It's so annoying.

Lately, I've been taking classes with my coach, and he says that technique wise, there is nothing wrong with what I have been doing. The thing that holds me back is my fear of falling.

How do I get over this?

Fear of falling is quite normal, especially if you're an adults. There's no way I can fling myself around like some of the kids.

It depends on your personality. Some people have an inbuilt 'dare' gene, others - like me - have more of an inbuilt 'chicken' gene lol!

One thing that might help is wearing padding and/or wrist guards. Wearing knee pads has helped me psychologically; touch wood, I have not fallen on my knees, but just knowing they'll be allright should I have a splat makes me jump higher/take more risks.

Taking your first 'splat' will also help. You'll probably get up thinking 'Actually, that was nowhere near as bad as I'd feared...'

S xxx

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

Sponges down your pants and elbows and knees, and wrist guards

no really. works like a charm.

i agree with everyone who says padding! i didn't start with pads until axel/double toe, but i'm fearless with my knee pads on. i know other adults who use knee pads and wrist guards all the time. you'll fall a couple of times and not get hurt (knock on wood) except for a couple bruises, and then you won't be nearly as scared. good luck!

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The skating may not sparkle, but my dress sure does!

Just passed: Pre-Bronze MIF & Freeskate. Next goal: Bronze tests in July.

why don't you practice falling? just skate at a normal (not too fast) pace, and then let yourself fall? I think it helps.

or, the hockey coach at our rink makes his hockey boys go really fast and then slide through his legs. but that's not really the same... is it?

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I agree with Peanutskates, and also with the padding. I wear gel knee pads and roller blade wrist guards. When I first started skating, my coaches taught me how to fall. Then I practiced falling. Most of the time when you fall on ice, you slide, so the impact is not as great as if you, say, tripped on a wet floor and fell in your kitchen (which I have done more than I care to admit to).

Good luck!

It was fear of falling on my (not very well padded) butt that held back my backward skating until I made a butt pad out of some high density foam. You can't even tell I am wearing it under slacks and even under a skating dress it isn't very noticeable. It's like landing on a pillow.

Now I just need a flack jacket so I don't crack another rib - LOL! (I had my foot taken out from under me on a spiral, managed to roll to land on my side but with my arm under me, it cracked a rib.)

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Also, the trick of falling without hurting yourself is not fighting the fall, relaxing your muscles. Tense the muscles and the stress from the impact has nowhere to go.

A taxi driver I know once hit a guy on the highway. The guy was just walking there, and he was doing over 60 miles an hour in his cab. He thought - that's it, I killed a man. Nothing of the kind. Turned out the guy had like 2 promille in his blood in terms of alcohol, so he was all loosened up, he was out of hospital in 4 weeks. According to the docs, a sober person wouldn't have survived, but drunks are all loosened up. Same with any sort of impact really. Loosen up.

Hey! I want one of those!!! You have a picture of this new high density foam that you can show us? You might make some $$$ off of this, you know...

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Can't be bothered - got more money than I know what to do with (Yea, right!)

I'm not greedy - here's all there is to it:

Go to your favorite camping or outdoors store and look for the foam they sell for sleeping on the ground. The stuff I got was sort of dull gray/green and about 1/4" thick and cost about $10 for a 30" by 6' piece.

Spread it out on your sewing table (or kitchen table) and lay a pair of panties over it (your own would be a good idea ) and trace around the contours of the back of the panties - add little "wings" at the side seams if you want to cover your hip bones (which I did) and cut along the line.

I was just slipping the foam inside my tights for the longest time and it works fine but the foam doesn't "breathe" so I recently took some light cotton and sewed a cotton envelope for the foam complete with an elastic "belt" and Velcro closure to hold it in place.

It is amazing how much protection you can get from a measly 1/4" piece of foam! About 6 months ago, I went straight down and landed on my butt - it shook the ice! - and I just laughed and said to my coach "It works!"

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

and we all learn a lesson from this... before going out onto the ice, get drunk!!

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I'll drink to that!!! *hic* (Scuse me... )

(Thank you for the tip, Rusty Blades. I'll try to get to a camping or sporting good store and find that foam! )

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

same here...

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You're brilliant, you know. I never knew there was foam for sleeping on the ground. Now you've solved a sleepover problem. Thanks.


We've discussed this in the past, but I love my snowpants when I fall while skating. (Which happens more than it should, on simpler things than it should. ) The fiberfill is a decent cushion to soften the blow. In addition to keeping my body parts loose and warm, my tush doesn't get wet from melting the ice, and the slippery nylon lets me control the fall instead of whumping onto the ice. Not enough to lose control, but enough to lessen the impact.

Easiest way to do a fake-fall is to do a lunge and use the knee/shin to spin down onto the ice. (Skating show experience does count for something.)

A good belt of schnaps could help too, as others pointed out. Just don't have too much - no SUI arrests, please.

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When I just started skating, like 3-turns and stuff I was in skiing pants as well. Then I started jumping, and I started going dizzy from overheating.

I watch so many adults struggle with fear of falling. For me, if I am doing a jump or a harder spin, I know there is the risk of falling and I tend to go down in a pretty controlled way, nice and relaxed, so I rarely hurt myself. It is the unexpected falls from a back 3 or footwork that tend to hurt.

The worst falls happen when you are standing still, because you don't slide, and you sure aren't expecting them. Ouch!

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

AMEN! And those are the falls that bite the high level skaters the worst!

Isk8NYC & peanutskates: Your welcome. enjoy your foam

I have been seriously tempted to "spike" the contents of my water bottle. I don't think it would improve my skating but I wouldn't care - LOL!

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

I do, thats why I dont do axels - I had a bad waxel

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Tim David's Website

LOL! Bring on the margaritas!! Definitely going to need some foam...

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The skating may not sparkle, but my dress sure does!

Just passed: Pre-Bronze MIF & Freeskate. Next goal: Bronze tests in July.

Hummmmm . . . we could add a whole new dimension to "adult skating"! Knowing how crazy many adult skaters are sober, we could have onehellofa rink party with a little "lubrication"

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Oh, that would be so much fun. Sweet, I have a new moneymaking idea for our rink - Adults Only Party Skate! It has to be better than their current idea of letting people sing karaoke during the public sessions.

And, imagine a competition - I know I would fall apart giggling halfway through the program!

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The skating may not sparkle, but my dress sure does!

Just passed: Pre-Bronze MIF & Freeskate. Next goal: Bronze tests in July.

A competition of inebriated adult skaters is just WAY TOO FUNNY to even imagine!

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Lol! I'd probably win...I seem to do a lot of things better when inebriated, and ya never know, skating might be one of them!

Or is it just 'coz I'm inebriated I just think I do everything better? Guess the only way to find out is to experiment...now, where did I put me vodka...

S xxx

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. It's how I got my first concussion skating.

I got my first (and only, touch wood) from doing footwork. I did a turn, then thought "hey, what was that, I don't know that step" and it was one of those glorious everything up in the air and all my weight landing on the back of my head sort of falls. Yeah, I suffered for a day, but no lasting consequences.

I guess though, getting back to the topic of overcoming the fear of falling, you have to ask yourself; "what is the worst thing that can happen here", and then compare that to "what can I get out of doing this".

Weigh up the two. Ask yourself what you are willing to risk to be the skater you want to be. Chances are, the worst scenario will never happen.

As I said to a teenaged skater the other week who commented that I was working myself pretty hard, as I stood panting and sweating at the barrier taking a break; "well if I have a heart attack and die, my only regret will be not having got better at this first".

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am