I won't be able to skate for nearly 6 weeks, and I'm really afraid I'm going to lose what little progress I've made recently. I'm not injured - I'm just going to Officer Training for the Navy and won't be able to skate. On the plus side, however, I'll end up in much better shape after the 6 weeks.

What little things can I do off ice to help keep the skills I've learned? Keep in mind I won't have equipment to work with, and probably shouldn't be practicing jumps around base. I might get some weird looks, or a drill instructor may yell at me. I've most recently made progress on my scratch spin and flip, and don't want to lose what I've gained.

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Good luck with the training and thank you for your service!

As a retired Colonel, and graduate of the Air Force version of officer training school, I can say you'll hardly have time to finish a thought much less worry about your skating. If the Navy's training is much like the Air Force's the physical fitness part doesn't emphasize flexibility. That's something you could do in the barracks or gym w.o much comment.

Are you going into the medical corps? Six weeks seems rather short. I thought line officers did 3 mos.

oh, I have a joke....if they teach you to march (drill and ceremony) you'll get a whole new meaning to moves in the field I'm a riot.

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I honestly don't think you'll lose your scratch spin in 6 weeks.

Building your general fitness is one of the best things you can do to help your skating, so I'm sure you'll come back even better than you went away.

Best of luck to you!

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Good luck with the training.

Having just done closer to two to three months off the ice (with injury unfortunately) I can safely say that you'll not lose the spin and flip in that time. If anything you'll come back to skating and be better for not having skated! It's a bizarre thing, but sometimes stopping skating gives the brain longer to learn things and to process the instructions that you've been trying to tell it to do.

Hope the training goes well and you'll be back on the ice in no time.

Given the reason you'll be off ice, I agree you'll be better off. You may not be able to practice your jumps without strange looks, but squats and other leg exercises I'm sure you'll be doing (or that you can do easily on your own without equipment) will help strengthen those muscles. Plus the core training will help tremendously with rotation positions in your scratch spin and in the air on your jumps (and your overall posture).

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I highly second the recommendation for increasing your core body strength.

ITA that the overall fitness training you will be doing will probably strengthen your body in general and even out the imbalances we tend to develop in this asymmetrical sport. If it's any consolation, I took 5 years off from skating and it didn't take long to get everything back (and most of that was probably just being out of shape, which you won't be). And yes, do lots of extra stretching!

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Yeah, I'm going into one of the service corps...Nurse Corps to be exact. I don't think I could survive 3-4 months of line officer training!!!

Moves in the Field.... If I have trouble completing a set of push=ups or whatever, I'll think of that.

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Thank you for all of the support and suggestions! I'll defnitely work on stretches. I know the overall exercise will do wonders for my skating - just in the past month my spins have greatly improved from better core strength.

And now that I've gone back to read my original post, 6 weeks isn't that long. Some of you guys go months without skating due to lack of ice surface. But when you have AOSS like me, 6 weeks seems like forever!

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