I am currently doing a project at University on figure skating. I am looking at the problems in the development of figure skating skills. I was wondering if any of you have any opinions on what basic skills are the hardest to develop when you are just starting out in skating?!?!?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

T-stops. As for jumps and spins, though, everyone learns differently -- I could do a double lutz-double loop beofre I could do a double-toe, and some people can do all their toe jumps before any of their edge jumps.

For me, and for many adults, the backspin!!!!

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I suppose this is not surprising, but back-anything is harder than the equivalent move forward: back spins, back cross-overs; back-three turns; back-cross rolls etc.

Basics skills? Crossovers, mohawks and 3-turns!!! (OH, MY!!!)

Seriously... all of the above moves are hard to master, but they are necessary!

Crossovers:
I'm still forever trying to get my back crossovers to the point where my secondary coach won't grumble about it. (They look better today on one side... working on the other side though...)

Forward crossovers has its unique set of problems too. (Whether it's crossed under enough or free leg extension to no toe scratchies on the push, etc...)

Mohawks:
Well, currently working on FI mohawks... feeling like I need to surgically alter my hips so I can get a good turnout for those mohawks. I don't even want to mention how many years it took just to get the foot switching to be done under the hips, never mind having the foot turned out, free leg extension, etc.

3-turns:
Key seems to be edges!!! I can guarantee if you don't have good edges that you're NOT going to get 3-turns!!! Trust me on this... (Took quite a while for the edges to be good enough to try a 3-turn and then a couple of years before I have a consistent 3-turn and now working on the "sureness" thing on doing those FO3's. (You would think after doing at least a few thousand times that you'd be less nervous to go a bit faster, no? )

I still haven't master my 3-turns. The back outsides are kinda wonky. The back inside ones are almost non-existent.

Oh, man! I still hate doing those backspins, but at least I can sorta do them now. My day of celebration came when I did backspins for my program... in front of my ex-secondary coach who was really frustrated trying to get me to do backspins correctly way back when. She said immediately "She's got a BACKSPIN!!?!?!"

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Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

I think all spins are hard to master- you've got the centrifugal (sp?) going against you and for those few seconds, you are out of control!

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A lot of things are challenging but if you work on them then they seem to become a little bit easier all the time until finallly you've mastered it!

For me, the most problems I have had to this day is with the lutz, I used to have a problem not being able to stay on that outside edge, but now it seems fine. ( Also, thanks too some people on here)

Well thats my 2 cents!

For anyone who's never set foot on skates.....turning of ANY sort. Just getting from forwards to backwards is a HUGE challenge for new skaters. Many people are terrified to take one foot off the ice. Stopping is the least of anyone's concern; that's what the boards are there for!

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I'm wondering if there are some things that are harder for adults learning to skate, and some things that are harder for kids learning to skate, and some things that are hard for everyone learning to skate....

(For instance, proper stroking would fall into the last category--something that's hard for a skater of any age to perfect--even for some elite skaters)

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Edges - the time consuming forward & backwards edges + three turns in the field, edge pulls

Consistency in practices, that I do not expect anymore

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That reminds me of when I was learning 3 turns in group lessons. The FO3 seemed like a foreign concept to me and it seemed TERRIFYING!!!! The instructor was nice and didn't laugh at us too much when we told him that.

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PROPER 'runs'/crossovers. The clunky 'lift the leg over' kind were fine but when it came to doing it with finesse

I was always quite *good* at mohawks but 3-turns were less easy especially the back 3 turn variety

Jump wise I flew through them till I got to loop and then stuck and stuck and stuck! When I DID get it, though, it became my best jump, even got the 2loop nearer than the bloody axel

And, oh yes, the BACKSPIN I personally think that it's in the way that it's taught but that's another story entirely. I also think that things like the axel and backspin are made SO much harder because we're always told how hard they are!!! I'm not saying that they're easy, never in a million, but we're up against it psychologically before we even start

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I guess it depends on what you mean by "just starting out." For basic skills stuff, it was BI edges. For freestyle skating, it was the backspin.

For real beginners, balancing on one foot, going backwards, and pushing properly are the most important basic skills that students struggle with regularly.

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Ok, my 2 cents: for beginning beginners....BENDING those knees and ankles! I think my first year on skates I did the "zombie walk"

Then it was the bunnyhop, and the thought of JUMPING. Now, it is the backspin (and the bunnyhop ).

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Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

A lot of people get stuck on the axel. They eventually can get all the other single jumps, but this takes (comparatively) a long time to get and even longer to master.

The first basic figure skating skill I learned were FO 3-turns. I can't begin to tell you how many times I stumbled & fell trying to do what now seems like walking. I felt like I would never get it.

Tasha--I had similar trouble with the loop. It took me forever even to get it to jump, then forever to get a clean landing (I was working on that for many months). I had many different people teaching it to me, and tried many different entrances--back crossover, mohawk, 3 turn. I finally had some success with the 3 turn entry. Now it's my favorite jump!

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Tango stops! It took a long time to master it on my right foot, but I'm still Tango stop challenged on my left!

the back spins were teh most difficult for me to grasp

I eventually got it from a RFO3! It gave me enough 'spin' to get the jump and once I'd got the feeling I was off

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The best whisper is a click

For me, the backspin. Nothing else has been so frustrating or so difficult, yet. Perhaps the axel will prove more challenging - time will tell.

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I see everyone here has posted their personal nightmare! And that's good as far as it goes...BUT...the most difficult skill to learn is the ability to keep bumping it out. For every single move someone has problems with there's someone else who nailed it quickly (for example, I nailed T-stops and spirals very quickly. And I've gotten compliments from other skaters about them) But I've had some problems with other basic moves...and the ONLY way to cure these problems is to work them out. Yes, it's BORING, it's no fun, but if you don't bother with the work, it just ain't gonna happen. So I would suggest that the most difficult skill to master is the skill required to fix any problem you have.

Yup, Catcus Bill, I agree with you there. Each time I practice moves in the field, I have to make myself practice the bad ones and the bad sides enough to improve them. I always want to do the ones I'm good at, but I have to push myself to work on the ones that feel awful...

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I'm with everyone else on the backspin! I had all of my single jumps and could do them in combination before I had 3 revolutions on a reverse spin.

And to go back earlier, to when I was really just starting to skate, I agree that the 3-turn was kind of scary. Now I don't even think about it unless I'm turning counter-clockwise (the opposite direction of my turns during spins and jumps).