Hey all,

As some of you know, I'm working on getting custody of my son, who's 6 years old. It's looking hopeful now, I should have him within the next month. Anyways, when I visited him at Christmas, we went skating in rental skates, and considering that I could hardly stand up in the dull skates, I'm sure that was a factor for him as well. But it was also his first time skating, so I didn't expect much. We just sort of skated together as best as I could manage, and toddled along the wall. He seemed to enjoy it quite a bit though, and kept asking about going again, so this last weekend when I went to visit, I brought him a pair of Reidell 21's.

We went skating 3 times this weekend. By the end of the first, he was comfortable going all the way around the rink on the wall by himself, and occasionally only using one hand. By the end of the second, he wasn't holding onto the wall anymore, and though he fell from time to time, he could get all the way around on his own. The third wasn't too much different, but he was falling a lot less, and didn't want to take as many breaks. Is it just me or does this seem like a really amazing rate of progress for someone so young and new to skating?

He really does enjoy it though - he kept bragging about how he knows how to skate now, and I wasn't going to go the 3rd time but he really wanted to go again, and when we happened to see a couple minutes of the Nationals on TV, he saw one of the jumps and said "wow she jumped really high, just like me!" (well, in his imagination, anyways, but that's gotta count for something)...

Anyways I'm looking forward to him coming to live with me and hoping that that day comes sooner than later. Assuming he wants to keep pursuing things, how long and frequent of lessons are recommended for young kids starting out? I was thinking it would be best to put him in group lessons to get started, but not exactly sure when he should move from those into privates...

So any advice (including stuff I didn't ask about) from parents of kids starting skating around this age is very welcome!

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

When my DD started skating at 5 we put her in a class that met once a week . It was a 30 minute lesson with a 15 minute practice session. She also went to the weekly practice session that the rink held for members that was 2 hours long. After she had been skating a while we uped it to 2 lessons a week + the practice session.

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Luckey

when my daughter started skating, she was just turned 4. We started off with 1 half hour group lesson per week. After a few months it was upped to 2 half hour groups, and after about 4 months (I think) she also started having 1 half hour private.

I can see the benefits of beginners having a private lesson here & there, but not necessarily every week.

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AW1
mum to Miss Lil (6yrs old)
mum to be to #2 due in March 08

Is it too soon to congratulate you on getting custody of your son?

My girls both started out with private lessons. They each had a half hour once a week. They could both skate before we ever did lessons, though. As a coach, I think it's a very individual thing. If there are good group lessons offered convenient to your location, then it makes sense to start with those. Be there and watch! Not all schools are properly run, and you don't want your son in a huge class, or one with too many different skill levels, or an inattentive coach, if you can avoid it.

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When my daughter started skating a year ago she could barely stand on skates. We planned to put her in group lessons. We decided that before we put her in a group the we would get her a couple of private lessons ahead of time. That way she would at least be able to skate a little, not just walk around the ice with blades on. As it turns out she REALLY loved skating. She never did make it to the group, and is now up to 3 private lessons a week.
As it turned out starting her in private's worked out well for her. I would still however recommend starting him in a group. After a little while if you things are going well add a private lesson a week as well.

Casey, good luck with your son. I hope it all works out for both of you!

Both my DD's started in Kiddies Klub when they were about 3 yo - this was the rink's 1-hour childminding while their parents learned in Coffee Club (That'd be me ). It provided games for the littlies to play (blocks, balls, snow and shovels etc) and a lesson for the group which was less structured than the formal kids' lessons but covered the same basic stuff (starting with marching and falling, then sculling and one foot glides, and getting to basic stroking without toepicking).

Each child went once a week, for the two years between 3yo and when they started school. By the end of the second year, each of my daughters was able to do basic stroking without using toepicks, but did not have anything like decent form. (Mind you, the same could be said of me! )

My elder DD (now almost 8 yo) did a few of the formal kids' group badge classes after school, then about 6 months ago moved to privates. She has one 30-min lesson a week plus whatever is left of the rest of the 2-hour session to practise. I also take her for another 1-hour practice session one day after school. She has OK stroking and fwd xo's in both directions, and is now learning the basic turns and playing with the beginning jumps and spins (kids are fearless!)

My younger DD (just turned 5 yo) has just started school (today! ). She is begging to do the badge classes like her big sister did (she wants the pennant on the wall with the badges sewn to it!), and has been since she realised that last year was her last time in Kiddies Klub. I've said no until she settles into school and I can judge how tired she's going to get, how she's coping etc. I'm guessing that she'll be ready for group lessons after school maybe halfway through the year.

Casey, the tiredness etc might be something for you to consider - if your son is only 6 yo and moving across the country to live with a different parent and change schools, that's a fairly substantial change and it may take him some time to settle in.

This is one of those whatever works best for you skater question.there isnt a right or wrong answer.
Both my kids started in LTS ISI classes.They didnt last very long,we dont have high level classes here.They both started privates early.
My son who started at 3, kinda just skated and wasnt into the practice part until maybe a year ago. He liked skating but wasnt serious till he was 5. His sister who started a bit later has always been serious about her skating and has always practiced without encourgment.They both skate 4 to 5 days a week now.They both have two 30 minute lessons a week fs and one 20 minutes moves lesson.He will be testing pre pre moves soon and she wil be testing prelim moves.He competes at non test and she is at pre pre with axle.
I think for boys, try a group class but myabe think about privates as well. The group classes will be for the most part full of girls.My son has pretty much been around the skate girls for his whole life and it doesnt bother him. In fact he will tell you he skates for the chicks...he doesnt care if they are 16 or 6.
But a new skater starting out might not feel so confortable. Are there alot of boy skaters at the rink? Some role models a few years older?
As far as progressing fast, I think that is pretty common.Kids have little fear. When my son skated the first time, he marched/skated from one side to the other side of the rink with no assistance and never hung on to the board.That was one reason we pulled him from group classes, the other kids were still in the learning to get up and down stage. He was a distraction to the class as he wanted to skate!!
Good luck

We have something called "skating school".
You start when you're about 4 years old 50 minuits a week.
Then when you're ready you go up to "figure skating school" and practise 2 hours a week.
And it's always with a trainer.
After that you train a lot more hours a week.
(my sister trains 5h/week on ice)
Always with trainer.

Maybe it's more expansive to skate in the US? :S

twokidsskatemom made a good point about the likelihood of him being possibly the only boy in a flock of girls....though at the very low levels there are often a few boys in a group class.

It does definitely depend on the skater. The good thing about starting them in groups is that they can learn the basics without it costing you a fortune. If it's a good program with good teachers, they can get some quality instruction for much much less than private lessons.

But there are other things to consider---is he mature enough to function well in a group setting; ie, pay attention in a distracting environment, listen to the teachers, not bother other kids, not run rampant all over the rink? (I've seen all that & more from rambunctious little boys who just want to zoom hell-bent for leather all over the place & don't care about actually learning anything else)

And some things to consider re. a private lesson---for some children it's stressful to have to focus for that long when all the attention is focused solely on them. I have a 7 year old student who's been skating since she was five, and she still is often pretty fried by about the 20 minute mark. If you decide on privates, I'd recommend starting with a 15 minute lesson rather than a 1/2 hour. It can be overwhelming & their brains just shut down after getting so much info & being required to focus so hard. In a group class it's less stress as far as being able to work on things or have a break while the teacher is focused on someone else.

So probably I'd recommend trying the groups & see how it works out. The sessions are pretty short (6 weeks around here), so if it's not great, then you can try something else.

The other thing about groups is it's a great place to "try out" different coaches, see who you like, see who your son likes. Then when you're ready to move to privates you'll likely know who you want to employ as the coach.

Second everything phoenix said.

My son's seven, and while he loves skating and his group lessons, we had to pull him out of private lessons because he felt pressure even though the coach wasn't putting any at all on him. In a group lesson, if he needs to go try stuff by himself because he's not sure what's going on, or just take a couple of minutes to think, or skate over to the side and wail to me about how hard it is, he can do that. In a private lesson he can't, and it got to him. And this was fifteen minutes with a coach who he's known since he was three, and who he still quite happily goes and helps when she's got her little nephew on the ice. It was purely the stress of being the focus of attention that was too much for him.

Conversely, by that age my daughter was having two fifteen minute lessons a week (the coach felt she wouldn't concentrate enough for 30 minutes to be worth my money, and he was right) and loving it. She's always thought having her own adult to help her do stuff and suggest harder and harder things for her to try is great.

They're all different, and the most important thing is not to push too hard. It's got to be fun, even if they could do better if they worked harder.