Super soft ice

[Skittl1321]

I posted this in my journal, but thought I would share, some coaches might get a kick out of it. (And perhaps an idea if they need a way to keep a beginners hands still on super slippery ice)

Today our ice was very warm, very wet, and incredibly slippery (because it was taking a lot to get grooves it in, the ice was just melting on itself and filling them in.) One of my SS1 kids, who was doing SO good standing up on his own last week- from having never been on skates before, to learning how to do it in the first 15 minutes to like 80% of the time in the last 15 minutes (poor kid was falling a lot- but just the legs too far apart slip to the ice fall- not the crack the tailbone/head falls), but today he was just was sliding all over the place. He couldn't get his gloved hands to stay still if he was able to hold one foot steady, his feet were just slipping out from under him if he did manage to keep the hands still. If I held his first foot in place, he could get the second one there, but on his own he was at a complete loss. His hands weren't aiding him at all, and he definetly needs the "push, push, push, against the ice- find your balance" step still!.

So I told him I'd put MY hands on the ice, and he could put his hands on mine and push them like he does the ice, but my hands won't slip like the ice does. He did it and it worked (yay!). Now when the ice is ridiculously slippery I have a new idea in my arsenal.

BUT and when I took my hands up, there were very obvious melted into the ice hand prints. The ice was THAT soft, that just in a few seconds it melted to my hand print. Oops- didn't meant to put a dent in the ice. But once he had been able to stand up on his own, the memory of doing it came back and he was fine for the remaining 15 minutes. But poor kid was getting SO frustrated, his legs/arms flailing all over trying to stand up. He was getting pouty and just scootching over to me, to try to have me pull him up. (In SS1 I have a "Try 3 times, then I'll help you" rule. If they are having trouble we do it together. Ususally I just hold one foot in place to help them "do it by themself" but if they've been falling a ton, closer to the end of class I just pop them back up. In SS2/3 it's "get up on your own" until the kid is falling so much I feel badly for them, and just pick them back up.) I'm so glad I thought to take the slipperyness away, so he could do it on his own.

[Skating Jessica]

(poor kid was falling a lot- but just the legs too far apart slip to the ice fall- not the crack the tailbone/head falls), but today he was just was sliding all over the place. He couldn't get his gloved hands to stay still if he was able to hold one foot steady, his feet were just slipping out from under him if he did manage to keep the hands still. If I held his first foot in place, he could get the second one there, but on his own he was at a complete loss. His hands weren't aiding him at all, and he definetly needs the "push, push, push, against the ice- find your balance" step still!.

So I told him I'd put MY hands on the ice, and he could put his hands on mine and push them like he does the ice, but my hands won't slip like the ice does. He did it and it worked (yay!). Now when the ice is ridiculously slippery I have a new idea in my arsenal.

Do you mean that this worked for helping him push himself up from a fall to a standing position? Sorry, I'm a little confused.

[Skittl1321]

Do you mean that this worked for helping him push himself up from a fall to a standing position? Sorry, I'm a little confused.

Yes. He couldn't get his hands or legs to stay still on the ice- because it was smooth and not at all cut up like it normally is. He has very little control over his feet, and gloved hands slip and slide like crazy.

So I put MY hands on the ice and he was able to use my hands for some traction- and was able to keep his hands still long enough to push himself back up to a standing position. Because he wasn't having to worry about his hands slipping, he was able to think about his feet. I didn't actually HELP him stand up (by either holding his foot still, or by lifting him). My hands were palm down to the ice.


I use the "like a doggy", "one foot up", then push the ice with two hands until you can get your second foot on the ice method of getting up. I haven't found any 2-4 year olds who can push against their knee to stand up, like some of the coaches teach the basic skills kids.


Honestly the part I was so amused at is that the ice was so soft, my hand prints melted into the ice in the short time it took him to stand up.

[Skating Jessica]

I use the "like a doggy", "one foot up", then push the ice with two hands until you can get your second foot on the ice method of getting up. I haven't found any 2-4 year olds who can push against their knee to stand up, like some of the coaches teach the basic skills kids.

Ahhh, I see now.

I teach getting up the same way it seems after the kids fall down or "melt like a popsicle," as I teach them. I tell the kids to get on all fours like a puppy dog ("What sound does a puppy dog make?"), put one foot up like a froggy ("What sound does a frog make?"), and then they will either use their hand to push off their knee--if they're stronger--or they'll do like you suggest and use two hands to push up. Kids seem to like this method and I find that they will usually at least try to get up by themselves.

And, that ice must have been reeeaaallly soft for your hands to melt prints into it! 8O

[Skittl1321]

ooh- I like the froggy idea! We used to do "bark like a doggie" then "tall like a tree", (up on both knees) then one foot up, but I stopped the tree step, because it isn't necessary, and they get faster at it if they skip that step.

I like melt like a popsicle- sometimes we do snowmen, but usually if they are practicing falling it's while playing the elevator game (5th floor is standing up straight, 3rd floor is a dip, 1st floor is a really really big dip, basement is on the ice.) or we do 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed (The SS1 kids just bend their knees up and down, SS2/3 we do 2 foot hops).

Another fun way to play the elevator game is with a beanie baby on their head- and a monster in the basement that eats beanie babies. So you go to all the different floors- letting the kids call out numbers- but not the basement. It helps them do dips without looking down. Very difficult with helmeted kids though.