Getting a bit down about skating??

[iskatealot]

I was just wondering what every 1 else does when they start 2 feel bad about their skating. Like bad compitition results :evil: or still cant land that jump :frus: type thing
I tend 2 sit around wearing every medal I have ever won and look through my book with all my test results and pictures from skating....or I read the Poem that Barb underhill gave and autographed 4 me..........
just wondering about what the rest of u do?

[Melzorina]

I get really fustrated when I'm working one something and I just can't do it, and my instructor keeps making me do it again and again, and I absolutley hate it, no matter how hard I try it just doesn't work. I do get quite stressy, but when I finally get it right, I tend to jump up and down clapping my hands saying "Oh my God I did it!!!"

I know that today I went skating and couldn't do ANYTHING. I don't know what was wrong with me, but that made me mad so I went home after an hour. What a waste of about £7.50!

I don't have any medals or anything. I only have my little grade booklet which ran away over christmas. :cry:

[Mrs Redboots]

I usually do patch - it's a complete change of pace, and helps me get back "in the zone". And if I tell my instructor I'm having a bad patch, he tends to change my exercises to help me over them - and we do patch!

[techskater]

I tend to go back to things I do really well like the layback, spread eagle, etc. I always end a session on a high note with an element I just LOVE LOVE LOVE to do.

[dbny]

I do things that are fun for me, and my lessons pretty much always make me feel good.

[Melzorina]

Once I can do what I was struggling with, I learn to love it.

[fadedstardust]

I just go skate and hammer at it until I fix whatever is wrong with an element that I either did wrong in competition or that bothered me in practice, and I refuse to leave the rink or do anything else until it's fixed. Sometimes it takes a while, sometimes I end up really hurting myself, and overall my coaches aren't too happy about it and I wouldn't reccomend this approach to anyone else, but it's the only way I can walk away from the rink not crying. I don't get frustrated all that much anymore though, I just know some days you're on, some days you're off, but most days you're somewhere in between.

[Skate@Delaware]

Sometimes things just aren't working, so I just skate (real fast) and blow off some steam, then switch to something else. Some days are jump days, some are spins, while others are basic stroking and posture.

I try to take each day as it comes. I also look back (via my skate log) and see how far I've come. Puts things in perspective. I also think about some of the older skaters who are just learning (I try not to compare my progress to the little ones :roll: ).

Terry

[doubletoe]

I will usually spend at least an hour trying to approach the problem element from different angles, trying to figure out how to fix it. I'll usually figure out at least something that ends up helping, and if I can figure it out even halfway, I can usually feel some sense of accomplishment. Then I'll try other elements I need to work on until I actually discover one that seems to be working that day. I'll spend a little time on the element that's working so that I can leave the ice on a good note.

If I find that nothing is working, then I know I'm just tired or "off" so I'll do a big spread eagle or Ina Bauer to feel like I can skate, then get off the ice, reminding myself that some people expend the same amount of energy just to get in shape, but don't even have any skating elements to show for it. ;)

[jazzpants]

I try to do other things that I enjoy doing. If I was in a public session and I hear a piece of music I like skating to, I try to improvise a program or a small segment of one. Keeps me moving and thinking about the music, not the skating, which usually helps me to skate better.

I noticed that my primary coach does this too (well, the program improvisation part...) Of course, he skates WAAAAY prettier in his improvisation than me! :P

[Casey]

Sometimes things just aren't working, so I just skate (real fast) and blow off some steam, then switch to something else.

I do that too...a few hard laps at full speed with hard runs around the ends (not to mention people/children-dodging ;) ) usually expends a lot of energy, then I get off the rink and drink a bunch of water, then work on something else and come back to the problem item later on.

I must have looked like a true fool last night - when I finally got all 4 forward 3-turns with followed by a backward one (even if they weren't all the prettiest), I threw my fists into the air in a little victory salute. Sure did feel good though :D

[Chico]

I'm a fast lap gal too. =-) After I skate off some of my grumpiness I work on something that makes me feel good. I have learned that what doesn't happen today probably will in a day or two. I TRY not to sweat it too much. I also try to THINK about what I am doing and how far I have come. If all else fails I "cry" to a skating pal who understands.

Chico

[slusher]

I'm also a fast lap girl. A few times around at top speed and then back to the problem. These days it's spins, so needless to say, my stroking has improved in comparison
:lol: