My first lesson was yesterday... I am very excited to learn. However, I want to get my form correct so I can improve everytime I go to practice. Any books, videos recommendations. I will really appreciate your input and help. Thanks. :-)

Most excellent video you could ever hope for, in my opinion, is Natalia Dubova's "Stroking Exercises on Ice." She is a genius.

I really appreciated. Do you know where I could buy that video?

My copy is very old - it's actually for a VCR. There is no website on it, but there is an address and phone number. It's Ice Command videos, 207 Earle Avenue, Easton, MD 21601. Ph-410-820-5614. I'm sure by now she has it out in DVD form. Try the Rainbo Sports website - rainbosports.com. If that does't work, try googling Instructional DVD's for ice skating or something like that. You are bound to find it that way. I bought mine up in Lake Placid NY from the master herself.

I would also recommend the PSA MIF videos/DVDs. These go through the common errors of each of the moves which is awesome because then you know what to correct.

Thank you for all your comments.

If you are a brand-new beginner, I actually wouldn't bother to spend a whole lot of money on videos of any kind, really. Just listen to your coach, and PRACTICE. One or two lower-cost videos might be fine, just for entertainment/informational purposes, but seriously--spending a lot of money at this point is kind of a waste.

What you're probably better off doing is scouring YouTube for skating videos related to what you're working on. Many folks are now posting videos of themselves skating, and you can get lots of good ideas from there. (Lots of bad ones, too, but use discretion!) I used to look at tape of elite skaters doing moves that I was working on, and I would slow the tape down to try to break it down for myself, which sometimes helped, especially if my coach was having trouble explaining something.

But really---books and tapes are of minimal help at a very basic level. The best thing to do is practice, practice, practice, and let your coach help you work out what you're doing right and wrong.

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