basic step sequences?

[ouijaouija]

Hi all, I am sorry to ask, but I do have three books on ice skating...

Ice Skating for Dummies
Artistry on Ice
Ice Skating Steps to Success

But none of them actually tell me how to do basic step sequences.. only how to do basic skating, and then straight onto jumps!

I cannot afford lessons right now :x

I hear about mohawk sequences? I can do inside forward mohawks, apart from that, these books don't teach you any other kind of mohawk...

[skaternum]

Get the book called "Figure Skating: Championship Techniques" by Petkevitch. It includes basic turns like 3-turns and mohawks. I hope you can afford lessons soon.

[Isk8NYC]

Well, the books try to describe the basic elements of footwork/dance step sequences, like three-turns and mohawks. The skating organizations expect the coaches/skaters/choreographers to make up the sequences for test/competition programs. Many people learn and reuse footwork, or incorporate parts of ice dances. Note that footwork/dance step sequences can also include small hops and jumps, pivots, edges, glides and fancy turns. It's almost like a mini-program within the whole skating program.

Another information source to consider is the ISI. The ISI requires the same dance step sequences for their Freestyle tests. In a test or competition, everyone has to perform the same sequence of steps. Some are more challenging than others. I know some coaches incorporate the ISI footwork into their skaters' USFSA programs.

Check out this link:
http://www.skatingforums.com/showpost.php?p=299108&postcount=8
It will lead you to the ISI's patterns and some videos to help you understand them. If nothing else, it will give you some ideas on creating your own dance step sequences.

One caveat: putting footwork together can be tricky because you have to plan all of the checks to keep the footwork flowing along. It's very hard to do by yourself and there's no book that can teach that skill. If you watch videos of high-level skaters, you can slow it down and study how they move from one element to the other.

If you can, try and get a copy of the ISI Skaters and Coaches' Handbook and/or the USFSA Basic Skills Instructors' Manual.
Both describe IN DETAIL the test standards for their curriculum, including each elements' description in detail. For example, here's a description of a forward inside three turn:
Right Forward Inside Three Turn (One Foot Turn)
The total length of stroke must be at least twice the skater's height, with the turn being made from the right forward inside edge to the backward outside edge, halfway through the stroke. The curve of the entrance edge and the exit edge must be the same. The free shoulder and arm (left) shall start in front, the skating shoulder and arm shall start in the back, and the shoulders are then rotated into the circle prior to the hips turning. The skater's hips and shoulders twist in opposite directions during the turn. The free leg (left) must be held in back without touching the ice during the entire stroke. The backward outside edge should be held to the satisfaction of the examiner.

You're at a disadvantage without a coach, but there's no reason to stop skating or learning.
Good luck.

[kayskate]

If you can, buy the Ann Margreth Frei tape #3. It has all cool step sequences and footwork of various levels of difficulty. Love her tapes.

Kay

[skaternum]

If the OP is at the "inside mohawks" stage and using books instead of lessons, I assume that he/she is really asking for instruction on how to do the various turns and footwork elements, rather than learning actual footwork sequences. I assume it's the "crawl before you walk" thing. Maybe I misinterpreted. But if so, the ISI and USFSA instructor manuals and the Petkevitch book are about as good as he/she can do. If I recall correctly, the Ann Margreth Frei video assumes a certain level of skill that I'm not sure the OP has at this point. ??