Practice Plan

[jskater49]

My coach was nice enought to take the time to make me a practice plan - I thought I'd share it for anyone that might find that helpful...of course you would taylor it to what you are working on.

I find that it has really kept me on track. I'm not sure I can do the whole thing during my practice times. Monday I got through most of it but I left out the warm up since I had a half hour power class before it.

Today I had a half hour lesson, half hour practice...so I just worked some of the moves and went through my freestyle program without music.

Knowing "oh I only have to do three" makes me practice things I don't want to work on. And often I will quit 5 or so minutes before the session is over...this way I stay on the last few minutes because "oh I still need to do some 3 turns"

Oh and probably not going to do the stretching but coach said she'd try anyway..


Warm-up
Stroke in both directions-forward and backwards
Practice your forward alternating inside edge holds with crossovers on the ends-both directions
Figure eight of forward and backward crossovers on the circles at the end of the arena
Backward crossovers on the ends in to back alternating rollovers down the sides

Moves in the Field
Forward three turns on the line-Outside and inside
Backward edges on the line-Outside and inside
Backward outside and inside edges on circle, with shoulders stretched and foot lifted and hold
Forward and backward power pulls (as comfortable)-begin with slaloms
1 lap Five step mohawk
Eight step Mohawk- both directions, 3 repetitions each side
1 lap Backward stroking w/ the outside edge holds on sides and back crossovers on the ends
Forward and backward cross strokes
Forward R and L spirals
Run thru your Pacabel Canon program

Jumps
3 two foot hop exercises
3 waltz
3 half flips
3 half lutzes
3 mazurkas
3 bunny hops each foot

Spins
2 Two foot spins
5 practice of the entrance edge to scratch spin
5 scratch spins
2 pivots forward and 2 backward-both feet

Run thru your FS program

At the conclusion of the session your should do an off ice cool down and static stretching as time allows-approx 10-15 minutes

j

[SkaterBird]

Thank you for sharing this! :bow: It looks like a nicely structured session and very adaptable for anyone who benefits from a practice plan!

Mimi

[singerskates]

Here's what I've been doing.

Before changing to get on the ice:

Jump rope for 50 reps forwards and 20 backwards to warm up muscles.
Stretch hamstrings, calves, hips, quads, arms and shoulders.

On Ice warm up:

1 lap forward stroking alternating crosscuts
Half lap backwards stroking with alternating crosscuts
Then half lap two foot forward power pulls.
Half lap right foot power pulls.
Half lap left foot power pulls.

One of each jump
Waltz jump
Toe Loop
Salchow
Loop
Flip

Spins
Forward Corkscrew
Forward Sit

Spirals
RFO
RFI
LFO
LFI
LBI
RBO

Then I have my 15 minute lesson.

Then spend 10 minutes reviewing what coach wants me to work on.

Then I do parts of my freeskate.
Then do 2 run throughs of my freeskate with or without my music.
Run through my interpretive with music.

Then I work on upping the anti on my Sit Spin (basic forward/broken/trying to grab freeleg underneath behind me)

Then I work on my upright spin (basic position/layback/grab free foot's blade/working on getting into a scratch from the last position)

Then do stroking on the ends with footwork on the long sides into jumps.

Need to find time to do my spiral sequence.

Stroke a few laps and then get off.

Off ice again:
Change out of skates and skating clothes.
Jump rope 10 forward reps.
Stretch hamstrings, hips, quads, calves, arms and shoulders.
Pack up to go.

[hanca]

Wow, I find it interesting to have some 'skating practice plan'. I have to admit that my practices have been quite unplanned and chaotic. :oops: I usually work on what I have mood for. After some warm up (which is whatever get into my mind) I practice field moves for my next level, then go through the elements for my next test. Then (sometimes) go through parts of my program. If I have bad day, I avoid things I hate to do (such as double threes, and especially back inside three turns :twisted:), but I do think I have enough discipline to do those things at other days so I don't avoid it forever :halo:. Though sometimes I do wonder whether I do them often enough. I wonder whether if I hade a firm structure to my practice, such as for example within every practice 3 waltz jumps, 3 toe loops, 3 Salchows, 3 lops, 3 flips, 3 of each combinations and 3 of each spin, whether I would be improving quicker or slower. Sometimes I do one element much longer, until I am happy with it (perhaps 20 times if need be) and sometimes if I feel that I don't have a good day for jumps, I just gave up on jumps and do something else and do jumps the following day. So if I was doing 3 of each, I may be practising some elements much less than I do now (I do practice more the elements I feel need my attention more) and something much more than I do now (things which are perhaps good enough for now). Not sure if it would work for me.

How does it work if you have exact plan? Doesn't it become boring, if you have such structure? (I am not criticising it, I am just curious). I may feel that all the joy has gone out of it, if there is no spontaneous decisions what to do next...I don't know, I never tried...

Do you feel that you can fit everything in? I am skating six times a week (for two hours each time) and I still feel that I have a lot of 'work' to do and can't fit in everything I would like to work on. It feels that I would need probably skate for 20-25 hours a week to fit everything in (which of course I don't have time for).

[jskater49]

Wow, I find it interesting to have some 'skating practice plan'.

How does it work if you have exact plan? Doesn't it become boring, if you have such structure? (I am not criticising it, I am just curious). I may feel that all the joy has gone out of it, if there is no spontaneous decisions what to do next...I don't know, I never tried...

Do you feel that you can fit everything in? I am skating six times a week (for two hours each time) and I still feel that I have a lot of 'work' to do and can't fit in everything I would like to work on. It feels that I would need probably skate for 20-25 hours a week to fit everything in (which of course I don't have time for).


Actually I was finding NOT having a plan boring and I would be thinking "what should I do now" and quitting early. Having a plan keeps me on the ice longer. I've only had it for a couple of sessions, but I don't think I can fit everything in. But at least it reminds me of everything so I don't neglect things. Like for years I neglected inside 3 turns until I couldn't really do them anymore.

It doesn't have any dance moves in it so I add that in when I feel like it.

And it's not the LAW...if I don't want to follow it, I don't have to. (like the stretching afterward, that's just not gonna happen) My coach only did it because I asked her to. But it's not for everyone.

[Lsk8]

I'm finding this thread interesting and would really like to know more about other skaters practice/workout routine.

I always start with stroking F/B, cross-strokes F/B, edges, etc
--move on to my spins--upright, sit, camel, camel/sit, back
--then my jumps--always start with the waltz, and work through them all, how many of each depends on how I'm doing and what specifically I'll trying to improve.
--if I have a program I run thru it, usually twice (I haven't had a program for the past, but just got started on one again)
--I end with my Moves in the Field (gold). I find it doesn't require as much energy as the jumps, so that's why its last. Also, most of the time I'm the only one left on the ice or in the building by then, and I'm afraid to fall, get hurt and lay on the ice for a few hours til someone comes in and finds me.

I also coach several beginners. I have given practice lists to some of the skaters, basically to the ones who seem to need help focusing on what to work on.

[sk8lady]

It sure looks like some areas have more available ice time than others! (No duh, as my kid would say). I would never have enough time to do everything on the first two practice plans!

I start with stroking, usually once or twice around, then slalom around once. Then I do forward cross-strokes; back cross-strokes; forward power pulls; back power pulls. If the forward power pulls don't go well I do them again. I just added the 8 step to the warm-up, both directions. Then I do all my jumps once (unless I pop them, then I do them again.): waltz, 3 consecutive waltzes, toe loop from back crossovers, salchow, loop, flip attempt, waltz-toe. Then I do all my spins: backspin, sitspin, then I jump up and down till I'm not dizzy. Then I do camel, attitude, front to back scratch, front to back sit if I remember. If I'm not too dizzy I do a scratch and then work on the camel some more. Then I usually do the back 3 Silver patterns, FRO, FLO, and then FRI (the FLI is still too scary!). Then I work on the 8 step mohawk some more. Then I work on the flip and the loop some more. If there's time I work on spins. Then I am usually out of time and I do Russian circles, doing half-swizzles around each circle until my legs are too tired to go on or the zamboni driver starts coming at me honking!
If there's some extra time I work a little on my new program or choreographing my or my students' programs.

[jskater49]

It sure looks like some areas have more available ice time than others! (No duh, as my kid would say). I would never have enough time to do everything on the first two practice plans!

.


On Mondays I have a half hour power class and one hour practice session. On Monday, I left out the warm up because I had power and went straight to the Moves in the Field and I got through the entire plan, plus some forward and backward swing rolls and one run-through of the Swing Dance in an hour. So it can be done. But Monday is the only day I could do it. Wednesdays I have a half hour lesson and half hour practice, Friday - half hour Moves class, half hour practice. So today I just picked out things from Moves we didnt' work on in the class and skipped the freestyle part. Because I have so little time on the ice, the plan actually helps me utilize it better, because I'm not just skating around thinking hmmm "what should I do now?" Even if I don't run through the plan exactly, it's helpful to have the list in front of me of what I should be working on.

[slusher]

I have 45 minute sessions several times a week, I skate every day. My warm up for skating is usually teaching learn to skate, nothing like two hours of group to make you sweat!

On sessions where I just show up to skate, I always treat it like competition, because, it is the best competition simulation ever. Walk through my program off ice, warm up jumps off ice, a bit of stretching, get the body warm. As soon as the doors open, a lap of stroking/edges, depending what the ice feels like, then the troublesome jump, all spins, then footwork and spiral. If there's time I'll do the jumps that I can do in my sleep. Then, I step off the ice, take of my jacket, have a drink, fluff my hair, read the bulletin board, get back on the ice to my starting position and usually without music, do my program from beginning to end with NO STOPPING even if it is absolutely awful. Sometimes I'm able to get music with it. This takes all of 10 minutes and then I have 35 minutes to work on something specific, and in there I would get a lesson which leaves me 10-20 minutes to either work on what was awful from my program or continue on the lesson material. I have spent 35 minutes on spins, or a specific twizzle or turn. Heh, I've spent 35 minutes on holding jump landings.

If I worked on spins yesterday however, I won't work on spins today, I would work on spins tomorrow. There's always a day's break inbetween so that the body can incorporate the new material.

[Morgail]

I have a basic outline that I usually follow.

Off-ice:
-jumps
-quick stretching (nothing too much)

On-ice:
-a couple of stroking laps, and, if it's really cold or I feel stiff, I do the perimeter alternating crossover patterns from Bronze, the crossover to outside edge pattern from Bronze (my favorite!), power pulls, or some cross strokes
-Run through all gold MITF
-Re-do MITF patterns that weren't good the first time through
-Do Swing Dance at least once or twice (doesn't always happen)
-Spins: scratch, back scratch, sit, sit-back sit
-Spirals
-More spins: camel, back camel, various combinations
-Jumps and jump combos
-Newer/inconsistent stuff: Axel, flying camel, stag jump, double sal set-ups (trying to get the timing down)
-Program run-throughs
-Then, whatever I feel like. Sometimes I go back to power circles when the session empties a little and I can go all out on them. Or I do more spirals and catch-foot spirals, work through the harder parts of my programs, work on my sad little spread eagle or my sloooooow tango stop.

Off-ice:
-Big stretching. :)

I tend to change up the end of my practices. On club ice, I only have 50 minutes, so it's tough to squeeze everything in. I'm bad about skipping program run-throughs when I don't have anything coming up. Sometimes I spend a lot of time on the axel (especially when it's going well) and skip the other later stuff. If it's a rough jump day, I go back to doing spins or spend more time on the "pretty" stuff, like spirals and spread eagles.

Sometimes I get really wild and do jumps before spins. ;)

[looplover]

This thread is fun...lately I've been trying to maximize time, don't have a strict practice plan but generally:

Warm up with power pulls (will eventually test silver anyway) - forward, backward

Warm up further with program footwork

Sit spins

Sit spins/back scratch spins

Attempt camel

Get disgusted with camel attempt

more footwork, feel better

some waltz jumps
salchows
toe loops
loops
attempt flips from standstill - if that goes well attempt flips from faster speeds

consider trying lutz

try, fail (except for one day last week)

more footwork to feel better

and so on...:lol:

[Kim to the Max]

In general, I follow the following formula for practice...some of it depends on how much I am skating....if I am only skating an hour in the morning or if I'm skating 3 45-minute sessions...

Warm Up
1 lap forward stroking
1 large figure 8 of back crossovers
Novice moves in order of test
Work on moves that are in desperate need of work including drills from coach (mainly the rocker/choctaw pattern now...previously it was the counters)
Footwork from program
Spins
-Scratch
-Back Scratch
-Sit
-Camel
-Camel/Back Sit
-Layback
Jumps
-Waltz
-Salchow
-Loop
-Flip
-Flip/Loop
-Lutz
Axels (drills and attempts)
Program Run Thru (this has been lacking lately...need to start doing this again...oops)
Double Sals
Back Camel
Flying Camel
Spirals/Ina Bauers
If I feel like it, 5 hard fast laps at the very end of the evening

[vesperholly]

I used to spin before I jumped, but I found that I wasted time because I spin poorly when I'm not very well warmed up. Now I just do some stretching, stroking, a few backspins then go right into jumping.