying, I've got the growl of approval from the ice. Backward I had to correct my posture, I was leaning forward, push my heels back, under me for better balance, but mostly I've realized I had to bend into my ankles more. Next on my list were the edge presses, I soo love these, I feel I get to work on posture, alignment, bending the knee and ankle, pressure into ice... I've already done the crossovers, I wasn't in the mood to do the power pulls, I went ahead to do the MITF exercise of crossovers on lobes holding the inside edge. I've felt I've got a quite good body lean and confidence in holding edge and I've caught some comfortable speed going forward, the kid cut my way, so I've slowed down at the end, and backward I was a little cautious, but not so scratchy as 5 minutes before. It didn't feel it was the right moment to go on the length of the rink again (isn't it funny how somehow when there are very few people on the rink, they don't move?). So I did some spins. The first one was way up on the toe pick, second one better but not great. I did a waltz jump, kind of perfect for the moment, so I've moved one keeping the good feeling on that.

Next on my list were the 3-turns (forward and backward, big, holding the edges, but not put on the big patter as for the MITF test). Yeiiii, they were there, waiting for me!!!  The dance dropped 3-turns felt off, I've realized the timing is off.

30 miutes have passed, my list was done up to "if there is more time" and the kid and the coach left. I had the length of the rink available so I went for the good old stroking with a little extension. Damn that left hip felt like a foreign body part, tensing immediately. I did chasses forward, backward, progressives, chasses again to get more flow. The mask was keeping my from breathing fully for these kind of "running" exercises. I slowed down and did few spins, better then before, and one very good back spin!

As I caught my breath I've realized I'm giddy! and relieved that all my skating work was not gone forever. Nobody's put any music, so I've went and ask permission, they said to use Bluetooth. But surprise.. the only music on my cell phone was ice dancing music. Oh well, I took it as a sign and went for it. Chasses again with (some) power and extension, went crazy with the swing rolls (damn the back extension to the left), dropped 3-turns hello, nice to see you again... and the Ten fox. I forgot to think about the existence of the outside mohawk, so I just did it. I took it afterward a little apart, it was fine.

The time was almost up, I wanted some speed so I thought I'll be safe and in control with the MITF crossovers pattern holding the inside edge. Then, I thought if I feel comfortable enough to do that with power, I should be able to do the power pulls, so I've done those too!

Looking back, I'm so happy I've had the plan to take it easy... and I figured out safely what I had to adjust. The first 30 minutes were spend almost "standing" no flow out of edges, just exercises for finding the balance and alignment. If I would have gone for my regular skating, I'm sure I would have gotten lots of off balance situations and erode my confidence.

I'll go back tomorrow! I cannot wait. I'll keep the same plan, start easy and build on it as I grow more comfortable.