fitofrage
01-16-2004, 07:45 AM
Hello, all! I'm 33 and just getting ready to sign up for my first lessons. I've skated recreationally since I was a kid, but only once or twice each year. Skating forward is fairly good for me--I have good balance and speed, I can stroke, cross over, and glide on one foot. However, I'm very weak skating backwards, as I only learned how a few years ago. I can do a 3 turn, but then I can only go backwards for about ten feet or so, and very slowly. It gets slightly better after I practice a bit, but it's still not great. My local rink lists the following adult classes, and I'm not certain where I belong:
Pre-Alpha
For those who have not had organized instruction in skating. Students will work on gliding, forward and backward swizzles, backward wiggles and one-foot glides.
Alpha
Forward stroking, forward crossovers and one-foot snowplow stop. Prerequisite: Pre-Alpha skills
Even though I already have some of the skills, should I begin in pre-Alpha? I'm not oppsed to starting at the beginning, but I wonder if it will still be worthwhile if it turns out the most of the other classmembers have really never been on skates before. At the same time, I want to build a strong foundation, so I don't want to short myself on the basics. I have about a month before the next round of classes starts (which is good, because I need to break in my new boots), so I will be practicing a few times per week until then. Any advice from those of you who either teach or have taken adult classes would be much appreciated. Thanks--
Danielle
Pre-Alpha
For those who have not had organized instruction in skating. Students will work on gliding, forward and backward swizzles, backward wiggles and one-foot glides.
Alpha
Forward stroking, forward crossovers and one-foot snowplow stop. Prerequisite: Pre-Alpha skills
Even though I already have some of the skills, should I begin in pre-Alpha? I'm not oppsed to starting at the beginning, but I wonder if it will still be worthwhile if it turns out the most of the other classmembers have really never been on skates before. At the same time, I want to build a strong foundation, so I don't want to short myself on the basics. I have about a month before the next round of classes starts (which is good, because I need to break in my new boots), so I will be practicing a few times per week until then. Any advice from those of you who either teach or have taken adult classes would be much appreciated. Thanks--
Danielle