beginner skills

[DancinDiva]

Okay, as some of you have read, I'm getting a bit bored in my adult beginner lessons. I've had three lessons and have so far learned right and left foward crossovers, and can skate backwards a little. My instructor is sort of ignoring me and focusing on the more advanced adults in my class, and leaves me to do crossovers by myself around the stupid hockey circle. I really feel ready for something new. What skills should I ask my instructor to teach me next?Because I think if I don't ask I'll be doing crossovers forever! What else should someone going into a fourth lesson be picking up? Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[Clarice]

Oh, man! I've been skating for 7 years now, and I still practice crossovers every single day! I doubt you've got it down after only 3 lessons! :) However, I do sympathize with your desire to try new things. My first instructor made us skate forward with our arms extended in front of us (a la The Mummy) for an entire term of lessons! Boring!!! How about starting back crossovers or three turns next? Or start Moves in the Field?

[backspin]

Back crossovers
1-foot glide on edges, forward & backward
(becomes edge rolls)
stops (snowplow stop & T-stop are the 1st ones)
2-foot turns, forward & backward

once all of those are secure, you'd move on to

3 turns
mohawks
hockey stops
lunges & spirals
2-foot spin


That's what's coming to me off the top of my head at 11:00 at night. Hope that's helpful.

[batikat]

I know rinks and countries are different in the order in which they teach things - but if it's any help here are the things we learnt in order.

Forward skating
Snowplough and T- Stop
Back Swizzles
Forward 1 foot glides L & R
two foot turn

Extended forward glides
Backward alternate pushes
Forward Spiral
hockey stop
stepping from backwards to forwards

Forward outside edges L & R
Forward inside edges L & R
Forward Crossovers L & R
Outside 3 turns L & R
Backwards Glides L & R
2 foot spin

Backward outside edges L & R
Inside 3 turns L & R
Backwards Crossovers L & R
Inside Open Mohawks L & R
3 Jump
Straight line step sequence (incl bunny hops)

Upright 1 foot spin
3 jump from moving (back crossovers)
Back cross rolls
Forward cross rolls

may have been a few other things - then you go on to the toe-loop and salchow jumps, forward and backward spirals on an edge, etc and field moves.

We had approx 6 week sessions and each of the skills in a set was learned , practised and then tested at the end of 6 weeks or so before going on to the next set of skills.

So if there is anything in there you fancy then ask your coach, or ask if he has a plan for your progression, (some coaches like to teach skills in a particular order).

You should progress faster than we did as there are fewer people in your group but we took about 6 - 8 months of once a week group lessons to get through all this. (in groups of 10 - 20 skaters)

And I still practice many of theses skills regularly and they are still improving 3 years down the line - and I still can't do a proper hockey stop!!!!!!:cry:

Have fun!

[CanAmSk8ter]

My $.02:

Have you learned T-pushes and proper forward stroking yet, done with an extended back leg and not using your toe pick to push? At my rink, we teach that in the same level as forward crossovers. (We use the ISI program). Our next level would be Beta, which includes back crossovers, T-stops, and backward stroking. Personally, I like to introduce forward outside and inside edges around this point too, even though they're actually in Delta, because in Gamma you have mohawks and I find that it's much easier to teach mohawks to skaters who can hold an inside edge, even if it's not up to the standard that would be expected to pass Delta level. You're probably about ready to try outside three-turns too.

Good luck! I can imagine that it must be tough trying to be in an adult group with multiple levels. I've taught groups like that, and it's hard. I wish my rink would split the adults more, but I know that it just isn't cost-effective, and my rink isn't exactly rolling in money. (Are any?) Right now, I have one class with a really good Beta adult who's pretty much ready to go into Gamma, and another lady who's just starting and isn't super coordinated. But because there are only the two adults, the rink doesn't want to spend the money to bring in another coach and have them both essentially getting private lessons for the price of a LTS class.

[AstarZ41]

I know how you feel DancinDiva...I've been skating for 5 months and I still practice forward crossovers every lesson. With my previous coach I could already do back crossovers pretty good on one side and working on the other side, but now I have a different coach who has me working on the basics again...it gets frustrating at times just going around the circle for 30 minutes grr and I really miss trying waltz jumps and lunges, but I guess whenever you think that you do something really good there is always something to improve, like my coach is trying to get me to point my toes more and lean more into the circle. Its better to get these little things down early than to try and fix them after years of doing it the wrong way. About your coach not paying much attention to you.. ITA with everyone that you should ask him/her questions and maybe ask to learn a fun new move that you could practice on your own time. Don't get discouraged!! :)

Anna

[jenlyon60]

BTW, I've been skating for almost 20 years (although I did take a 10 year break where I hardly skated).

My dance coach STILL drills me on forward stroking (at least once a week), and forward progressives (grown up crossovers) and backward crossovers (both of these also at least once a week).

AND... yesterday we spent half the lesson working on forward inside edges.

[sk8er1964]

Originally posted by AstarZ41
Its better to get these little things down early than to try and fix them after years of doing it the wrong way. Anna

This is so true. :D

[jenlyon60]

Originally posted by AstarZ41
Its better to get these little things down early than to try and fix them after years of doing it the wrong way. Anna

One reason we spent so much time on FI edges yesterday.... I have had some bad habits creep in over the past few years. And it takes lots of time to fix bad habits that are fixed in muscle memory. FIXING a bad habit is much harder than mastering the skill correctly the first time.