Christmas/New Year 2018/19

Big break for beach mission.

Lucky for me, I spent 14 days at a beach mission up at Broom's Head, with Scripture Union Family Missions in Australia. I had hoped this would help my ankle heal but it is still a bit swollen, and hurts to press into. Nevertheless, the ice doesn't wait, and I will have to try to see how I can most safely tough it out.

Coach has organised 4 lessons in 2.5 weeks - I'm terrified I've forgotten everything. This is going to be harder than anticipated.

Will update when exhaustion moves out.

Lesson #4 - 11/12/18

Too much to handle

One month! Ankle update... Still bad!

This week's lesson was way too intense, and I definitely feel really unskilled as a result.

Let's dig into it...

Slaloms:

- Bigger O's.

- Learn more in the thighs.

Stroking:

- Why is this still so hard?

- Got roasted for not getting it right on the first go.

- Don't know what to do about it... STROKE MORE?

- 45 degree zig-zag into a general direction.

Backward Stroking:

- What a disaster!

- Hip is such a big issue.

- Need to adjust weight so that if the pushing leg is lifted, balance remains.

- Also needs the 45 degree shifts.

Crossovers:

- The sad life of knowing what it SHOULD be but failing to actually do it.

- 5:00 is actually pretty far behind for the underpush.

- Make sure arms are hugging the circle and level. Shoulders.

- Weight should be back so you don't lean forward.

1-Foot Spins:

- Not sure why she skipped 2-foot but okay.

- Open glide! Make sure the hip and shoulders are right.

- Do NOT, I repeat do NOT scrunch up shoulders when pulling in.

- Need to try get leg higher.

- Coach was pleasantly surprised when I got it the first go... Unfortunately never got it again hehe.

Mohawks:

- EDGE! Says coach. EDGEEEE!

- I don't know why I didn't get the curve first-go, there is something about the inside edge that doesn't work on a straight leg.

There is so much to work on! I think it can be summed up with keeping shoulders open, and weight back/hip up.

Lesson #3 - 04/12/18

It hurts :(

So it's been 3 weeks already - wow! My ankle is getting worse. Last week, I skated with makeshift pads for the inner malleolus of my right foot, which prevented pain. I think it has swollen to the point that the pad is no longer useful, because in today's lesson it hurt like hell! And now it's quite significantly bigger than the other. Sad days.

Today's lesson was pretty intense. I finally nailed the pivot to the point that coach was happy to let it slide. Stroking was the same thing but MORE - keep body up, and move foot before placing other down in more of a slow-mo fashion. I think with some practice I can get it. Just need to do less leaning, more bending, less stomping and more placing.

Then came an avalanche of new things *sigh*...

Forward Crossovers:

- Think of it as a type of stroking.

- Stop leaning forward so much!

- "they'll coming along nicely" she says - as I feel like I am a trainwreck waiting to be uncovered.

Backward Pumps:

- Keep the pushing leg's hip UP!

- Feels so weird but apparently will be necessary for back crossovers.

- Can't wait to actually start learning back crossovers.

- I'm going to eat my words aren't I!

3-Turns:

- Finish off the move with leg extended.

- Don't lean forward when leg is extended.

Mohawks:

- Free foot to the instep, leg straight.

- Place down foot and finish off turn with leg extended.

- Don't lean forward when leg is extended.

Bunny hops:

- I actually forgot the technique :(

- I think it's literally just a T-push, bring foot forward ... oops.

Tap-toe hops:

- Weight on one leg, toe in the ice on the other leg.

- TAP the toe, hop onto it, hop onto the other toe and then glide.

- Should be a side-side-forward glide motion.

Waltz jumps:

- I have not yet gotten the legs in the right position for coach so it's hard to say.

- Start with T-position, hands in front.

- Push off onto a strong outer edge, keep free leg at 6:00 turned out BUT DON'T LEAN!

- Bring leg through STRAIGHT, rising onto the toepick of the skating leg.

- Hop over onto the other leg.

- Landing position??? Keep body upright, fingers tight. I can't remember anything else.

There was a bit too much new stuff today, it got hard to remember, clearly :(

The goal for this week is to skate just 1.5 hours so I can rest my foot for the rest of the week, so I'll have to be efficient. Definitely have to work on stroking, tying skates tighter around the actual foot might help haha. Mohawks and 3-turns are coming along well, just need to make sure the lean is not there. Crossovers need work in both directions - just deal with it and practice them even if you feel like people are judging! And then the various hops, I can do bunny and tap-toe to some degree of success, but get used to bringing things around on the waltz. At the very least so next lesson you can be fearless!

I kind of wish coach would start spins.

Lesson #2 - 27/11/18

Is progress visible?

I bumped into coach a little before my lesson time, and she told me about all the warmups I should be doing before getting on the ice. Since I was already pretty late for warming up, we got onto the ice and she ran me through a few laps:

- 1 lap "side-stepping" (strange sideway pushes to go forwards)

- 1/2 lap forward slalom, 1/2 lap backward slalom

- 1/2 lap side-stepping to one foot glide, 1/2 lap other foot

- ditto for backwards

- STROKING!

Then went the actual lesson.

Forward Stroking:

- 1cm rule was introduced, which is placing the free foot 1cm above the ice parallel to it, right next to the skating foot.

- Before placing the foot down, the skating foot starts its push (tilts from straight line).

- Make sure knees are BENT.

- Make sure free foot is parallel to the ice.

- Make sure arms are out in line with chest.

- Make sure butt is not out.

Pivot:

- Weight placement is still an issue.

- Weight should be in between both feet.

- Need to figure out weight transfer with the open glide.

- More practice at higher speeds!

2-Foot Jump:

- This was scary!

- Get some HEIGHT by straightening out completely and pointing toes.

- When landing, bend knees. The ice isn't going to cushion you.

- Practice at the wall if unsure.

- I should get my blades permanently mounted...

Things are pretty simple at the moment, yet I feel I am far from "mastering" these skills. However, I know I can do it! Just more ice time, more strength.

During the week, I went to a coffee club session at a different rink with a different coach. She picked a direction for me (anticlockwise) and made me learn a 1-foot spin on it. Apparently I am a quick learner! It is far from perfect, but I understand the basic concept. I love spinning! And 1-foot is so thrilling.

Positive feedback I've received: nice lines, quick learner :)

Negative feedback I've received: need to tie boots tighter, need to maintain upper body posture

My right inner malleolar is killing me! Coach says it's because my boots aren't tight enough, but I think it feels more like a bruise than a blister. Will update on attempts at solutions.

Lesson #1 - 20/11/18

It happened!

I had my first 4(:30)AM wake-up this morning, and my first lesson at 6:30AM. It was actually quite lovely seeing the sunrise, and surprisingly right now (2PM) I don't feel all that sleepy. What better incentive is there, to switch one's sleep cycle to bedtimes at 10PM!

Today was a day of firsts. It was my first time on a figure session. When I arrived at 6AM, it was nicely empty except for 4 high-level skaters and one other adult, stroking around the perimeter. I got my boots on, and did a few laps of stroking and slaloms before getting bored and not sure what to do.

I love my new coach! The first few minutes of the lesson were laying out the groundwork for the rest of our working relationship together. I established my goal, of actually looking good on the ice and not sloppy as some late starters end up doing, and she established her methods of teaching, which involve a lot of yelling but also a lot of praise.

We went over some basic skills, I'll summarise main takeaway points below. I don't think they will ever be perfect, but at least they will look nicer and be stronger with every passing week!

Forward Stroking:

- Free leg will be at 5:00 and 7:00 positions, ~30cm above the ice.

- Prepare by BENDING knees, to position weight over the heel for acceleration.

- Feet together, then push with inside edge of one foot, lifted to appropriate clock position.

- Hold a little while, then bend again, and push onto other foot.

- Ensure skating knee is bent and free leg is pointed (apparently something I naturally was doing!)

- Keep top half of body straight. There is no point trying to skate out at 5:00 and 7:00 if your top half of body is twisted the wrong way! (something I was *not* doing)

Forward 2-Foot Turns into FO 3-Turn:

- She tricked me with this one, we did a basic 2-foot turn first.

- Prepare with a stroke, legs together, knees bent.

- Arms!! Twist arms back to prepare for the turn.

- TURN! The arms (not just shoulders) will help.

- Exit with a glide, take note of free hip (should be higher than the main skating hip).

- Can repeat on one foot for a 3-turn, tucking free leg behind.

Forward Crossovers:

- Make sure to keep arms low. We want to keep centre of gravity low.

- Both pushes (main push + underpush) should be at the 5:00 or 7:00 position, 30cm above ice.

- Majorly work in progress.

Backwards Swizzles/Glides:

- Apparently my backward swizzles are powerful and good (YAY!).

- One-foot glides however...

- Glide with both feet parallel and close together.

- Shift weight over one foot, realigning body (take special note of the hip!).

- I conceptually understand this but somehow putting it into practice is just nigh-on impossible! I think just more practice and experience is needed for this. One step at a time!

Pivot:

- She tricked me! Hahaha - I did a pivot but she called it "the pivoting action".

- Every move should have a clear start, move, and finish.

- Start with stroking: 2 strokes, starting on the leg you are pivoting on.

- Glide in a circle 360˚, one foot slightly in front of the other.

- Stick the toepick in and pivot 360˚.

- Finish off the move with a push and glide.

Things for the future:

- I still don't know which one is my dominant foot. Somehow I always thought right (the one I naturally want to start gliding on), but in my panic over being dominant on the "wrong" side I practiced left so much it looks more natural. I call it ambilegstrous.

- Figure sessions are scary after 7AM :( so many jumping and spinning action!

- Next practice session, I want to practice more forward crossovers, stroking, looking beautiful from the top to the bottom. And then throw in some 2-foot spins since I've forgotten how they go :(

- I got roasted a lot on my fitness (or lack of), need to actually do push-ups and crunches ... Maybe they will be my early morning 6AM wake-up regime!

Baby Steps

Skating... I'm obsessed!

Jackson Freestyles with Donut Soakers

It has been 5 months since I bought my first pair of skates - Jackson Freestyles!
(see image - aren't they gorgeous!)


The exam-procrastination-impulse-buy probably came as no surprise to my friends, who had been pummelled with earfuls of me talking about skating for the 5 months before that moment.

After struggling the whole year with completing the third year of my engineering degree, I have finally finished my final exams, and in my freedom have decided to take up private lessons (and with that, start this blog).







Here's a little summary of the lead-up process:

Me - a 21-year-old engineering student, soon approaching a full year of internship before my final year of study.

February - first realised that taking lessons isn't an impossible feat for a beginner, took some Learn To Skate (LTS) classes with kids half my size.
March - university took over my life.
June - exam season, after dreaming of owning my own skates I finally bit the bullet and paid up.
July - found out that Coffee Club (CC) exists, and is better for adults than skating with 3-4 year olds. Started going to CC whenever university schedule allowed.
October - exams hit again!
November - that's now! When I am going to take up private lessons!
The future - from December I will be full time interning and taking a year off studying, hopefully that will let me skate more.

This blog begins as a way for me to track my progress from here on out, both in skating and in trying to juggle adult life with skating.

Current reflections:

I am so excited to start lessons tomorrow, but at the same time am very scared. I picked my skating friend's coach (she got me into skating by showing me too many awesome tricks that I wanted to try), who I've heard is quite tough and technical - exactly what I love and fear!

I am most afraid that all the skills I picked up at CC will be deemed "wrong", and have to relearn everything. Yet at the same time, I do want to learn everything properly!

At the moment, having rolled around in about 15 CC sessions, my skill set includes:
- Forward stroking (still in progress getting it looking nice...)
- Forward crossovers (left feels more comfortable but apparently right is technically better?)
- Backward crossovers (friend told me they're all wrong though)
- Ugly 3 turns (when they feel like it, FO and FI, and sometimes BI if the day is right)
- 2-foot spins (5-7 revolutions, usually CW but after a month off CCW is better???)
- 1-foot spin (like 2 revolutions)
- RFO spiral (apparently a pretty good beginners one!)
- Mohawks (one is more comfy than the other)
- Snowplow stop (lost it for a while when I got my new skates and moved off rentals)

I get the feeling that ALL of these need hours of more work. Here's to waking at 4AM tomorrow to get to the rink for my first lesson!
Part of this blog will be on my struggle to shift my sleeping pattern to become more of a morning person, and learning to cook for myself (!!) in the early morning. Here's to a long future with this expensive sport!