Remember to Play

[liz_on_ice]

I had one of those amazing sessions this morning, the kind where you try new things way past your level just for the heck of it, and they work - then you go back to skills you are supposed to be working on, and all of a sudden you can do them.

On the drive home I was thinking about what makes a session like that; they happen,but they are rare. I realized what did it for me today. I was just playing. I passed my last test a couple of weeks ago, and the recital is over, my next comp isn't for a couple more months and I've got my programs down. I had plenty of time and nothing on my mind. I gave myself permission to do only what I felt like today.

We all know that kids learn skills much faster than adults. It is frustrating, especially when you work so hard, go to sessions focused with your practice list and the goals you want to accomplish fixed firmly in your mind, and it still takes forever, and you sometimes seem to be going backwards. Then the kids come in and breeze right past you without half trying.

A lot of what the kids have going for them is their lack of fear. And their lack of mass. Now I believe a big part of it is that kids play. They tootle around the rink trying this and that with no form or skill. It doesn't matter, they are having fun. What they are also doing is experimenting - they are learning (often the hard way) what happens when your weight is here or you put your free leg there.

I'm going to try to remember, from now on, to keep that practice list short enough to leave myself time to play. I want to skate like a kid.

[dbny]

ITA! Play is important, and most of us adults do too little of it. Your morning sounds wonderful! I wish I could get into the play mood more often. Unfortunately, fear holds me back most of the time. Breaking my wrist years ago really put a crimp in things for me, and even though I rarely think of it these days, there is still a reluctance to experiment.

[Kim to the Max]

I agree whole heartedly. Play and fun is one of the things that I try to incorporate into all of the group lessons that I teach. It was actually pretty cool because tonight at our show dress rehearsal I had a couple of parents comment to me about how much fun their kids had in my classes :)

I was talking to my mom about this and she said that for me skating was always for fun and at one point when I had a coach that was too serious it became a chore and that was sad, but now, it's fun again :)

You totally need to take those days to play around with footwork and to rip up the practice agenda. Otherwise, you will get way too frustrated!

[dbny]

I know a very young skater who zoomed up from her first step on the ice to passing Prelim MIF in about 1.5 years. She was not one of those kids who get on and skate right away, whose talent is obvious. To watch her at the rink is a joy because she is playing every moment. You can see how much she loves being on the ice. Her mom skates with her and asks to see things, so she reminds her that way to practice, but never pushes. It's not needed in any case, as this child would rather skate than do just about anything else. She's fortunate that her parents can afford to indulge her passion.

[teresa]

To me, skating has always a fun game. This doesn't mean I don't work hard to learn things and practice. It does mean that I try to remember that skating is supposed to be fun and try to approach it this way. As an adult, I understand that this is what skating should be for me. I do find tremendous fun in challenge. Nothing is better than accomplishing something hard for me.

teresa

[katz in boots]

Sounds like a wonderful session! I've had them myself and they are great. That time between comps, tests etc, when you can just have fun and try things out.

How's this for playing? There's a teenager who clearly has some impairments, comes from a long way away, doesn't make it to the rink often but loves skating with a passion. Today she occasionally deliberately slid down onto the ice, lay on her front and 'hugged' the ice, I think she even kissed it, saying "I love you ice" !

Her passion for skating, and the sheer joy she brings to the ice remind us all how that feels and that we should remember that's why we started skating in the first place.

[fsk8r]

I had a similar session today of just playing around. I really needed it. I've been very frustrated lately because I'm still suffering from whiplash in my upper back six months post accident and my skating's really affected.
I've been trying to practice all the things I need to practice and keep working towards the next tests but as the back won't let me rotate properly or check rotation, it's a bit tricky to keep working on double threes, brackets, etc. So having worked myself up into a complete tizz this week, I went down the rink with a really short practice list. Just the things I can do (and can always do better) but that aren't inhibited by the back and then just messed around.
I had fun and I came back home with a renewed sense of why I skate. It's really easy to lose sight of that when you spend the whole time on the treadmill of lessons and practice.
Anyway, how else is an adult meant to learn all those cool things which are useful for programs but never get put on the practice list?! The kids mess around and learn them, so we should to.

[Mrs Redboots]

We had great fun all winter playing with pairs moves. We decided, in the end, not to put a programme together, but we had great fun, and it did our dance skills a lot of good, too.