The loop can be a really strange feeling jump because it's the first one where you take of and land on the same foot. There's no toe assist, and it's really a full rotation jump from your take off edge and land back on your take off edge.

I'm applying to join the Loop-less group!

Tried it in my lesson today and I am definitely Loop-less.
I think I have an idea of my main problem - a total inability to hold on to the back outside edge long enough to let it start the rotation. Plus the inability to actually jump UP (this is common to all my jumps - my coach is always telling me that it's not length I should be going for but height. I KNOW this but can't DO it).
However my coach is confident I will have it by the summer - mind he didn't actually say which summer!!!!

Graceful: My 3 jump - I can get height on this now and had a nice rhythm and flow going today.

Clunky : toe-loop and salchow. I have trouble kicking into the ice on the toe-loop - I tend to give it a little tap and then can't get the weight back onto it for the take -off. I HAVE done it so I know I CAN do it but it's certainly not consistent. On the salchow I have trouble hitting the exact take-off spot and either go too early or too late. It's a great feeling when you get it right though.

In -between : spins - the good thing about these is that I can get 6 rotations from the proper entry (from back cross-overs - (without scratching)) almost every time without much effort BUT they travel badly. And my sit spin is still AWOL

Am I allowed a bit of bragging here - not for me but for my kids who yesterday passed the Novice Pairs competitive test and so qualify to go to the British Novice championships in April.

batikat, there are seven other people in my group besides me. We adults are in a separate group from the kiddies. But there are SOOO many kids on the ice at the same time, Basic levels one through four, I think. I believe that there are too many kids for the instructors to watch, because they keep skating into other groups lesson areas.

I'm definitely not "knocking" the practice time, but doing just crossovers for a half hour is so boring. I understand how important the basics are, but enough is enough. I had already spent most of my previous lesson on crossovers, plus I practiced throughout the week on my own. I'm ready for something new! I feel stuck in the middle. We had two brand new adults in my lesson last night and they can't even get away from the boards. So the instructor is trying to get them going. They other adults are quite a bit more advanced than me, and the instructor is having fun with them, giving them new stuff. Maybe he just doesn't know what to do with me?

Dancindiva,

You should have a quick polite word with your coach five minutes before your next class and explain that you would like to learn something new.

Other options: invest in half hour private lesson to learn something new (backwards? stopping? forward stroking? edges?); or speak to more advanced skaters round the rink and ask them to show you something new - skaters usually like to help other skaters, but they won't barge in unless you ask them.

You could also find out what your rink/coach offers in the way of a beginner test structure (USA will be ISI or USFSA tests; UK will be Funskate or something similar). This will give you an idea of how you should be progressing. Usually the tests are set up so that they fit with a four lesson cycle. Then you can take the rink tests and it gives you some goals.

DancinDiva, I do empathise with your plight.
I agree with what others have suggested...either broach the subject with coach, making asking to learn spins or 3 turns or something, and try to get a private lesson.
Don't let yourself get demoralised or non-motivated - try not to let it spoil your enjoyment.

The loop
Those having problems with the loop could try it from the RFI 3 turn ....the momentum tells you when to jump up.
Remember to sit back on the edge - get your weight over it before you release your bended knees.

I had a field moves lessons which was clunky and I won't dwell on it.
I spent a lot of time on spins because I couldn't be bothered with jumps.
My feet were cold today.

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

Hang in there, DancinDiva! Don't give up yet!

Why don't you try asking your teacher a lot of questions - such as how do I do this, what should I be doing to get more bend when I do this etc. It'll make him pay more attention to you and you'll learn more. I know it's hard for group instructors to give everyone full attention, but you should be getting more than you've described.

This is for this past weekend (first chance I've had to post)

Graceful: (well, sort of) My instructor had me start working on scratch spins at this week's lesson!!! It was so exciting (and scary)! I think I get the gist but I need to practice to get it in my body and get used to the speed so I don't fall out of the spin. Once I was able to get what felt like 3 revs (of course no one was looking!) but the other tries didn't work out.

I also asked my instructor if I could start practicing entering spins from back crossovers to a choctaw and she said yes. I'm so excited because I have so mucht o practice now.

RFI3s are improved. I need to get more speed after the turn and make longer lobes.


Clunky: FI closed mohawks need more speed and quicker transfer of weight.

LFI3s are still mostly a mystery to my body. I think it'll just take some practice.

LF spirals are YUKKY! I do that "dreadful airplane thing" that someone mentioned recently. It feels completely different than my right side.

Which, of course, is an excellent reason to do Moves, even if, as dancers, we don't have to! I have also been to a seminar on Moves (the American ones - ours are subtly different, but they average the same level of difficulty/helpfulness) where it was explained exactly how they help with jumps and spins, too.Well done! That's marvellous - and we have far too few Pairs in this country, so more power to their elbows! I'm hoping to see them (and you?) skate at the Streatham Open.

No more skating for me this week - woke up yesterday morning with a blinding headache, so Robert had to have my lesson, and although I'm better today, I'm no ways well yet. I hope I'll feel well enough to skate tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath!

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

I don't have many photos of myself on the ice, about 6 altogether!
Although it's not very clear, it's me doing a camel spin.

Anyone else got any new photos?



My camel - click on it!

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

Thanks for the kind words on the Pairs. Do you know when Streatham Open will be yet? I met a guy today who danced at Streatham about 15 years ago - can't remember his name now.

Hope you feel better soon!

just for the record - my lesson today:-
Graceful - not a lot
Clunky - most of it!!!

Well actually it wasn't all bad - I'm getting more power and speed on the Swing Dance (not that I ever intend to test or compete it) but I have a tendency to do the backwards steps, turn to forwards and then forget what I am doing and instead of the slide chassee I do the mohawk and turn to backwards again! Quite why I pick the harder step to do by mistake I have no idea.
Practised the Riverside Rhumba - a dance I loathe and actually remembered the steps. Progress!!

Altered the entire step sequence on my Free Dance and hopefully once I have learnt it, it will look a lot smoother than the old one. I am getting more power and speed into my 3 turns around the end of the rink too but I can still hear a bit of toe scratching so am working on getting rid of that so they will travel further on a clean edge.

Spins still travelling, jumps improving slowly.

Thanks, Batikat. Streatham Open Festival is scheduled for 28-30 April, the schedules should be out soon but with new management and new timetables for everything, it may take a couple of weeks. They have their next committee meeting on 13 February, but I don't know whether they'll be able to finalise things then.

Feeling better today but haven't gone skating this morning (well, duh!). Might go to the teatime session, when I can pretend to skate and in reality gossip! But we shall see.... Robert is longing to go again, he says he has "So much to practice!"

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

I might get some after nationals but I don't have anywhere to put them at the moment.

I thought the rink would be emptier since its Lunar New Year's Eve and most people would be at home... but I was wrong... a handful of skaters apparently thought the same way as me and we crowded up the rink

Just maintenance today mostly... my layback is still travelling... my flying camel is stuck at three or four rounds...

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~
Tidesong

MEL!!! You told me that you couldn't do a camel!!!! Pants on fire!!!

LOL

Love

L xx

__________________

The best whisper is a click

Wheeeeee!
There are days when my camel disappears, but I do have one...in fact only just today an elite skater (you know who) told me "You've got a lovely position in the camel, Mel!"

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

Went skating yesterday to see how things are with my pulled muscles. I can do most of what's in my program, and I'll rearrange the rest. I couldn't get a PT appointment until next week - after the competition!
Too sore today to practice!
Looking forward to seeing everyone. Good luck!

I forgot to post about my practice!

I'm having some problems at home which really put me off going skating today.
However, I'd paid my money and thought therapy might help me feel more positive.
I didn't expect to skate well, so I was pleasantly surprised to manage most things with ease.
Sometimes doing a 3 turn is hard, same as a lutz, but today everything worked easily....except most backspins.
I'm laying off the upright backspin a bit (or if I do try it, I try it doing something different, or concentrating on one thing only, like what my left arm's doing) and re-trying back sits or camels form LFI 3 turn or change foot spins.
Still not having much joy with them though.

I managed 3 turns with flip with a better flow than usual. I don't know what height the flip was, as it's a lot slower from this entry.

Silver medallist at British Nats told me I had a lovely position in the camel spin. I wanted to say "But I need to turn out my toe more and have it faster", but I managed a joyful "Thank you" (beam, beam) smile instead.

He went on to say that he was astounded at MY Lambiel's (I'd said Lambiel was my favourite) camel spin, in that his free leg was barely parallel....considering the quality of Lambiel's spins, I had to admit that it looked weak sometimes.

I'm moving my body back and forth on the back swingrolls (or cross rolls???)
I must keep my upper body still and sit into the edge more.
I can't seem to remember everything at once!


That's me till Monday now.
I wish I could skate more often.

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

Graceful & Clunky - mixed
(I have group lessons twice a week in an adults class and we're divided in two depending on skills (or own ideas of skills...)) Some of you may remember I felt I was in a bit of dilemma earlier because while I don't feel the beginner group always gives me enough to worh with, the other one is too advanced. Well, Thursday I finally found the courage to join the advanced group - Just to get some new ideas... It went ok! I don't feel ready to join it permanently but now I have tried it'll be easier for me to just skate over to their part of the ice if I want to.)

We did spirals , which I have never practised before. Well, of course I've been gliding on one leg with other one raised to hip level (that's sort of why we begin to skate at all, isn't it? ), but never because I was asked to! I'm rather flexible so it went ok. I also tried one grabbing the left skate with the left hand and then stretching up in front of you. I did it because some of the others did it and it looked fun but I felt like a real wannabe anyway. I'm afraid I'm a bit intimidated by the good skaters and 'what they think'. At the end of the lesson I ended on my behind doing it anyway!

We only practice spins from pivot in the beginner group, so I was glad to get a little further with it here. But boy, do I need to practice this! :

Tried loops! Which was very funny. I'm very much against rushing things so I don't have any ambitions, but it's nice to have an introduction to the jumps. I wouldn't say I have a loop jump but I can do a loop step Later perhaps I'll try to actually jump it...

But the funny thing is that I actually think the beginner's class is much more 'intense' (?) because we're working all the time. In the advanced they just stand around and chit-chat half the time! Even the coach. That's actually a bit boring, I think!

But I'm glad I did it!

No sooner had I sent that off beyond recall than the post came - you guessed it! The schedules. If anyone hasn't had theirs yet, or isn't on the mailing list, email me and I'll tell you who to contact for a copy.

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