How does your Pairs Partner let you know when.....

[FSWer]

Say I was just interested in the different ways that your Partner let's you know that you are ggoing to be lifted while your skating in competition.Thanks.

[fadedstardust]

From what I've seen, it's a total connection with each other, perfect timing that you are both familiar with through endless repetitions, and possibly eye contact before hand. But it's not like he's going to yell "TIMBER!" before or anything. It's just being in-synch with each other and familiar with the timing of each particular lift.

[phoenix]

Pairs & dance teams do also talk to each other through a program. Not like they're having a conversation, but there is definitely communication going on. I'm not sure if it's needed for a lift--like fadedstardust says, it's a timing thing learned through working together for so long & hours & hours of practice. But you'll hear one of them (usually the guy) counting revs. of a side by side spin to be sure they're in unison, & you'll sometimes hear the guy call the girl out of a throw jump to help her know when to check out.

[FSWer]

Is there a way though that they signal their partner while skating to kinda say "ok get ready" so their partner isn't shocked.

[CanAmSk8ter]

You do understand that the lifts are in the same place in the program every time they do it? It's not exactly a surprise ;). I train on the ice with a pair every day, and by the middle of the season, I know right where their lifts go. When you hear the program music six or seven times a day, you get to where you know exactly which beat of the music the lifts go on. That's what runthroughs are for.

[SkateGuard]

They also do a lot of lifts on the floor before they take it on the ice. The lifts are learned stepwise...it's not like they go from nothing to an overhead lift.

All of the positions and holds are worked out in pieces, long before they take it to the ice. In beginning pairs, however, all the lifts are based on jumps--lutz lift, flip lift, axel lift. The woman (girl) jumps in the air while the man (boy) holds her, usually at shoulder level. These lifts are pretty simple, and are taught much the same way as other skating maneuvers are taught. However, these lifts are the basics for the ones you see at the Olympics.

Even the lifts done in elite skating come from basic lifts--lasso lift, press lift. These lift names come from the entry, which again is taught much like anything else in skating. However, the timing and body placements are often worked out off ice before they are taken to the ice. When the skaters get on the ice, they know what they are doing....

Each pair works out their own way to communicate maneuvers, whether it is verbal or physical (Tiffany Scott would tap Philip Dulebohn's shoulder when she was ready). Actually, you will notice that all pairs "tricks" start with some sort of movement that gets the skaters into the same timing, i.e. a pre-hop, leg movement, arm movement, turn on ice....it just depends on the skaters.

[icechick]

CanAmSk8ter and SkateGuard are both correct...a pair will practice lifts with the proper entry off-ice first and then take them to the ice where they're practiced over & over, both without music and with. As the pair develops, a means of communicating develops. Thus, when one makes a mistake like setting up for an element different from what is supposed to be executed in the sequence or program, the other can either abort or adjust her/his set-up accordingly. I've had to do that several times with partners and coaches. As in life, one can have better communication with some partners than with others. Obviously, better communication is preferable and makes for greater success :)

[skatepixie]

I think your sig pretty much explains it, icechick!

[cmgale]

funny story for you. there is a particular pair team that i trained where the girl, however book smart, is so completely in her own littler world, that even at Jr. World's, the guy had to tell her what elements were coming next. At Liberty/ex-Wiss that year, the guy bet me that if he didn't tell her what came next she would bomb... guess what?? HAHAHA he wasn't kidding me.

the same girl, who was skating singles that year as well was on a busy session the week before sectionals. she was warming up and her coach asked me to watch her 3loop to see if i noticed something or other... anyway, as she was to do her short that session, her coach instructed her to do the footwork leading into it. The girl sighs and then goes off... starts the footwork, getting about a 1/3 of thew way down the ice, stops, and circles to start over again. I personally didn't see anyone in her way but whatever. THIS HAPPENS TWO MORE TIMES!! finally, her coach screams for her to come to the boards, I realize it's not gonna be pretty so I just take off. Upon circling around, I hear her say, "I forgot my footwork!" Her coach, BURSTS into laughter, "(Insert skater's name here)!! You've had that footwork for TWO YEARS"

true story, true story