I'm working on my next set of moves and I'm kind of struggling deciding how to learn them. Do I learn the first two moves really good and then learn the next two or do I learn how to do them all (not well at this point) and then just practice all of them in the order in which they go? I'm sure lots of people take one approach or the other but I'm kind of stuck for some reason. I'm trying to learn them all and then practice them but I'm forgetting them and I figure maybe there's a better way. Thanks in advance for helping me!

Who came up with these moves things anyway?

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Careygram

January: Sure I'll compete, quick, send the application
April: I signed up to do WHAT??

Personally I'd start out by learning them all, but then maybe pick one or two to focus on each practice & rotate them that way......but still do the others, just not focus on them as much.

If you do decide to start with only a couple & wait till they're good before adding the rest--then start with the hardest ones, to give yourself the most practice time on those.

And if you get frustrated on the harder ones, move on to the easier ones. Don't let yourself get so frustrated you become mentally "blocked"!!!!! Just let it go for a while, move on then go back later. You will find (in most cases) that you are refreshed and the break does you good.

Nothing is more frustrating than to see someone go after a move and watch it become worse because their frustration grows...they become tired and angry and their technique suffers.

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

It all depends on which process works best for you. I agree that you don't want towait until you are executing the first two moves *perfectly* before learning the next two, but it's pretty hard to keep all those new patterns and techniques in your head if you get them all thrown at you at once. I personally like to start with the two easiest ones first so that I can feel like I'm making progress and not get discouraged. I do those until I understand the pattern and placement and the basic techniques. That doesn't mean I have to be able to DO them, but I am in a position where I can now practice them on my own. Then I learn the next two, etc. etc. If you have a testing deadline and aren't easily discouraged, then you might want to start with the hardest two.

On the current test I'm on, I learned 2 per lesson for three weeks (my other lesson during the week was a FS only lesson) and we concentrated on those moves. Now I do 2 different moves per day as a focus to warm up on days without lessons and now that the competitive season has begun, we work on one move per lesson for about 5-10 minutes as a warm up and then choreo, jumps, spins, or programs for the remainder of each lesson. My moves are slowly improving this way (these have a long way to go to be passing, for sure!) and I don't get frustrated working on them.

It's really hard to learn them easiest to hardest because for me, the easiest one is the hardest for one of my coach's kid skaters and my hardest is his easiest!!!

I also have them down on 3x5 index cards and keep those rinkside with me (with my junk) for quick referencing. The one I'm working on I can carry in my hand. When I feel comfortable remembering it I put it back with the others because I don't want to become dependent on looking at my cheat sheet!!!

The cards are easier to tote around than the rulebook....and I can write my little notes on it.

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

Amen, I already struck out twice on Silver MIF

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Tim David's Website

Hahah, thas funny, I do the same thing during a test session. Im afraid that my head will float away, so I have somebody carry the required elements on the side, JUST IN CASE

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Tim David's Website

Hi Girly,

I just learned pattern #1 (which, of course, was the evil doer from the old Adult Gold Moves test,) pattern #2 (just doing the end pattern for now,) pattern 3A and 3B. I practice them until I feel that I have, at least, retained the pattern and the entrance and exit steps. Then I add the next one on. I'm going to ask Lee to teach me pattern #4 next week sometime. I feel better if I know all of the patterns on the test, then I just pull them out and practice them in a rotating fashion.

My question is why does the Novice Pattern #3B feel so easy??? I think I must be doing something wrong. These are the "inside counters." Has anyone else out there have the same experience with this one?

Hey girly, I thought the same thing about the counters and the spirals. And I like the rocker choctaw thing going down the ice rather than flying on the ends of the ice.

So far I know the first two patterns really well. and then the rest of them are jumbled in my head and I try to do them. I remember most of it but get confused with connecting steps and crossovers and stuff. I guess I'll just keep learning something new about each pattern in each lesson. I don't have a deadline or timeline in mind so I have time.

Thanks everyone for all your help! You guys are terrific.
The Careygram (kind of like a telegram only much wordier and animated)

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Careygram

January: Sure I'll compete, quick, send the application
April: I signed up to do WHAT??

I have the opposite on 3a and b on the Novice test. I found 3a the easiest to learn of the moves followed closely by move #4. I have issues with the left forward inner counter but the other 3 inners aren't too bad. Move #5 the pattern is easy but getting the right amount of push in between is the trick. I hate Move #6.

This is the approach my coach has taken with me. I'm just starting on learning AS moves, and over three or four weeks coach has shown them all to me. We've focused a bit on the three turn patterns and cross strokes. The others I just keep practicing on my own. If I can't hit them all each time I skate, I pick, like you said, one or two to focus on. Next time, different ones. The rotation thing. Of course, I'll be on these easily for at least a year, if not more.

I talked with another skater recently, whose coach has a different approach. The coach has only shown her two of the AS moves and they are working only on those.

I guess whatever works for you.

3 of each jump each day.

Yo! We're talking Moves in the Field here, not jumps!!
Me? Well right after I passed Pre Bronze moves, I had my coach give me a move to work on while she was on vacation and it was the backcrossover to back outside edge pattern. Now... three years later that is the easiest move for me on that test and in December, I'll be pushing for extra points!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"