Anxious skater?

Question

I just started my lessons. I am really anxious to be able to do more than backward wiggles and swizzles and stuff. My coach wants me to perfect all the basic moves, which I understand, but I really want to move faster than I am. I have a 15 min. private lesson once a week, but a practice every day for 30-60 minutes. What are some tips for learning faster? Please don't just say practice more or to take more classes, but specific tips for beginning moves (not very beginner, I can skate comfortably and stop, so not tips like bend your knees.) I know this is confusing, but thanks!

Answer 1

There are not really any tips on for learning faster. It is so frustrating when you are just doing boring basics but if you try doing some tricks and technical stuff that will hurt you when you learn jumps and spins. Also when you have to relearn them cuz you taught yourself the wrong way it is hard to break the bad habits you made teaching yourself. So coaches make you do stuff for a long time that you dont want to do because it really helps when you do aels and scratch spins. So i knw how you feel not being able just to skip to a lutz or a spiral but maybe try doing forward crossovers. that is the next big thing that you will learn in the next level and it is not to hard,just cross one leg over the other. Have fun skating!! :D :D :D :D

Answer 2

Well, your coach is right. You do need to learn all the basics before you can go on. But some things that may help are training off-ice as well. Try something like a cardio machine such as the bicycle because that will help to strengthen your knees, which will really help you to go. Try ballet also, every figure skater has done ballet at some point.

Answer 3

i ice skate once a day! so i know how hard it is when ur a beginner but u should stretch alot and make sure u do everything ur coach says no matter how stupid it sounds. trust me they know what there talking about. and no matter what don't give up. it's a slow process but it will pay off!! good luck!

Answer 4

I would suggest maybe adding another 15 minute lesson per week so that you can move along faster. I wouldn't suggest teaching yourself your own moves because you increase your risk of injury and having to relearn things because you learned them wrong (which is even more frustrating than moving slowly). I would also suggest talking to your coach and let her know that you would like to move faster. Also ask your coach for some tips as far as to what you need to improve so that you can move on faster. Good luck!

Answer 5

the most important thing to consider is quality not quantity. i know people who skipped out some of the most basic skills and now do dodgy jumps and spins :P

i know how frustrating it is not being up at as higher level as you'd like, but take your time and master the basic skills before worrying about more complicated things. and dont compare yourself to other more experianced skaters, everyone learns in their own time.

how are your edges? definitely spend time perfecting them; a good understanding and ability to do them will help sooo much. work on semi circles to begin with, then work up to full circles (figure 8's).

perhaps start working on turns or a two foot spin, just make sure to ask your coach for help if you have trouble as its easy to pick up bad habits when teaching yourself (I'm guilty of that hehe).

Happy Skating :)

Answer 6

Hey!

I know its boring perfecting the basics, but it will take a couple of lessons and thats it. To learn some stuff by your self, try forwards crossovers and backwards ones if you haven't already. Everyone starts some where right? Try a drag (Lunge)...hard when you start, but when you get the right postion thers no stopping you. Its gret thats you want to learn! and that you get to skate everyday! i only go 2-3 times a week. If you are really finding the basics to easy just ask your coach to do more adavnced stuff aswell. To learn faster...you cant really make this happen faster, but off ice trainnig helps. such as spirals, splits, balancing with your eyse losed really helps you too! it all pays off when your on the ice. Read up on the diffremt jumps and spins so you know what do expect when the time comes. Its best not to watch people om youtube and try to copy them, as every one does it diffrently and its easy to get into bad habbits, and hard to get out.  But if you watch them to get an idea, by all means do so! :)

Try:

Forward x;s

Backward x;s

Buny hop

Drag

Good luck, and mail me if you want any help :)

Answer 7

1st of all dont worry, you will get there. I remember those days and I feel your pain. There is this book its called the complete book of figure skating. I suggest you buy it. :D The thing is you try new stuff and learn from your mistakes. Like when you fall down you pause and think, What did I do wrong? Then try again. Or if you dont like to buy the book ask sk8ters from a higher level to show you the next steps. Observe carefully and try. DONT BE AFRAID TO FALL. Fear is your enemy, if you are afraid to fall, you woudn't really learn fast.

Answer 8

lessons do not help. my friend has been taking lessons for months now and i can do any trick she can with 5 minutes of practice. quit the lessons and free skate.

Answer 9

You might want to start forward crossovers if you haven't already. It's really very simple,just try to cross one foot over the other. For example, say you want to go around a circle in a counterclockwise direction, you would cross your right foot over you left foot then bring you left foot forward and cross you right foot over it again.You wolud keep repeating that pattern. Make sure you lean into the circle. I think you should try crossovers. But, you should spend time on the basics moves still and make sure that you learn them well. In some respects they are the most important things to learn. If you don't have good basics you will have a harder time with the jumps and spins. Frank Carrol (Sasha Cohen's coach) once said 95% of the jump is the entry. So learn the basics well,and good luck with your skating!

Answer 10

Go to youtube.com.

There are a number of training videos there (Ice Moves is one to search for) where they point out thing that are going on the skaters.  And there are tons out there.

Also watch when skating if broadcast and people that are big name are there commentating they point out a lot of things.

Much of this wont help *right now* but will sit and develop in you mind and help you as you go along.