This is kind of long, but I hope someone can help me. I was wondering if this has ever happened to anyone else here. I have music for my long program that makes me rush everything and while I'm skating to it, I just can't think. Outside of this program and in my short program, my jumps are pretty much consistant and have good quality. (I do my program without the music lots to get it as consistant as possible) When my music is turned on I just start rushing everything and stop thinking about anything, the music's so intense and fast my jumps lose their quality and i sometimes fall, and my spins become wild and scratchy. I have a competition coming up in 2 and a half weeks and I really want to do well, and I know I can if I can do these jumps and spins with quality!! Me and my coach agree that it is the music and I need something a little more laid back next year, but the coreographer doesn't come in until the spring, so I'm working on overcoming the sort of mental block with this music. Anyone have any ideas of what I can do to change this? thanks for reading through

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dont eat me

Listen to your music again. Most pieces also have an under or overlying melody or rhythm. Some of them are obvious, like Cannon in D, and others not. If not, think of your music that way. For example if the timing is 1 2 3 4 think 1 - 3 -. It will mentally slow you down, while staying with the music. If stuff is crammed into your program, or you need mental landmarks, talk to your coach about possibly moving or removing un needed or cluttering elements. One last thing is to think Power and not speed.

Enjoy.

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Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

whether playing the piano or skating, we all rush when nervous, especially the hard parts! This is especially bad for Ice Dancers as every single step must be done at exactly the right beat, over and over for 3 patterns!

What I would like to suggest is that you learn your music so well that do every jump, arm motion and spin at exactly the same spot each time. So if you've rushed it then you take a little deeper edge etc and WAIT to do your next move until it is the right time, effectively making lots and lots of little corrections to keep the whole thing at the right pace over all.

So the first step is figuring out the right spot for each thing. Once you do that play your music while your taperecorder is running and then say into the microphone whatever you need to make you timeing right (eg. "stretch and holllllllldd it, now reach back and Flip NOW"). Now practice your program to the tape with your instructions outloud. (funny but its rather embarrasing to hear your own voice amplified!) You can keep re-making the voice over tape until you get it all just right.

BTW I'm looking for some sort of a 2 cassette Karaoke player/recorder for this very thing, ANYONE please let me know if you find one for sale as the hand held tape recorder doesn't make very good recordings, however they are useable.

Please let me know if this helped.
Lyle

A few suggestions: First, skate your program without the music and have someone videotape it. Then play your music while you watch your program video and see if everything really fits with the music. If you see that you are a little behind your music at any point, take out some connecting move so that you can get to that element sooner without rushing.
Once you've made sure the choreography really fits the music, then give yourself mental cue words for each element so that you walk yourself through it step by step and don't rush it. If you are focused on your cue words instead of the music, you are less likely to rush it (it works for me, anyway).

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Lyle, if you use Audacity you can have two tracks-one for the music and record another of vocal "tips".

Doubletoe: have you tried just tuning out the music, turning it down really low and skating then running through a few times and gradually turning it up as you progress??? I know it's probably too late to change your music, that would be another suggestion (I realize two weeks isn't enough time).

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Hey thanks for the tip! WAYY cool
Look folks this is FREE public domain music editing software - make your own skating programs!!
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Lyle

THanks so much for your suggestions some of those things I havent thought of before

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dont eat me

I have a big problem with rushing when my music is on. I try and run through without the music as much as possible so I don't have to think so much when the music is on.

I also don't try and be with the music at every point as it would make me panic if I was slightly out. Instead I pick about 4/5 key points in the programme where I consciously think about being with the music and because I'm not thinking about it and panicking all the time it usually works.

Videotaping is a very good idea as you will probably see you have a lot more time than you think. That helped me anyways.....

Did you mean this for me, or for the original poster?

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

that's what I get for only having 4 hours sleep last night.....and having a madhouse at work (yeah, so I took a break to surf....)

Yes, original poster!! sorry!!!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

It happened to me too. I don't know if I should talk because I've only competed once, but the program is getting redone with slower music. I like to skate fast and love the music, but like you said, I couldn't think and was rushing around.

I guess I have no solution!!

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Revised Official 2010 Goals checklist
Skate __
New boots __
(lowering the bar for 2010 as I haven't skated in a year)

Just Breathe.

Just make sure you are "on time" at various points in your program. In order to land my jumps or complete my spins, I need to internally focus on the feeling of the element so I have to tune out the music. it keeps me from rushing through the elements and then I "tune back in".

hey rabbi you too? Holding my breath limits my sit and camel attempts, that's for sure! I got so bad that we "choreographed" breaths into my last program,
Lyle