Spinning looks easy on TV, it seems like every Senior lady is out there spinning their heart out while they fall ONLY on jumps. Here is the reality: Just because someone can jump doesn't mean they can automatically spin. As an adult who started figure skating as an adult & is a very tall 5'9" in height, I had to practice spinning over and over and over and over and over and over......I spent the first 2 yrs of my life learning a 1-foot upright spin (in addition to trying to learn other spins in the process).

Now, 6 yrs later, I still spend more time on spinning than jumping and actually have sit & camel spins now too. But it took a LOT of time and practice.

FYI: normally it takes an adult MUCH longer to learn how to figure skate than it does for the kids.

Best of luck to your daughter!
Kristin

I dont agree it takes longer for adults than kids. Maybe 13 year old learn fast, but small kids dont. They dont have the muscles or attention span an older child or adult has.
I think everyone has their own speed, learning curve and timetable.

Very young kids may not learn faster but certainly most 6,7, 8 year olds will. Done it, seen it.

In general kids do learn faster - they don't have the fear factor nor years of (bad) muscle memory to overcome. Start any 6 year old and any 38 year old skating at the same time with the same amount of ice time and lessons and I would guarantee that 2 years or 5 years down the line the kid will be way more advanced than the adult.

Any two 6 year olds though, will likely learn at different speeds and have different skills they are better at. At that age you just have to keep it in perspective. In two years time she will probably have forgotten there was ever a time she couldnt spin. Alternatively she may always find spins difficult but have other skills she finds really easy.

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'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession'

If you start a 6 year old and an older adult at the same time, there is no study that says that kids will learn fast.No, they might not have fear. But they still take a long time to learn and remember some things.A 6 year old has very little muscle and will take awhile to get them.
I have read of adults on this board that started a few years ago.They get the concept of moves alot faster than any 6 year old.
Im not trying to argue, but I see alot of the kids get it faster thing all over the net.Maybe a 8 year old does get it faster than a 38 year old. I dont think a 6 year old gets it faster than a 13,15, or 22 year old.
Its all relative. I think people on their 20s might get it faster than a 38 year old.Small kids have no muscles and short attention spans.

i think its all motivation, i started at 14 1/2 yrs old and i progressed fast simply b/c i worked hard, and a lot. many of the adult skaters that start out have less time b/c of work, kids etc. so they skate very little and dont make much progress. I see dozens of adults at my rink that seem to stay t the same level for months despite taking lessons.

I started at 38 along with my then, just turned 8-year-old daughter. At the end of one year (we had similar ice time, I had more practice time, I was extremely motivated - she was doing it for fun) I was just about keeping up with her. I was probably ahead of just a couple of the very young kids. Two years down the line she was way more advanced. The real take off point for most kids is somewhere between 6 and 8 years depending on physique and temperament. Adults that learn as adults dont have the same 'take-off' point. Their learning tends to be much steadier and takes longer.

In subsequent years I had more lessons and ice time than either of my kids and they still went whizzing by me in terms of how fast they picked things up.

There may not have been any official study but you ask any parent who took up skating at the same time as their kids and I'd be most surprised to find any adult that could keep up with their kids beyond a year or two at most (even with the saem or more ice time and lessons) and that only if the kid is very young. At some point between the ages of 6 and 8 the kid will leave the adult far behind and they will go much fartehr than the adult ever will if they sitick with it.

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'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession'