What is your biggest "problem" in skating?

[Chico]

I got to thinking about this in my lesson today. I have a million little ism's, but this wasn't what I was thinking. I was thinking about how my personal worries; crossing my free leg in backspins, weird feeling of the lutz, etc., that cause me the biggest issues in skating. If I somehow could win these battles I would accomplish something huge. Is this true for you? The mental battles that is. If something makes me uncomforable I struggle, nomatter how easy it is. And, things that should be hard, some doubles, don't bother me in the least.

Chico

[TashaKat]

Back 3's ..... both before and after breaking my wrist doing them :roll: I'll throw myself happily into double jumps (have attempted at one time or other up to 2lutz), I've even tried lifts but those b***** back 3's freak me out :frus: Mind you, the first time that I tried them I fell over backwards and cracked my head so that *could* have something to do with it :roll:

[jenlyon60]

Oh... this one is so easy...

In ice dance, intro-3's at full speed and power with my coach as partner.

And I know what I'm doing ... but I'll be darned if I can consistently fix it. Especially at the speed of the Paso.

[Figureskates]

A good and interesting question.

I find in general my biggest problem is to get what is in my brain, down to my skates. I have a partial photographic memory in that I can see what to do and visualize it clearly in my head. HOWEVER, by the time the information reaches the ole feet, it is nearly total gibberish. I eventually do "get it" but sometimes it is frustratingly slow. I don't know whether this is a factor of age or not because my 12 year old figure skating niece picks it up instantly....much to the chagrin of the uncle!!

[kisscid]

I have "wild" arms. They never stay where they are supposed to. When i jump I find that i oump them and twist them trying to aide in the rotation. of course all that does is throw me off. When i spin they end up un odd positions. Just call me "wild Thing"
Cid

[NoVa Sk8r]

In singles competition, I tend to OVERTHINK my program. I thought (oops, there I go again!) that I was just overreacting and being hard on myself until a judge came up to me and told me to stop thinking and just skate! :oops:

I can land nice axels in the harness, but once the belt comes off, I become so frightened. I think it's becasue I've had a stress fracture in my lower back, as well as 2 pinched nerves. But to be able to just get out there and throw caution to the wind (are you listening, brain!) ... Also, my left arm/shoulder has this habit of drooping, which throws me out of whack.

In pairs, I get mad scared when my mind becomes conscious and realizes that I have to pick someone up into a lift. Sometimes my legs/back won't cooperate.

[Mrs Redboots]

Shifting my not-inconsiderable body-weight quickly enough to be able to turn at speed.

Crossing my legs on the ice, especially one behind the other.

Cluck-cluck..... in other words, being generally chicken.

[skatingatty]

There are lots (eg. still can't easily do a back spin, can't get my legs crossed for axel and dbl sal attempts), but one that no one else has mentioned yet is "not being a morning person." If only I could jump out of bed at 5 or 6 am every weekday to practice before going to work-- my skills would probably be a lot better, and I wouldn't have to go to public sessions in the evenings or on weekends. I've tried to go in the mornings, but usually if there's not a lesson, I smack the alarm clock and return to bed. Back when I had lessons in the mornings, I'd be so drowsy and sluggish, and forget about doing a decent axel (attempt) when you're 1/2 awake and dizzy!

[1lutz2klutz]

I'm with Annabel- i'm too chicken to do anything at full speed.

[MQSeries]

My body refusing to cooperate with my mind :)

[NCSkater02]

Can I just lump most of the above responses as my answer??

I totally agree with the brain knowing, but the body not getting the message. I tell my coach this all the time.

The FEAR factor--I'm 41, and I can really hurt myself out there. (I've bonked my head and gotten minor concussions twice so far)

I have great difficulty stopping my left shoulder from continuing to rotate, and I drop my left shoulder/side all the time.

The biggest problem is doubting myself. I'm not getting any younger, and once in a while, (especially after a fall) I find myself wondering what the heck I am doing in a "young person's" sport. Then I look at how far I've come in 2 1/2 years, (not to mention the 30 pounds I've lost) and remember why I'm out there, learning and (usually) having fun.

[Terri C]

I feel that my biggest problem of all is overcoming fear. At the age of 12, I was diagnosed with epilepsy, so while most adult skaters have fear issues, I feel that my "fear factor" is twice as bad. Even though I haven't had a seizure in close to 20 years, I'm still on medication and did have a very nasty concussion about 5 years ago, along with a broken wrist. all on a scratch spin!

[Beccapoo2003]

Axel....Axel...Axel...Axel....Axel....Axel...Axel. ..axel...Axel....Axel....Axel....Axel....Axel....A xel.....Axel....Axel.....Axel....Axel...Axel....Ax el...Axel..Axel...................
Sound familiar? USH!!! :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus: :frus:
Becca from Alabama

[Chico]

Wow, I have tons of company! I know this is bad, but I'm glad I have company. I have to admit to wondering if I was the only skater to have weird little mental things. Add me to the group who has mind/body problems. I tell my body what to do, but swear it has it's own agenda some days. I'm also one of those people who can do great floor axels, four in a row!, to fall apart on the ice. I do an axel something most days. I love hearing everyones input.

Chico

[Figureskates]

I think fear is another problem. Face it, we do not heal like kids do.

I dislocated my right shoulder at age 53 and it took almost a year before all the pain was gone. My niece on the other hand, broke her arm and 8 weeks later is back out on the ice.

[jazzpants]

A toss up between being chicken (not b/c of speed but b/c of lack of control of edges) and having performance anxiety...

[mousey]

not being 'polished'. like not having the nice pointed toes, and good extension. also, bent knees!! i have the famous bent-knee spiral :lol: no matter how hard i try to straighten my knees :)

[batikat]

How many are we allowed - think I could fill pages......

Main problem for jumps - fear of falling. I can count on the fingers of one hand (or less) the number of times I have fallen on a salchow or toe-loop but this is why it has taken me so long to learn to do a decent one of either. My mind is simply not prepared to let me get out there and fling myself in to jump attempts. I wish it was, as I think I would have all the singles by now if I could just go for it without the fear factor stopping me.

Second problem for jumps - especially the Loop - is an inability to stay on and control the RBO edge. Left back outside no problem but anything on my right outside, especially backwards, is just disastrous. This is a big problem for the Loop and also for all jump landings as I never feel very secure on that landing edge.

Upper body swingy-ness! Discovered this when I started doing a figures class. I have a real problem controlling the upper body which always wants to swing round, usually to the left, of it's own accord. I try really hard to control it but it just goes - may have something to do with my lopsided shoulders - one is naturally much more round shouldered than the other. Plus I have been suffereign from 'frozen shoulder' for the best part of a year - it's not painful all the time any more but i can still feel it when I move my arm in certain ways.

Bad knee from a skiing accident in my twenties - was supposed to have keyhole surgery but never did due to a move abroad to Borneo where the surgeon had only ever done one before - didn't want him using me for practice!!!!!

Bad back - have had minor slipped disc troubles and trouble with a seized up sacro-illiac joint which have cased me to miss competitions!! Chiropractor who cured my sacro-illiac joint pain said my spine has all the flexibility of an 80 year old!! This is why I don't like spirals.

There's more but think that's enough for now....

ooh just had to add the 'not understanding what on earth the coach is trying to show me' problem. Why is it that the coaches can show the kids something and they seem to be able to just follow. I look at what he is doing but just don't seem able to translate that to movement in my own body. And then when I do finally get it (once it's broken down into minute steps and evey edge and change of weight explained) he then wants me to do it on the other leg and then I'm back to square one without a clue. So I am regularly stood there durign Field move type exercises looking completely clueless and coach is sighing........or I start off OK but by the time I get to the second rep I find I am doing something completely different or have forgotten what I am supposed to be doing.

OOOH and toe-pick scraping when going backwards....

OK I'll stop now.

[skateflo]

Fear combined with lack of self-confidence - still after many years I just don't feel I have the control and fast response to move if someone gets within 15 feet of me. It has ruined so many practice sessions for me and my progression. How can I get better if I feel I am always relegated to the side boards except in lesson!? Either the ice is very crowded or there are lessons going on in each corner and jumpers are careening through the center - how will I ever get to practice a waltz 8 or my program if I can't navigate!?

This pops up on a regular basis, especially when I have hit a plateau in my skating. It was so bad this past week that I was in tears (hiding my face) with my coach and we decided I needed a week without a lesson to mentally chill out. I had had such a wonderful time during my June vacation (2 weeks) and was so proud of my skating, made great progress, felt the joy of skating, and now the stress of life off the ice has effected my sense of accomplishment and my skating skills! When feeling so emotional, I also become sensitive about lack of adult support except for my coach and apologized for venting and dumping on her.....and whined "I want my own rink!!"

On a more technical level, my right shoulder just doesn't ever want to go back in a check position and my left hip always wants to close up! I know I need to get back doing off-ice exercises on a regular basis, but this time of year the house and yard require so much work! And now I have erupted with painful arthritis in my hands and fatigue. At almost 58 I wonder if it is time to close this chapter of my life (skating) but I just can't throw in the towel without getting my simple program polished and on video for posterity. I also fear that without the skating exercise my body would ooze out in all directions.

It is so frustrating, and obviously I am not alone, when my mind and body just do not connect! I wish someone would come up with magic wand that they could wave over me so that every 'mind' command goes immediately to the body part and it responds instantly and correctly.

[icenut84]

The first thing that comes to mind for me is spin entries. The back crossover part and the BI edge I can do fine, but I've always found it so hard to get the FO edge and entry into the spin right. If I could do that part properly, I'd probably be a much better spinner. I can actually spin ok, but (largely) because of the entry, they almost always travel, which also throws off my balance. On the few occasions that I've managed it and the spin has been closer to centred, I could do pretty good (for me) spins and have experienced that feeling when you're completely balanced and you can just let it happen. I wish I could spin with that feeling every time :( Not to say that my actual spins are that good either - but with a decent entry, I'm sure they'd be much better. Guess I just have to carry on working on it... :cry:

[Careygram]

I think consistency on the harder jumps. I have them, they go away, I have them, they go away. Also, I'm scared of the throw axel for some reason. I don't mind throw double salchow and we've taken some wicked spills on those but still not a big deal.

It's all mental isn't it? Where can I get a "I don't give a sh*t" pill??? If I invent them would anyone want some? :roll:

[Chico]

skateflo,

I want my own rink too! Can we have front door coach service too? =-) And one of those magic wands! Maybe our coach could bring one in her skate bag. If I'm going to dream, I'm going to do it big time!

chico

[MissIndigo]

I am too precise with my movement, which I think can hold me back. I am particularly guilty of this when it comes to my power 3's. My coach wants me to just let go, thinking the moves will come to me easier if I don't think about the geometry of them too much, but I can't help it. :??

[kayskate]

Right now it's the lutz. I am re-learning it to eliminate change of edge. My BI3s are actually better than my lutz right now. Amazing. I'm pairing BI3s with back xovers to make interesting patterns that I don't mind practicing.

Kay

[TimDavidSkate]

Getting motivated :frus:

[Michigansk8er]

Looking at the ice. Hey, I have to keep on the lookout for little people! :lol:

[Mrs Redboots]

Keeping my body-weight in the right place; somehow, in everything I did today, it was too far forward. And when the coach told me to raise my right hip - well, I knew to do it, but I could not isolate the muscle group needed.....

[sk8ndancr]

Skateflo, My daughter (whom you know!) used to have the same problem with crowded sessions and liked to stay by the boards. After she started ice dance and learned several patterns, she got much more used to navigating around the rink and the traffic bothered her much less. Why don't you ask your coach to show you a few patterns? It's worth a try, and may de-stress you! Who knows, you may turn into an ice dancer!