Practice Session: How Long Is Too Long?

[Kevin Callahan]

How long is too long to spend on the ice?

I spent four hours practicing today, and while I have felt no ill effects, the thought has crossed my mind that practicing too hard could come back to haunt me. Any kind of formula for knowing how much is too much?

[skippyjoy_207]

Come back to haunt you? Huh? Lol. Anyway, I practice 5 hours every Sunday. Yes, my feet do hurt at the end of the day, but the thought that it might have been too much hasn't ever crossed my mind yet.

You can always take breaks, esp. during ice resurfacing.

[rf3ray]

I Did 12 hours in one day... I think you should do one session a day... my 12 hours was a total of 4 sessions 6am to 6pm

[TimDavidSkate]

Oh my, those are long hours. I used to skate 4 to 6 hours before when I was a teenager. Nowadays, 30 to 45 minutes a day is enough for me.

Competition time 15 to 20 minutes.

[stardust skies]

That's the problem with skating public- too much ice! I skate 3 sessions a day, the first two are in a row, the third is a little bit later in the day. I get a lesson on two of the sessions, and the third is on my own. Skating more than 3 hours is crazy, IMO. You are subjecting yourself to SO many overuse injuries. Plus, if you are doing singles, you do not need that much time on the ice. Ice dancing might warrant that much, to learn all the patterns and stuff like that, but in 3 hours I have time to practice my moves patterns, my jumps (all of them, all combos, different numbers of revolutions), all my spins and spin combos, and run through my short and long at least twice. I also have time to work on new stuff my coaches and I are working on. I really don't know what you could be doing on the ice for any longer than this, especially if you are unsupervised, but what I'm sure of is that you're picking up a lot of bad little habits here and there and overusing a lot of your muscles if you are on the ice that much, whether it be one day a week, or everyday. Skating 5 hours one day a week does not equal to skating an hour a day. Your body takes everything that one day, and that's just too much. I think that for someone working on both MITF, programs, and jumping at least double jumps, 2-3 hours a day 4-5 times a week is perfect. If you're learning basics and single jumps, 1-2 hours a day 4-5 times a week is plenty. Overtraining never helped anyone. Just ask Tara Lipinski. Granted she was doing 3loop/3loop, but I know some of the people on here are older, and if working on 3loop/3loop for three years made her need a hip replacement at 18, I'm thinking it would take much less for someone a little bit older to put themselves in the same predicament if they overdo training the way she did. And it's not worth it. There's only a certain amount of improvement your body can take in one day before your brain just shuts off.

Sorry I went on for so long, but sometimes when I read how much time people on here spend on the ice, it just baffles me, so since the question was asked, I can pour all my concerns on here. :P

PS: If you want to spend that much time on skating- there are a LOT of other things you can do. I may only spend 3 hours on the ice, but I'm doing off ice for an extra 2-3 hours a day. Whether it be ballet, pilates, running at the gym, plyometrics, off ice jumping...there are TONS of things to help your skating that you can do without spending all that time and risking all those injuries on the ice and see way more benefits than just skating around endlessly hammering away at elements that aren't going to come to you in one day anyways.

[NickiT]

I usually skate for 2.5 hours twice a week and 1.5 hours once a week. I find the 2.5 hours more than enough. In fact sometimes I get off a bit before the end of the session as I've often suffered my worst falls and injuries right at the end of that time. Also I take the advice of my physiotherapist and try not to overdo it as I already have the damage to my hip joint (arthritis) and needless to say it's my landing side.

I feel that if you skate hard for an hour or so you shouldn't need to stay on the ice for hours on end. It can't be productive as your ability to skate well deteriorates once your muscles tire.

Nicki

[Mrs Redboots]

Once you know that if you skate another step you'll be a danger to yourself and others.....

Of course, it does depend on how hard you are working through the session - there's a difference between a two-hour session where you're doing laps and working on edges, cross-rolls, field moves, Circle Cycle exercises and so on, only stopping for a mouthful of water, or a social dance session where the only breaks you have are for dances you can't yet do, and a session where you spend 20 minutes pottling round chatting to a friend, then get off the ice to get a coffee and spend a penny, then come back and do a bit of work for about 5 minutes.....

I find, at my age, 2 hours steady working (or playing - sometimes one works harder when one is playing than when one is working!) can leave me very stiff and rather tired, but if I'm just "pootling" it's fine.

[Hannahclear]

I like to practice hard for about an hour, then I'm done. Gives me enough time to get my stuff done and work on new skills. By that point, I've gotten a good work out and am ready to leave.

I try not to impose "time quotas" on myself with regard to practice time. Skating is my hobby and if I don't enjoy my hobby, well then why I am doing it? An hour 2-3 days per week works for me, though I hope it will be consistently 3 days in the near future.

[Kevin Callahan]

Well, I do enjoy myself. When I find I am tired or no longer having fun, I get off the ice.

My main problem is that I do not have a coach and that I do not want to get one until I move back to Austin. What's the point of getting a coach for three weeks and then changing locations? On the flip side, I don't want to waste the opportunity my current location has; I'm a couple blocks from a major ice rink.

I'm pretty sure I am picking up some bad habits, but trying to reteach myself how to be comfortable with the ice is important. I'd rather present myself to a coach as a skater that needs to be refined and corrected rather than one that has be retaught the basics.

I still want to make sure I don't hurt myself; that wouldn't do anyone any good.

[NCSkater02]

I find 1 to 2 hours 3 times a week is adequate for me....right now. I'd like to do more, but I have to keep a roof over my head, and support my skating habit.

I can tell when I've been on long enough--I stay on my toe picks. More than usual. Or, I trip on them skating forward. That's the sign to do cool down laps and get off before doing something really stupid.

[Melzorina]

I skate from 6am - 2pm every Saturday and love it!

[Sweet16*skater]

i think that 4 hours a day is great that's what i do...but it does depend on your age, level...stuff like that...i could skate all day but we (coach, partner, parents) decided on 4 hours a day with 1 hour off ice.

[CanAmSk8ter]

Off-ice needs to be part of any training regimen as well. Doing only on-ice, especially when you're doing lots of it, is just asking for injury.

I skate five or six days a week for an average of two hours a day, so 10-12 hours a week. I compete in solo dance at the junior and senior levels! More than an hour or two in one day for someone who is even roughly a beginner (can't remember what level the original poster is) does seem like overkill- although I can certainly understand wanting to take advantage of being near a big rink, I'd probably do the same thing. The most I've ever done in one day was probably five hours, and that was at a training camp.

I've heard coaches say that you shouuld be practicing one hour for every 20 minutes of lesson time, or something like that, but I guess it's hard to apply that if you're not taking lessons at the moment. The concern with too much practice is a) picking up bad habits, and b) overuse injuries, which tend to come on slowly. The only real cure for an overuse injury like a stress fracture, tendinitis, etc. is rest and time off the ice, and unfortunately, by the time you realize you're injured, being off the ice for awhile is pretty much all you can do to heal it. Seems to me it'd be easier to avoid the injury in the first place.

As soon as you start with your new coach, I'd discuss with him/her what kind of practice time they feel is advisable for you, and what kinds of off-ice training (dance classes, weight training, yoga/pilates, etc.) to balance it with.

[Figuresk8_katie]

At our club each level has different amounts of ice time. The Canskaters have 1 hour sessions (their choice or 1, 2, or 3 times per week), the next level up have a few more hours, etc., etc...

My level at one club has 6 hours & 15 minutes per week. During the regular season. In the summer we can skate up to 10 hours a week if we chose. Each session is divided into sub-sections like DANCE, FREESKATE, SKILLS, EDGES AND TURNS, and STROKING. This way we don't spend the full 1.5 hours or whatever practicing just ONE discipline. It balances out our training.

So as long as you know your weekly schedule and can divide what you'll practice when, I think it's up to you how much you want to practice. I'd say for pre-preliminary to gold level STARskate skaters anywhere between 2-4 hours per day is enough as long as you're skating at least 3 days per week. As for competitive skaters, I'm not sure. Definitely more but I can't put a definite # on it.

[coskater64]

I usually skate 1 - 1 1/2 hours of FS, 45 minutes of moves and footwork, 45 minutes of dance(compulsory) and will add 45 minutes of free dance this fall. I also do about 45 min to 1 hour of pilates a day and then several hours of icing. This summer I have cut back on jumping and focused on spinning and moves along w/ dance. So it just depends, when I started skating I couldn't make a half hour, so w/ time comes endurance.

la

[galaxybounce]

I try to skate for about 2 and 1/2 hours a day. That seems about right for making good progress. Though when you look how much a top skater spends on the ice you relize that they are doing two sessions a day. So 2 and 1/2 hours a day adds up to the amount that they are talking about. Usualy about 25 to 30 hours a week. I can see that 12 to 15 hours a week is pretty good. Then when you do off ice strenghening and jumping it all helps.. :)

[rf3ray]

Hey guys, like when you do a practice session do you have a set of goals you try to achieve, like say for doing elements, do you practice till like you can get for example 5 good Spins, Jumps.

Does your practice include practicing Edgework and Footwork...

Just wondering how you guys do ya practice session in a normal day or week

[TimDavidSkate]

On a normal practice: (30 minutes)
Edges, footwork, program runthrough without spins and jumps

Jumps & Spins: (the rest of the session 20 - 30 minutes)
I may attempt them in isolation or during a program runthrough


Competition week: (20 - 40 minutes)
I speed up my edges, stroking time to 10 minutes, then I start jumping in isolation (attempting each jump only once), then I do a program runthrough with the jumps then incorporate the spins. I will run the program at least 2 to 3 times, whether the program is existing or new.


Competition day before and day of {Practice}: (15 to 20 minutes)
At these times my adrenaline is running. My edges and stroking exercises are sped up to 2 -3 minutes and I start jumping in isolation, only attempting them once. Then I wait for my music to be played then I do all spins and jumps, and choreography very mild (to save my energy).

[jazzpants]

I currently skate about 1.5-2 hrs at public session 3 days a week, 50 mins max on my lesson days, and about a 1-1.5 hr session for rehearsals for Fire & Ice. (On the shorter FS days, I usually take them in the morning and then I have to go to shower, dress and go to work right after my lesson.)

I find right now that after 1.5 hrs. I'm running out of energy and I really don't have much to give after that point. The bad part is that I spend so much time on moves and basic footwork that by the time I get around to spins and jumps, I just don't have much to give anymore. (Priority right now are 1) Bronze Moves; 2) Footwork for my artistic program; 3) spins and jumps (spins first...)

Since Bronze Moves takes precedence overall, unless I have a perfect moves day when I do two good runthroughts, I'm usually working on specific aspects on the move for a good 10-20 minutes at a time. (Those dreaded FI mohawks are killing me now!!! I've spent so much time getting them to even happen... and now to do them to passing standards!) :frus:

I'm contemplating changing my practice session so I put in more time but in shorter skating sessions for moves and the second hour (at a later time) for freestyle and programs, but the problem I have is 1) traveling twice in one day at a rink is a major inconvenience to me b/c of traffic congestion and 2) doing moves during public sessions are a B**** except at my weekend rink during the summer. Same with afternoon FS sessions and we don't have evening FS sessions.

In addition to that I do three days at the gym (the third day being a pilates day.) I'm exhausted after all this!

As you can see, I'm finding myself between a rock and a hard place. I really want to do more skating, but I only have so much energy, time (and $$$) to put in this sport.

[phoenix]

I skate 5 days a week for 1 to 1 1/2 hours each time. I'm a firm believer in quality over quantity, & by the end of an hour & a half of really pushing myself I can barely stumble off the ice. I don't know how some of you guys do all those hours--unless you're practicing "small" elements which require more thinking & less power. I'm currently focusing on adding speed to my skating, so after going flat out for an entire session I've had it! I also think I'm getting older & my body just can't take as much anymore....... :oops:

[icedancer2]

This thread really takes me back to when I was a kid skating -- I didn't skate a lot during the week except for one late afternoon and evening after school (we lived a half-hour drive from the rink and my parents both worked -- I'm not sure how they managed it) --

But every Saturday, my mom would drop me off at the rink at 9 in the morning and I would stay until 4 in the afternoon. I would try to skate 2-3 patch sessions (figures -- 45 minutes each) a freestyle (45 minutes) and a dance session (45 minutes) and then a two-hour general session in the afternoon. I think that interspersing the freestyles and dance with figures really helped keep the day sane -- figures were so engrossing but generally pretty low-impact, AND they would make your body stronger so that you could really work on your faster freestyle elements. I don't remember ever giving myself any ultimatums as to the numbers of jumps or spins done (of course, I was a kid) -- I would just jump and jump and jump and then spin and spin and spin... maybe having some fun in the middle of the afternoon general session by doing a round of shoot-the-ducks and other fun stuff with my friends...

So now I am older (much older) and skate about 5 days a week -- on the weekdays usually a half-hour of figures and then an hour of warm-up edges and cross-overs, etc. followed by about 45 minutes of working on moves (Bronze and some Silver) and then about a half-hour working on dances or parts of dances.

On the weekend, I go to a social/practice dance session mid-day on Saturday (90 minutes total) and then on Sunday I do a 45 minute patch (figures) followed by a 45 minute dance session. There is another dance session after that I usually skip, but sometimes will go to -- then start again the next day (Monday) with the weekday practice again.

No jumps and spins for me -- (dance blades! -- great excuse!!)

[icedancer2]

This thread really takes me back to when I was a kid skating -- I didn't skate a lot during the week except for one late afternoon and evening after school (we lived a half-hour drive from the rink and my parents both worked -- I'm not sure how they managed it) --

But every Saturday, my mom would drop me off at the rink at 9 in the morning and I would stay until 4 in the afternoon. I would try to skate 2-3 patch sessions (figures -- 45 minutes each) a freestyle (45 minutes) and a dance session (45 minutes) and then a two-hour general session in the afternoon. I think that interspersing the freestyles and dance with figures really helped keep the day sane -- figures were so engrossing but generally pretty low-impact, AND they would make your body stronger so that you could really work on your faster freestyle elements. I don't remember ever giving myself any ultimatums as to the numbers of jumps or spins done (of course, I was a kid) -- I would just jump and jump and jump and then spin and spin and spin... maybe having some fun in the middle of the afternoon general session by doing a round of shoot-the-ducks and other fun stuff with my friends...

On Sunday, I would have a (horseback) riding lesson in the morning, and then head to the rink and do a freestyle, a patch and then a two-hour general session.

What an active kid! I must have driven my parents crazy -- especially when I didn't really consider myself any kind of an athelete!

So now I am older (much older) and skate about 5 days a week -- on the weekdays usually a half-hour of figures and then an hour of warm-up edges and cross-overs, etc. followed by about 45 minutes of working on moves (Bronze and some Silver) and then about a half-hour working on dances or parts of dances.

On the weekend, I go to a social/practice dance session mid-day on Saturday (90 minutes total) and then on Sunday I do a 45 minute patch (figures) followed by a 45 minute dance session. There is another dance session after that I usually skip, but sometimes will go to -- then start again the next day (Monday) with the weekday practice again.

No jumps and spins for me -- (dance blades! -- great excuse!!)

[Kristin]

I am a 32 yr old full-time working adult who does all my single jumps & working on pre-silver dances & Silver/Juv field moves. I find that 5-6 hours a week is generally all I can handle. I split this up into 4 days (so some days are an hour, others are 1.5 hours). When I am on the ice, I work constantly, just going to the wall periodically to clear my nose. But it is all work, work, work for however long I am out there (It's part of my "work smarter, not harder" philosophy that I try to apply to everything in life).

You just have to go with what your body tells you. In my case, anything over 1.5 hours is basically wasted. After that, my brain turns to mush and I find that I am not learning or being productive. Also, if I do too much jumping, I feel it in my landing hip. Too much dance, and I will feel the achiness in my knees. I make sure to warm up really well in the mornings with a stationary bike (minimum of 12 min. of biking) and this helps prolong my time on the ice.

Hope this answers your question. I don't know how long would be best for you, but I hope that my example will help you decide what is right for you.
Kristin

[flippet]

You just have to go with what your body tells you. In my case, anything over 1.5 hours is basically wasted. After that, my brain turns to mush and I find that I am not learning or being productive.

Absolutely. For me, when I was skating every day (from 24-27), I really couldn't do more than about 2 hours of serious work on the ice, maybe three, tops, with a good resurfacing break in the middle. After that, my body starts getting tired, and I start risking injury. And if something isn't working, spending another hour or three pounding away at it anyway will only hurt the element, not help it. You end up ingraining the poor technique and bad attempts, and only making it harder for yourself the next time. Give it a rest of a day (or a week or two), and then haul it back out when your body and brain have had a chance to recover and reconsider things. Your brain doesn't only learn while it's working--it often learns even more while it's resting and processing what you've taken in during the day. This is as true for skating as anything else.

12 hours at a time is insane. Even just stroking for 12 hours solid is bound to wear you down.

[AnnM]

I'm pretty sure I am picking up some bad habits, but trying to reteach myself how to be comfortable with the ice is important. I'd rather present myself to a coach as a skater that needs to be refined and corrected rather than one that has be retaught the basics.


FWIW Kevin, I moved twice after picking up skating again as an adult (from Sacramento to SF, then SF to SoCal), so I've had three different coaches over the past five years. I was skating 2-3 times per week and didn't have too long of a hiatus between coaches. However, each coach spent at least the first three lessons going over the basics & fundamentals (posture, stroking, crossovers). And each coach had a slightly different way that they preferred things to be done. I didn't have any particularly bad habits, but every coach wants to see the basics a new student has and will reteach those basics according to their coaching style.

Bad habits are really hard to break! My advice to you would be to keep skating in order to feel comfortable on the ice, but don't work on things that you have difficulty with or try to learn new things on your own.

[singerskates]

When I was last skating, I was doing 1 and half hour sessions 3 times a week plus, helping out with the junior session group time and teaching CanSkate.

I find that skating anything more than 2 sessions in a row kills me. Why, I only take two or three small breaks to drink water other than to put my program music on the CD player. I was running through both my freeskate and interpretive programs at least twice with the music and twice without, doing sections of my programs and all the elements and footwork on there own as well in that 1 and half hour sessions. I've also spent some sessions using half the time for working on spins.

Now all I can do is visualize until my shoulders/upperback and neck injury is healed. I'm hoping my injuries will be all healed up for the fall and I can get back on the ice and compete next January at the Great Lakes competition held at South Windsor in Windsor, ON, Canada.

[sceptique]

Lately I settled onto a routine where I skate for 3-4 hours every Saturday and Sunday (and sometimes 2 more hours doing ice dance practice at another rink), but that's all I do during the week. My job requres being out of my home town Monday to Friday and during that time I do a whole lot of off-ice: 1-2 weights sessions and 3-4 cardio ones. I don't find it difficult apart from the fact that my right boot eventually starts to hurt the bone on the inside of my foot (no such problem with the left one!). In any case, I try to leave before the disco session starts because the disco lights can't get more annoying when you're trying to focus on an element. So I use all school time available and a bit of public session and dissapear just before lunch time.

Re overtraining - I do hit the wall from time to time with my gym sessions, when I literally fall off the treadmill :frus: but it never happens when I skate. Which, I assume, means it's ok. I also noticed that sometimes you get those "aha!" moments when you're getting close to mental frustration and just start mindlessly repeating things over and over until your brain switches off. Then suddently, when you least expect it, you get it right, just because you weren't thinking about doing it, just doing and not over-analysisng. This is how I got over my 3-turns, when I thought: "that's it, that's my limit, I never gonna do that". Silly me!

Overall, I'm quite happy with my progress. I first set my foot on ice 4 months ago and now starting to learn single jumps. I think I might be rushing it a bit, but I haven't had such fun for ages!