Swapping from artistic to figure skating?

Question

hi, im an artistic skater, who is about to swap to figure skating. I'd been doing artistic for about 3 years, but i could skate far better than most people before that, and i already knew some basic jumps and spins. artistic i learnt axel, salchow, teapot spin, spiral etc. i was confident on my blades, i didnt even have to think about it, i could turn, jump, spin, stop etc as naturally as walking. i was on rec blades for about 2 years, then moved onto art blades.

except now I've moved, and the nearest artistic club is like an hour away. there is a really good figure skating club right down the road though, so I've decided to try that.

until yesterday, i had never been ice skating in my life.

so i went to a session, and it felt SO weird. i had to think about what i was doing, and i kept losing control when i forgot and did things that dont work on the ice. i didnt fall or anything, and i didnt have a problem turning round and skating backwards, but it just didnt feel as natural, and i was too scared to try any jumps or spins (i took a year off this year after injuring my knee really badly in training)

im signing up for the learn to skate classes, and then hopefully i can join a group class, or start private lessons.

will it always feel this unnatural? will i lose the habits ive picked up from art?

and when i start the jumps, spins etc, will they be very different to artistic? are any the same? is the technique different?

Answer 1

Yes, the technique is different, but I think you'll probably pick it up fairly quickly.  There was a girl that skated with our club for a bit who grew up doing artistic and then switched to ice for awhile (I think she ended up going back to artistic).  She seemed to pick things up quickly because a lot of the muscle memorization and the foundation for the elements was already there.  She didn't ever seem to adjust to the difference in landing jumps though.  Landing on ice, she seemed to land on a flat all the time rather than on the toe and rocking back on the blade.  I think it only feels unnatural to you now because of the differences in technique.  There are some things that aren't interchangeable between the sports, but the basis is the same.  Some things are called different names and technically, there are things that are borrowed from each sport so there is overlap.  Bad habits and good habits may be interchangeable.  You may find some things easier in one sport than the other.  I would maybe spend some time just getting used to the ice.  Take your time, do it on your terms and get acclimated to blades.  You may find you'll work up some confidence to try some things once you feel comfortable.  Once you think you're ready, get into some lessons.  You may find group lessons are not as advanced as what you need, but maybe talk to the program director and explain what you're trying to do.  They may even be able to recommend a private coach for you or have you spend some time in a group lesson program to help you change over.  It'll be a learning experience and will take some time, but since you already know a lot of things, I don't think it will take long before you're spinning and jumping again.  :)  Good luck!

Answer 2

no idea