Is anyone a figure skating coach or figure skater?

Question

Okay, so i am teaching an ice skating lesson this weekend. It's my first time and I need some ideas on what to do. The kids are beginners.

Answer 1

ask what they have been working on and teach them what u learned when u were a beginner

Answer 2

im a figure skater.....im 11 and i would start out wit like get some beanie babies or like stuffed animals and put them on the ice let the kids skate to them and pick them up. teach them how to walk/run on the ice. teach them how to glide and stuff u would want to make it fun for them if ur with rly little kids

Answer 3

How old are the kids?  If they're the real little ones, bring your back brace!  :)  Usually the tiny ones don't pay much attention to any formal instruction, so whatever you do with them has to be through a game of some type.  If they're a little older, like 7 on up, it's a little easier to actually "learn" things.  

For a tot-type class, if they can stand on their own, you're already ahead of the game.  Sometimes they like to cling to the wall -- or you -- to stay on their feet and that is if they're not crying already.  :)  With the little ones, go over ice safety...."fall" down as a group, show them to go to their hands and knees first, add the bark like a doggie thing if you want, then one foot up, next foot up, ta da!  Show them to try to fall to the side.  You can do that off ice and then again once you get on the ice.  If they'll come away from the wall, try to get them to march....start with a "little" march, then see if they'll do a "big" march.  If you can get them to do things, you can take it from there and do swizzles, wiggles, snowplows and two-foot glides.  Sometimes it's kind of hard to hold their attention -- especially with mom and dad on the other side of the glass with every type of camera known to man.  Play a few "games."  Start in a circle and call it your "pond" or "ocean."  Everyone gets out their fishing pole, puts the worm on and casts into the pond.  Then to pull their "catch" out of the water, they have to do backward wiggles.  Each skater tells you what they caught (whale, mermaid, shark, etc.), has to act out their creature and then throw them back.  Once everyone has caught something, they all wiggle back into their little circle.  The real little ones aren't always into red light green light, but older kids sometimes have fun with it.

The older kids are sometimes a little more receptive to formal instruction.  Again, go over falling/getting up -- depending on the age, you can probably skip the doggie part.  Try to get them moving on their own and go into marching, two-foot glides, swizzles, backward wiggles, dips, one-foot glides and snowplow stops.  After some formal stuff, try a few games so they can apply what they've learned.  Red light green light is great for forward skating (make them do swizzles) and snowplow stops.  Or if you have a hockey stick, have them limbo by doing dips under the stick while you hold it for them.  I have had a lot of skaters in group lessons really dig that game....to the point of uncontrollable giddiness.  haha  But first, make sure they're all doing their dips the right way -- arms out in front, butt down...not face down...because I have had a few rush and land in a heap under the limbo pole or bump a head.  After you get an impression of the group...are they boys/girls, are they enjoying learning to skate or not....at the end, maybe teach them a beginning two-foot spin.  It gives them a "trick" to show their parents and kids are usually amazed by spins and try to do their own version of a spin to show off to everyone.  They don't always look at the stopping and forward skating as a skill they need, but they think the spin is "really cool."

Good luck with your group!!  :)

Answer 4

Be Very Patient.

You should probably start with falling and getting up.

Then stuff such as marching on ice, forward swizzles, two foot glide, etc.

The United States Figure Skating Association has a whole program with it. Maybe get the book that shows what you do in the different levels.

Answer 5

well, if its their first time, they probably have never been on ice before. I suggest holdin onto the ledge, and try to skate. Then, go off the ledge. When the kids masters that, you could teach them to "march" down the ice, with prepares them for skating with 1 feet