I think that my biggest obstacle to learning to skate is an inability to relax while skating. Every now and then I just fall into the flow and I love when that happens--but it's rare, it seems. I'm wearing padding, so presumably that will help with fear of falling (but I've never fallen on the padding, so maybe it won't help until I do!). I'm just so stiff that I suspect it interferes with my balance--and I know it interferes with my flow. If anyone has any suggestions of how to learn to relax while skating, I'd be really grateful.

I have the same problem-I have to constantly remind myself to bend my knees, not look at my feet, and breathe. My fear of falling makes me very stiff, especially on spins. Only thing I found that helps me (and annoys my teachers) is to listen to music while I'm working. I have my palm pilot loaded with fun music, I get out there prepared to practice whatever the teacher has on the agenda, and lose myself in the music. It's not always practical, but it's what helps me.

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deannathegeek
"It's like trying to do a toe loop in hockey skates-you have to have the right tools for the job."

You have to learn to breathe and ground.
I do it for my presentations at university, but for everything else too.

Grounding: First of all, step wide (about feet at shoulder width), get in your knees a little, bend them a little and then press your feet into the soles of your skates, and your skates into your blades, and your blades into the ice. You've got to feel those blades connecting, grinding into the ice. That's grounding. Feel the solid ground under your feet. Feel your feet connect to it, try to sort of "stick" your feet to the ice, heels most of all. Like you wanted to push into the ice with your feet.
If you do this right and somebody gives you a slow gentle push, you will accomodate without without lifting up your feet.

Next, breathing. If you're a girl, breathe into, well try to breathe into the area between your legs. Seriosly. At the very least, you're trying to breathe into your bellybutton. Put your hand on your bellybutton, when you breathe in, it's supposed to go forward, pushed by your belly. But in truth, you should breathe so deep that even the belly under the bellybutton expands. Aim for pressing your belly contents into the area between your legs with your breath.
Careful not to over-do this one though, if I take a deep breath on a spin, I break the spin because all my core muscles relax. So I have to focus not to do that on my spins.

Those two usually help. You might need to repeat them regularly though.

Thanks for the suggesions--I can't wait to try the suggestions of both, as soon as I'm back from this skate-less trip. I still, though, suspect what I need is magic skates...or a magic pill or something. <g>

That happens to me sometimes with certain music that really touches my soul! My coach has commented that my skating makes a quantum shift when that happens. Unfortunately it only happens when improvising and never in program - LOL!

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

besides listening to music, I have found that when I skate with the kids I am more relaxed. I'm not talking about the snowplow kids I teach but the other figure skaters. We play "copycat" games or do goofy stuff just for fun. When you are not uber-focused on moves and stuff it can be really relaxing to just mess around. And since it's all in fun, there is no competitiveness or "I can do it better" going on.

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

I have to admit that I do things more technically better when I am helping someone else out with their skating but does anyone have an advice on this problem. Sometimes I find problems with changing direction quickly because I have got 'locked' into the last or current position and struggle to get my shoulders or hips to move around for the next step.

It is pretty difficult to make yourself feel relaxed at will; I find it easier to "fake it til you make it." In other words, try addressing the symptoms of tenseness, like stiff knees and tight shoulders. Constantly push your shoulders down, especially going into jumps and during spins, which is when they tend to tense up the most (at least for me). To get rid of stiff knees and the toe scraping that goes with them, focus on keeping your butt low and getting your chest over your knees over your toes. I would literally tell myself "butt low, butt low" on crossovers until I developed the habit. Finally, schedule times in your program to breathe!

Smelltheice - I know what you mean. That would happen to me whenever I failed to "finish the edge". Let every edge ride itself out until it wants to end and change to something else and you will find that it makes the step-out or change to new foot or edge much easier. It can be hard to wait for the edge to finish because it can feel like an eternity, but trust it and you will see that you do have time.

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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

Thanks doubletoe. I'll give that a shot when I'm next on the ice

Sometimes it just helps to fall. I was afraid of learning axels for a while and I was really stiff because I didn't want to fall and break something. Finally I realized that the only way I was going to progress was to take a chance and move out of my comfort zone. I did fall...a lot,But I was really releived when I did beacuse it didn't hurt and I was able to move on.