I would agree completely with your general premise of needing a coach to make sure correct technique is used. No, my husband isn't a coach, and doesn't pretend to be either - he is relaying to me the things he has been told by his coaches, no more. I am unable to take singles lessons at the moment, so this is really just keeping the skills I have, such as they are.

Having said that, I am actually seeing more progress on spins now than when I was actually having lessons. Can't read too much into that, it probably boils down to hearing things in a different way. But at least this is keeping my interest and making me WANT to practice spinning, which I never did when all I was doing was repeating the same aborted spinning attempt (during two years of lessons with a private coach), and it all seemed pretty pointless. I enjoyed playing with the more advanced spin entry, and will keep playing with it, whilst still working on starting from a standstill in the hope of finally 'getting' how to spin. I don't think I'm ever going to understand how spinning works, so trying different things is more likely to work for me than just repeating the same thing over and over and getting bored with it.

Does it have to do with holding the edge for the forward spin and the backspin?

Either way, I'm agreeing with you on the no rhyme or reason. I'm a CW skater and my power pulls are stronger on my right leg, both sides. My left knee doesn't bend, and it won't listen to me when I tell it to.

__________________
-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Not for me since I still can't do a decent forward edge entry for a spin and I don't do back spins.

I think my needing to turn clock wise when it comes to turns has something with my right side is not as flexible and I can't seem to stretch my arms and shoulders as much and that makes a difference with the turns and mohawks.

Also although I favor spirals on my left leg because it is stronger, my left leg is also more flexible and gets better height and extension when it is the free leg so I'm making myself do my spiral on my right leg for my show feature.

Joelle

So, it sounds all good! Sometimes another way of putting the same thing is all that's needed. It's great that you're enjoying working on spins now, and don't sell yourself short; understanding comes with experience.

__________________

Walking: I still haven't skated since my accident Sunday night; back was better yesterday but was much worse today. I had planned to do 1/2 hour today, but instead laid on my heating pad all afternoon. I may see if my chiropractor can fit me in tomorrow, if I have time.

I have to teach tomorrow, so will be able to try & skate around a bit. I might go in a little early too. I HAVE to practice!!!!!!!!!

I actually skated this morning instead of watching my kids, lol. Usually, they want my attention while they practice at 6am, but today they had a friend on the ice, so I was left behind. *sniff* No, really, I was fine.

Dancing:
Spins were great, although the backspin is still a bit off when I do a back scratch.
MITF were good, even the bloody threes-on-the-line. (Still touching down though)

Walking:
Still can't land those singles and the sore ankle from Tuesday night isn't helping any.

Some hope - the backspin-jump-backspin is almost working. Still need to secure the backspin of course. Maybe that's part of the jump problem, not getting over to the right side enough.

__________________

Dancing the Dance: I wish!

Walking it through: is basically what we did this morning, and we have to compete the thing in a couple of weeks. It is so not going to be ready.....

__________________
Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Dancing the dance - on my twinkly happy toes. I was having such a good session this morning, I decided to try brackets, just for the heck of it - and I could! All the forward ones and even some scrappy BO ones! Undoubteldy my form is awful and my free leg who knows where, but I don't care! Also my FI-BO double threes flew along with a lovely little "snick...snick" sound on the turns, and FO-BI BO-FI BI-FO all smoothed up nicely. I'm really feeling the edge (snick) edge (snick) edge all the way around.

After all that, I went back to my sitspin attempts, and I got it. Not quite low enough, but darn close, maybe two or three inches further down to go. I don't know what it was - something about all that weight and balance work on the threes and brackets put me in the right frame of mind and body, and it worked.

Walking it through - I'm going to show up to my next lesson dying to show off for my coach and I will have lost it all again. It always seems to work that way. Still - did it once means I can do it again someday.

__________________
It's all about the dress!

Dancing: 13 days until the team leaves for nationals!!! I'm so excited. My parents are even flying and I'm going to spend some time with them.

Walking: I resigned my spot on low team at nationals so I could spend Sunday with my parents at Denver instead of in CO Springs. I'll miss the team, but I think it'll be worth it.

Dancing: I did a double run-through again today. Last night, I did manage to do my program once, but this morning the coach was at the rink. She said that I'm looking stronger than at the last two competitions and I look good. Both run-thrus were far from perfect, but I'll take what I can get.

Walking: I need to work on my spins. My sits aren't consistently low enough and I need to improve my catch-foot. I also need to find the energy to do a catch-foot spin at the end of my program...

Dancing: I'm getting my skates sharpened! I haven't gotten them done since November, and the insides are really nicked. Hopefully, this will help with the exhaustion problem at the end of my program because I'll be able to get more speed more easily.

Dancing:
-Pretty decent 'very little warmup prior' runthrough of bronze moves today ('cause I test next week and who knows how much of a warmup I'll get). My power 3s were even cleaner than usual--nary a dimple in any of them!
-Wednesday lesson and practice were really, really nice--very few people on the ice becuase it's spring break for most kids & teens around here.

Walking:
-On the other hand: I should have known better than to go to a midday public session today. Glad I got there right at the beginning, because after half an hour it was TEEMING.
-Tried some spins. They really, really, really, really stink, and I really, really, really need to get going on lessons with the 'spinmaster'. . .
-played with some of the silver moves, on which i've had no coaching. Um, yeah. Right. It will be quite some time before those are ready!!

__________________
"Go wash an elephant if you wanna do something big." -Baby Gramps

Dancing: Ice Show is this weekend! Even though I keep asking myself how the heck I got myself roped into this, it's fun...I didn't do it for me, but did it for the kids I skate with. They are all so excited that I am doing the show this year and impressed that someone who is 28 (going to be 29 in May ) still skates. The little girls in our skate school are so cute about it...many of them were asking me how old I was today....I am skating to Crazy by Alanis Morrisette (remake of Seal's Crazy as heard in "The Devil Wears Prada" in the scene where they are in Central Park at a photo shoot)....

Got some really good compliments from parents of kids I've taught this past session about how much fun their kids had in my classes...I am so happy about that That is what skating should be....fun!!

Back on the ice after a week away at a conference in DC...too bad I ate like crap while I was there and had a few drinks each night...and didn't get up early to skate like I said I was going to...

Walking: Didn't even attempt the axel in my program today...we didn't have ANY time to warm up at all and there was no way I was going to try that...I even took out my back Y-spiral and did my forward spiral (fell hard on my back yesterday doing the Y-spiral and didn't want to do that today)...I felt shaky today...I may have not eaten enough...

I really want to do an okay attempt at an axel tomorrow/Sunday...really I just want to start landing the fricking thing....

__________________
Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

Walking: nerves are kicking in....I have districts this afternoon (I am scheduled for 5:30 pm give or take) and am just now getting ready. I live an hour away so I have time to do hair, makeup etc. I was dreadfully sick at my last comp so hopefully this one will be a drastic improvement. Heck, I'm HOPING I have someone to compete against and that I calm down enough to have fun!

OTOH, I've had some sort of food allergy that's messed up my gut all week...I wont go into the gory details but I've been eating very lightly since yesterday pm and am hoping that the remnants are done by drive time

__________________
Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Dancing the Dance: Since I was off ice for a month, I made it my goal that this month I would practice four hours a week (an hour at a time) to see if I improved.
Yep...this whole practice thing works and the month's not over yet.
My figures are much improved, I'm actually consistent on my strike, shapes, and size--still need work on my control and edges. The secret was, since I wasn't making my edges any better, and just twisting myself up trying to fix them I just decided to forget about them and work on body position and basic skating skills in the figures. And the edges? Well they don't look any worse than they did before.
Improved FO3 and mohawks.

Walking through it: FI3 still scare me, but coach was actually able to get me through them with just a one hand support. Before, in FI3 I was all over the place. I used to fall and scare myself silly, now it's like for the very first time I'm able to absorb what coach is saying and do it on the ice right then and there.

Dancing the Walk through: Coach wants me to switch to dance blades. I Dunno. She knows my goals is figures. She just seems to think I'd do better on dance blades as I don't need blades for jumps ( I now have Jackson Mirage -- cheap low end blades, so I'm not over bladed). I offered to put on the patch blades I have in storage, but she wants me to keep something with a toepick.

Walking through it I cannot open my hips. Oh, I can get into a good second position off ice, but on ice I can't seem to do it and move at the same time.

__________________
Great forum quotes:
On Falling: '...it doesn't matter, it's what you do AFTER you fall that's more important' ISK8NYC

Dancing: This really is beginning to happen - we may have a dance in time for the 27th!

Walking: However, even though the coach was optimistic and complimentary, there is still a lot of work to do, and we do know it!

__________________
Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Just ready this after sending you a PM, what a difference a day makes Keep it up.

Because of landing side (right) going backwards and waltz jump take off edge going forward (left).

LUCKY you! Everytime the local kids are on a school break they seem to LIVE at the rink. And good luck on your test!

Hmmm...makes sense...EXCEPT...as little as I jump (especially waltz jumps) I'm not sure that really applies to me.

Joelle

Okay, I'm 57 skating two years, but I could never get down in a lunge then get up from it. Then this week after losing 15 pounds (don't know how much that is as stones) I finally got it. I feel as tickled about that lunge as some of you feel about your axels. It's undignified at my age, and I'll never do it in a program, but I have it.

__________________
Great forum quotes:
On Falling: '...it doesn't matter, it's what you do AFTER you fall that's more important' ISK8NYC

What do you mean a lunge is undignified at your age? I'm only a few years younger and my coach insists on putting them in my programs.. since it's one of the few moves I have that's actually as good as the kids'! If you have a lunge, SHOW IT OFF!!! Not everyone can do them.. even if they're decades younger than we are.

And congratulations on getting it!

If you can do it do it- I used to have a very nice lunge for a woman my age...but the knees just can't handle lunges anymore. Fortunately I've improved my spirals instead...