I think this bothers me more than any other error that beginners make, but what bothers me even more is the number of people who will argue with me when I tell them not to do it. Here they are paying me to teach them, and yet they argue about the most elementary thing of all. Every week it seems I have to do a slo-mo demo to convince someone that I actually do know what I'm talking about. Repeat after me - "you cannot stand on a foot if it is stretched out in front of you" .

In addition to the slo-mo demo, I have my students with this problem stand with feet shoulder distance apart and shift weight from one foot to the other. Usually marching with good pick up at the knees takes care of it, yet it often reappears when you let them start trying to push. Anyone else with this particular problem? What techniques have you used?

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I have them touch their feet together before taking the next push. Reminding them to put "nose over the toes" helps.

I was just working on this today - I think the wide stance comes from not understanding what part of the inside edge to use for the push. If they push from the heel part, in an attempt to not toe push, they tend to push out to the side weakly.

Scooter pushes around the circles works well, esp. when the skater has an obvious weak side. Use the cue of "push the (skating) KNEE ahead." That way, they're leading with the skating knee and not their face.

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This is just my theory. But I have had similar experiences w beginners.
I think many children skate a lot of public sessions before they get any formal instruction. In fact, they get incorrect advice from friends and parents. Not out of malice but b/c they don't know how to skate either.
Those habits become ingrained and are very difficult to break. Kids don't even seem to believe what they learned from friend/parent could possibly be wrong. Of course, I never tell them it's "wrong". We're just improving their technique.

Kay

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I had a kindergartener in my LTS Hockey class a few months ago whose dad seemed to think he should start skating with a hockey stride right away. He was actually telling the kid, "marching is for babies". This kid was upright and mobile on the ice, but that was it. It would have been like trying to get a Basic 1 kid to stroke properly as soon and he/she was able to stand. Needless to say, the kid wasn't doing anything remotely like striding- he was pushing ahead with one foot, and then dragging the other one underneath him. Neither foot was coming up off the ice at all. The father honestly seemed to think this was a better thing for him to do than marching. Luckily, the kid didn't sign up for classes again. I mean, obviously Dad knew enough to teach him himself.

With new beginners, I sometimes tell them I'm going to close my eyes and I need to hear them marching. If I have one or two who are "scooting", I have them do it one at a time. I do think a lot of them who have done public sessions have been told by a well-meaning but ill-informed adult that scooting the feet along the ice is the thing to do. I can't tell you how many times I've overheard a parent at public skate telling their kid that- along with such gems as, "Your skates should be tied really tight," "Get them one size bigger than your shoes," and "Drag those teeth at the front of your skate to stop."

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Yup, I resort to scooter pushes too. Will try your cue.

I've had students who told me exactly that. In fact, I just worked with one adult who kept telling me "but a lady helped me and she told me to do that."

That's the absolute worst - parents who know better than we do! Yes, I've heard them too on the public sessions. Sometimes, if I'm not busy, I'll stop and offer to help. Those who take me up on it, and have a kid who listens, are amazed at how quickly their little one can skate unsupported. Don't think I'm going to close my eyes, but must remember to tell them I need to hear the marching.

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Here's a good one. I heard a dad telling his kid: "Lean forward".

No wonder we have so much trouble trying to get them to skate properly. Today I looked around a public session and saw all of the Sunday afternoon skaters trying to push themselves around w their feet so far apart you could land a jet b/w them. Of course, parents are teaching this "stability technique" their offspring.

Kay

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Not just your theory. One of my friends asked her coach why it was easier to skate backwards than forwards. He said that it was because someone actually taught you to skate backwards - you didn't try to learn it on your own. Meaning that un-learning all of the stuff you do when you teach yourself to skate forwards can be difficult to do.

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