Obviously if you have music on with a constant tempo, no need.

If you skated with a precise beat you could refine the timings of each edge of each foot resulting in better, more symmetrical skating?

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Skate Free

I have used a metronome CD (that slowly increased tempo) to work on the power circles in the Intermediate Moves test. I found that it helped me gradually increase my speed.

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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

I skate with a metronome when I'm working on compulsory dances. We don't have dance sessions at our rink, so I have to practice on freestyles. I'll use the music once on a session, but the rest of the time I just use the metronome. I have a little Boss "Dr. Beat" model that has a hole in it so you could stick a pencil in it to stand it up on a desk top. I put a cord through the hole so I can wear the thing around my neck. It's loud enough that I can hear it, even with other music playing in the arena, although I do feel a little bit like the crocodile in Peter Pan. I've never bothered for Moves or figures - I just count to myself for those. I think it would be a problem for me for freestyle, because I tend to rush jumps if I try to fit them to the music - I do better if I just feel the natural rhythm of the jump.

My coach had me do the same for jr MIF.

I've never skated to a metronome, but I have BEEN a metronome, LOL!

We were on practice ice for a synchro competition and had a kerfluffle with our CD player, so while our darling coach was scrambling to find a new player, I counted our program through two run-throughs. Which apparently was helpful as we skated the competition well and placed a definitive second.

C'mon, have some fun...Beep Beep (Little Nash Rambler)

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...and now from across the pond, some decidedly British beeps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoDVtdJwypA

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Skate Free

It's got a good beat and you can dance to it, I'll give it a 92, Dick. lol

The other one has a change in the cadence, though. Tough choice.

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That was just great! Now if only someone could put together a fun artistic program with 2 good skaters (they'd need to be very fast with great footwork), one large, one small...what a hoot!

Where does one get a skating metronome CD? I am working on power circles, too! My big issue right now is getting the ripping sound. Aargh.

The USFSA used to sell something called a "Timing Tape."

Has anyone ever ordered it and can confirm that my guess is correct?

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I've ordered the timing tape, thinking it was the metronome recording, but it isn't. I don't have the silly thing here at home, so I can't check it out to be certain. I think that the timing tape was used to calibrate tape decks to make sure that the cassettes were running at the proper speed, but once I figured out it wasn't what I thought it was, I stopped listening to it. My coach has a copy of the metronome CD - I'll have to ask her where she got it.

Thank you - I wondered about that item.

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Check your PM

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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