looking lumbering and labored

[double3s]

Watching videos of myself skate, the thing that stands out most is that I look lumbering and labored. I can't quite figure out what it is - I have good (for my prebronze/bronze level) speed, power, and edges. I don't have quickness though, so even though I may be going at a good pace, it tends to look much slower than it is. I am heavy, but I've seen skaters larger than me look smooth and graceful. I don't have that hesitant or tentative look that some skaters have. I'm expending energy, certainly, but not working overly hard or about to pass out from effort. I just look - lumbering and labored.

What is it, specifically, that makes some people have that labored look, while others .... don't?

[kayskate]

Saw your waltz jump and spin vid then looked at some of your MITF & dance vids. Looks like your basic skating skills are much better than your FS. You are a bronze adult? IMO, you look good. You have to compare yourself to the std for bronze adult not to what you see in elite comps on TV. We all tend to compare our vids to Kwan on tv. We will all be disappointed. We look slower than we feel, and for those of us who are not petite, we are shocked to see how big we look on that blank white canvas compared w an elite skater or competitive teen. BTW, they are very small and thin. ;)

That being said, speed and grace come w time. How long have you been skating? I warm up w bronze MITF every time I skate and they can always use fine-tuning. That is the beauty of skating. You are never done. You are never satisfied. You can always get better.

Little things I noticed. You might want to ask your coach about creative or graceful arm movements you can incorporate into your MITF and dance. This will make you look less stiff. I see a little pitching forward at the waist in your 5step and waltz jump approach. Remember to stay upright and firm in the torso & abs.

Overall, I think you are having a typical reaction to seeing yourself on vid.

Kay

[samba]

Kayskate has it so right!! I spent my last lesson with my coach shouting "push push push" so much I thought I was going to give birth!!

[doubletoe]

You are actually doing quite well; this is just a gradual process. The one thing that has reduced the lumbering look for me has been MIF, MIF and more MIF. Not only do they teach you how to get more power per stroke and use your edges efficiently, but they also just give you more control over your edges. When we look lumbering, it's because our weight isn't in the right place or our body position is not right for transitioning from one edge to the next. In other words, it's just a matter of technique and control, which you will get by working on MIF with your coach.
Looking at your videos, the one thing I think would give you more smoothness and control would be to keep your knees deeply bent at all times. I find that rather than thinking of bending my knees, it helps to think of keeping my butt low to the ice and keep my feet far apart.
As for the waltz jumps and spins, it looks like you just don't trust yourself enough. You are a strong skater, based on your MIF progress, but you don't realize how much edge control you actually have. Allowing yourself to leave the ice is only a scary thing if you have poor edge control, but you have very strong edges. You have to believe that you can trust your RBO edge landing even if you allow yourself to bend that left knee and really spring up off the toe and get some air on your waltz jump. Trust yourself a little more! :)

[flo]

Know what you mean. With any skater - adult or kid, the flow comes with time. It's hard to remember to point your toes and flow gracefully when you're first starting and are trying to stay upright. That being said, there are a few things you can work on now that will carry you through all levels of skating. So start now, and they will be second nature.

I remember when I first learned 3 turns, that I really wanted it to not only be correct, but look good. So first, make up your mind that it's very possible.

Make sure your whole body is along for the ride, from your toes to your nose. If all body parts are involved, nothing should look stiff or heavy. I try to think of myself as having ribbons extending from the hands and free foot, or that my toes and fingers are an extra foot long. They are an extension of me and so I try to see that each movement is finished to the end of these extensions.

When you're practicing an element, try to start from movement. For example if you're having someone film your waltz jump, skate out there and keep moving right into your back crossovers or whatever you do to get into a back edge. This will help you learn the transitions as well. Keep in mind that the transitions are often what is lacking in not only beginning, but advanced skaters.

If you're practicing an element in a program, always do the steps before and after the element. For example I have a cammel-fly-cammel in my program. Right before it is a bracket and right after is a Sonja Hennie step, so I do all of this to practice the spin.

Something that helps is to remember that the take off and landing are part of the jump - it should be one fluid movement. I see a lot of kids let it go right after the landing foot touches the ice. Keep up the extended position until the landing is complete - it really makes a difference in the jump.

Keep your head up - this will improve your balance and also give the perception of higher jumps and lighter skating. Remember the audience follows your eyes, so use them as well!

Commit to every position. Give it it's due and it will come naturally.
And finally enjoy it, and let everyone around you see it!

PS, saw your vids - you're soooo on your way! Looks great.

[SkatingOnClouds]

:lol: when I saw the title of the thread, I thought you'd been watching me skate :lol:

Lumbering and heavy is how I feel my skating is, and I am sure it looks that way too. But then I am a big, heavy person (aka fat).

Others have listed some really good hints here, which I intend to take on board. My coach has just started again trying to drag me back to basics (she isn't my first coach) and doing some footwork patterns of steps from backwards to forwards, different varieties of mohawks, waltz 3s, all sorts.
Within half an hour I noticed an improvement in my ability to do these things.

For me it seems to come down to knee bend so I don't lean forward,
co-ordination of my shoulders and hips, and posture, posture, posture. Let me know what you find works for you.

[double3s]

Overall, I think you are having a typical reaction to seeing yourself on vid.
Kay

Thanks for the feedback Kay - I wish you lived nearby so you could help me fix my broken power3s!

[double3s]

When we look lumbering, it's because our weight isn't in the right place or our body position is not right for transitioning from one edge to the next.

Trust yourself a little more! :)

Thanks for your kind words doubletoe - I will try to remember that yes, I *have* an RBO and can do this! Also the comment about our weight not being inthe right place is very useful - I think I'm generally not collected enough above the waist which is pulling me off balance, despite the strong edges.

[double3s]

Keep your head up - this will improve your balance and also give the perception of higher jumps and lighter skating. Remember the audience follows your eyes, so use them as well!

PS, saw your vids - you're soooo on your way! Looks great.

Awww, thanks Flo. And why is that keeping my head up is the *hardest* thing about skating?!

[double3s]

For me it seems to come down to knee bend so I don't lean forward, co-ordination of my shoulders and hips, and posture, posture, posture. Let me know what you find works for you.

Yup. Kneebend, kneebend, kneebend. Argh!

Oh and BTW, I don't think being fat is what makes us look lumbering. I've seen very large (fat) skaters move effortlessly and gracefully over the ice, and skinny little skaters lurch around like Frankenstein. One of the things I love most about my coach is that he *never* lets me use being fat as an excuse for not doing something properly. (I'm less thrilled about his occasional soliloquies on my "jiggly bits" or his metaphors that compare me to a monster truck!)

[doubletoe]

Thanks for your kind words doubletoe - I will try to remember that yes, I *have* an RBO and can do this! Also the comment about our weight not being inthe right place is very useful - I think I'm generally not collected enough above the waist which is pulling me off balance, despite the strong edges.

Yes, I find that when I look awkward/lumbering it's usually a combination of my shoulder position being slightly off and the rather common error of trying to step onto the next edge before letting the first edge completely finish its arc. Oh, and by the way, I would certainly not describe you as "fat." I have seen "fat" and it doesn't look like you. ;)

[flo]

It really takes time to be comfortable on the ice, but you'll be doing even new moves with the look of a seasoned skater. For me that means falling on doubles and getting up again!

The knee bend is key, and I tell my kids something my coach told me. Make up the height your boots and blades gives you with knee bend. You want to feel like you're gliding through the ice (which in reality you are) and not on top of it.