Quote:

Originally Posted by SkatingOnClouds Another skating session, another battle with backspins. <snip>

This post was originally in a Back Spin advice thread. It spawned a side discussion about pads and protection. I've moved those posts here to control the thread drift.

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Probably one way to really get stuck into it is to wear full head protection including a neck brace, and thick back padding, elbow protector and knee protector....and maybe shoulder protector, and just lay straight into it. So if you fall over, it should be alright. At least you can go all out into it and find your limits. One of things that inhibit certain moves is due to uncertainty of just where we can push it.

Otherwise you could take a video of the spin and get your friends, or your coach, and yourself to analyze it. Often you can pick up certain things from that.

Wouldn't full head protection, etc, put your balance off, though?

My coach encourages his students to pad up - he says they learn, sooner or later, that you always fall on the bit that isn't padded....

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Mrs Redboots
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It didn't put me off balance. I trained with pads and helmet on and I can do centered spins, axel jumps etc with all the gear on (or off). It didn't make any difference to me. So you learned jumps with no padding or head gear right?

Well, such jumps as I've done, certainly (I do primarily ice dance, and very little jumping). I've never seen anybody wear padding below an axel (in fact, padding at our rink is known as "axel knickers"), and never, ever seen anybody over the age of 3 wearing a helmet on the ice (except people playing ice hockey, of course).

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

I see! Ok.....well, there's always a first time. Check this link out.

http://www.usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=36147

I've seen a few adult and teen skaters wearing helmets. I don't wear a helmet myself, but I definitely wear knee pads and am not yet up to an axel. I don't mind falls to other parts of my body, but falls on my knees keep me off the ice so long that I'm willing to wear pads except for competitions and tests.

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I wear kneepads on the ice even when I'm just skate guarding during a public session; although I didn't start wearing them until after I started working on my axel.

Wow! Maybe I should have taken that helmet. I whacked my head on the ice back in April, right before final exams- no clue how I passed them all. Fortunately I didn't have a concussion but I did get whiplash. The doctor said no getting on the ice for two weeks, not even walking. My coach agreed with the doc and wouldn't even let me take lessons for three weeks. The worst part was that I work at the rink and had to be there to work but nobody would allow me on the ice- at all. My manager would hand me helmets everyday and call me Crash. He still randomly hands me helmets on occasion.

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I used to wear a knee pad on my right knee. However, I became mentally dependent on it and, for a while, had a really hard time jumping without it. I wore padded shorts when I first started working on my axel and low doubles, but stopped wearing those after a while. I just bought a new pair of padded shorts for two reasons. One, I have been having mental issues with my jumps. I keep popping them even though I know I can land them. I'm hoping that I will start doing them again if I know I have padding. Once I get the feeling of the rotation, I know I will be fine. Also, I started working on double axels and I know I will be taking some hard falls

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what do you guys think of tailbone pads? I hate falling on my tailbone more than anything, and I've done it like 4 times now... but is it worth getting a pad? do they work? what are the ebst ones? thanks

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I always wear a tailbone pad, at least for the past year - the skatingsafe gel one. Yes, it works. Falls onto the tailbone with it are so much less jarring on the spine, they are no longer a big deal now. I do have issues with the pad tending to slide down, though - not a huge deal since I don't wear skating dresses for practice, but I imagine it could be quite uncomfortable if one does.

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Must be a European thing or something, at our rink protection isn't very much used either (and I'm not seeing it used much at other rinks either), except wrist guards and an occasional sponge here or there.

I've only rarely seen any sort of padding/protection worn at our rink. One girl was wearing some sort of tailbone pad on a freestyle session, and we have one low level adult who wears a helmet at each of his practices. Other than that, hockey players and toddlers are in padding or helmets.

I haven't had a bad enough fall to scare me into wearing it- but it's probably a good idea.

I always wonder how smart it is for the kids who wear bicycle helmets though. Those are made for one crash- then you're supposed to get a new one. They take 6 or 7 hits a session- usually at least 1 a good one. It makes me worry that the helmet won't be effective when they are riding a bicycle.

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Yes, I did know about her, but she is very much the exception. I don't think many other high-level skaters wear head-protection - certainly not here in Europe, although I don't, of course, know what is done at American nationals.

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

The article lets you know what happened, and also why she ended up needing to wear a helmet. I know a few figure skaters that gave up figure skating after hitting their heads. It could be a hair pin on the ground, or some other material that is on the ice but should not be, or just a 'mistake'. You just can't always control a fall, or have time to control a fall. You don't always fall on your head. Although, those skaters would probably still be skating if they had been wearing head protection during their training. Tomarchio now has a special personal understanding about how a helmet could benefit your head, and even your life. Even if helmet wearing is not common in figure skating, the option is right there.

I am a low level skater learning single jumps and I wear padded shorts, thin knee pads and, since a bad sprain last month, wrist guards. If I know I'm doing dance then I dont wear the shorts and if I need to I'll ditch the lot, so its not like I'm scared to go without it. Most of my peers (ages vary from 35-55) wear similar padding, in fact one lady is making a nice bit of pocket money producing stirrup type lycra leggings with removable tailbone and hip pads. Also I recently skated at another rink and while watching a national level dance couple, I noticed the lady was wearing knee pads.

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• Level One Compulsary dances.......PASSED 19.02.09
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This thread brings to mind the "20 Questions for Scott Hamilton" feature on the "Blades of Glory" DVD (yes, I finally saw it ). When asked to compare hockey to figure skating, Scott said that in hockey, guys try to kill each other, whereas in figure skating, you try to kill yourself.

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I wear knee pads (the Skatingsafe gel kind) over my knees because I have some knee problems and I don't even want to think about adding to them with a hard knee fall - and I've had a few. I had a nasty "ckick of death" on crossovers a while back and I barely felt it with the pads in place. I always, always wear a pad on my left elbow because it's fragile after an auto accident injury - I'll wear it under long sleeves even if I manage to test and/or compete. And (laugh if you must, but I am quite serious) I wear a SkatingSafe hip pad under a very nice hat when I practice. I've worked with speech and language disorders in people who have had nonpenetrating head injuries, and brain injuries terrify me. The gel pad is not heavy and the hat is not out of place in the rink, and I feel more secure with it on. Wimpy to be sure, but it works.

I know I created this thread, but I really didn't respond for myself.

I like to wear ski pants to teach and skate. They keep me warm, fit well, and offer some protection from falls. I stepped off my heel last week while doing threes on the line and ended up on my side. (Got distracted by one of the other skaters who was heading my way backwards.)

When I really skated, I wore knee pads when I was working on tough jumps. Usually, they didn't go on until after the first bad fall. Still, I don't worry too much about falling, even with whacking my head on the ice a few times. (I decided the skating obsession was more important than the falling obsession.)

I require my beginners to wear helmets, gloves, and outerwear, but I don't make a big deal about it. My standard speech: "Falling is a natural part of skating and means you're challenging yourself to reach higher levels. It's nothing to be afraid of or ashamed of, it's a step towards achieving."

I think fear of falling is more devasting in some cases than the actual fall.

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I read the idea of a gel pad and hat with interest. at my rink you're not allowed hats, in case you fall and hit your head. means the stewards and first aider can see any blood. they do have the helmets but only recommend them for under 10s in public sessions or all kids under a LTS level in group lessons.

I see. So at your rink, hats aren't allowed for anybody. But helmets are allowed for anybody that wants to wear one, right?

And, when you mean 'hat', is that like a sun-hat...eg a cap?

She wore the helmet for a certain amt. of time under doctor's orders. I don't believe she does anymore (she's currently on partnersearch so isn't competing right now).

Next best thing to a helmet--high ponytail or bun! Saved me from a nasty bump last year, when I went over backwards.

There's also this sort of thing, which I think would interfere less w/ balance.
http://www.betterbraces.com/ViewProd...FRJgWAod6jbgcw

Yeah.....I'm not sure if she's wearing a helmet or not in training sessions. I think the ponytail or bun can really help a lot as well. Although, that only protects a limited portion of the head. But definitely better than nothing. It's great that it protected you from a backwards fall though.

That donjoyhatrick product looks quite promising. I haven't seen that one before, but it looks like a workable product. Nice link.

At our rink, on public sessions, the only head-coverings allowed are ones worn for religious reasons, and they have to be securely fastened. Having said that, there are some helmets that can be hired for children whose parents wish it.

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

Which rink is it by the way? When you mean 'head-coverings', do you mean skater's safety helmets as well?

If they do ban helmets, then a chat with them should soon clarify everything.