Skating on the Planet

[yuzuangel]

1 minute ago, Xen said:

Regarding skid axels, closest I can think of is the video here:

Yuzu does have a slight skid when he uses the counter entry, but not a noticeable skid if he uses a different entry.  I hear there are benefits with the skid, that being when well done, it's easier to control the edge when going in for axels at higher entry speeds.

 

@asahi: could you give us some insights on this?

Yeah, it's more apparent in slow-mo

 

He has a bit of a skid:

 

And this is the point right before he completely leaves the ice, as far as the gif has frames:

 

 

I guess a *perfect* axel would have no skid and would just leave the ice on a straight line with only a toepick mark at the end, rather than a full blade mark.

[Xen]

Just now, yuzuangel said:

Yeah, it's more apparent in slow-mo

 

He has a bit of a skid:

 

And this is the point right before he completely leaves the ice, as far as the gif has frames:

 

 

I guess a *perfect* axel would have no skid and would just leave the ice on a straight line with only a toepick mark at the end, rather than a full blade mark.

Yes, and no, a clean edge is the most traditional of the axel jump techniques, but I think it's not used anymore, since it's harder to control. Yuzu pretty much goes from ball of foot to toepick, so not full-on skid I think. Pretty close to a clean edge.

[yuzuangel]

1 minute ago, Xen said:

Yes, and no, a clean edge is the most traditional of the axel jump techniques, but I think it's not used anymore, since it's harder to control. Yuzu pretty much goes from ball of foot to toepick, so not full-on skid I think. Pretty close to a clean edge.

I can imagine, it's easy to slip  you have zero grip on the ice lol

I think you can hear a skid very clearly. It sounds like...well, a skid. I think I don't see anyone skidding for an axel, but I do for 2As.

[yuzuangel]

Hello, help me with my sit spin please 

Whenever I get in the sit position I always end up rounding my back instead of arching it, and I feel like I do that shoot the ducks/pistol squads on land, too. I just don't have the muscle to keep a "comfortable sitting pose" in that position and honestly it feels downright impossible. I've been practicing that pistol squad pose for many weeks, but it's very very hard and even still I can't do it while keeping my back arched. When doing exercises I actually go way too low so it's "easier" to be in that position but for the sit spin you shouldn't go too low, the thigh should be parallel, which is near impossible to do on land/in a shoot the duck. Or is it? 

 

You can see it here... my back is very rounded, which is not correct for a sit spin. (I know I also need to straighten my leg.)

 

 

Arched back:

 

 

[yuzuangel]

I'm so close to being able to center my spin but not there yet so frustrating. But I can feel when I have a good grip on the ice when I spin and when I don't, I just need to learn how to do it right all the time. (It's the stupid entry ugh.)

 

Otoh my waltz jump is getting more consistent now (it's funny to talk about waltz jump consistency lol but I'm no Yuzu lol)  although if I do too many I get tired and I think they get worse.

[dotsquare]

Hey guys, another beginner question. At what point did you start private lessons? I'm doing group lessons at the moment and the program takes you up to single jumps and basic spins. But I've heard a lot of people start private coaching before that. I know private coaching is really good but it's kinda pricey ($50+ for 30min) so I'm reluctant to jump to it straight away. 

[guitarist]

4 minutes ago, dotsquare said:

Hey guys, another beginner question. At what point did you start private lessons? I'm doing group lessons at the moment and the program takes you up to single jumps and basic spins. But I've heard a lot of people start private coaching before that. I know private coaching is really good but it's kinda pricey ($50+ for 30min) so I'm reluctant to jump to it straight away. 

Honestly, if you're past the very basic stuff, I would say whenever you can afford it. I can't join the group lessons because of my insane guitar lesson schedule (story for another time), so I started with private lessons. In a way, I'm making slower progress than the people at the group lessons, since I only get a shorter lesson every other week, but my coach corrects all mistakes and posture issues. I've noticed a few of the skaters from the group lessons do some basic things wrong (like, put their foot down on an outside edge after crossing on a forward crossovers) that didn't get noticed because the coaches at the group lessons didn't have time for it. One of my friends just recently started with a coach, and she's spent the past few sessions with him correcting basic technique issues. Obviously, this isn't the norm, but it happens, and it's better to learn proper technique from the start. 

 

If you're concerned about the money, maybe instead of regular lessons you could book time with a coach when there's something specific you want to work on? Like, a 30-min session dedicated to spins or something.

[yuzuangel]

31 minutes ago, dotsquare said:

Hey guys, another beginner question. At what point did you start private lessons? I'm doing group lessons at the moment and the program takes you up to single jumps and basic spins. But I've heard a lot of people start private coaching before that. I know private coaching is really good but it's kinda pricey ($50+ for 30min) so I'm reluctant to jump to it straight away. 

 

Some people do lessons once a month or something slow and it's slow progress but at least it's progress. And then you can supplement that with group lessons, ofc. It's better than nothing 

[dotsquare]

1 hour ago, guitarist said:

Honestly, if you're past the very basic stuff, I would say whenever you can afford it. I can't join the group lessons because of my insane guitar lesson schedule (story for another time), so I started with private lessons. In a way, I'm making slower progress than the people at the group lessons, since I only get a shorter lesson every other week, but my coach corrects all mistakes and posture issues. I've noticed a few of the skaters from the group lessons do some basic things wrong (like, put their foot down on an outside edge after crossing on a forward crossovers) that didn't get noticed because the coaches at the group lessons didn't have time for it. One of my friends just recently started with a coach, and she's spent the past few sessions with him correcting basic technique issues. Obviously, this isn't the norm, but it happens, and it's better to learn proper technique from the start. 

 

If you're concerned about the money, maybe instead of regular lessons you could book time with a coach when there's something specific you want to work on? Like, a 30-min session dedicated to spins or something.

 

1 hour ago, yuzuangel said:

 

Some people do lessons once a month or something slow and it's slow progress but at least it's progress. And then you can supplement that with group lessons, ofc. It's better than nothing 

 

Thanks guys! Im still very very basic (I'm talking swizzles) but from the sounds of it, whenever I start doing crossovers is a good place to start. I could probably alternate private coaching + group lessons each week so it's not too expensive. 

[yuzuangel]

3 minutes ago, dotsquare said:

 

 

Thanks guys! Im still very very basic (I'm talking swizzles) but from the sounds of it, whenever I start doing crossovers is a good place to start. I could probably alternate private coaching + group lessons each week so it's not too expensive. 

 

That's a good idea crossovers may look easy, but they are actually really hard  so working with a coach to start is a very smart idea. As with everything in skating! Lucky us 

[dotsquare]

Thanks guys 

Yet another rookie question! What sort of exercise do you guys do off the ice to help with skating? Im going to try getting my splits this year and I'm also thinking of doing some basic core exercises because I've heard that also helps with skating. 

Any other pointers would be super appreciated! 

[guitarist]

7 minutes ago, dotsquare said:

Thanks guys 

Yet another rookie question! What sort of exercise do you guys do off the ice to help with skating? Im going to try getting my splits this year and I'm also thinking of doing some basic core exercises because I've heard that also helps with skating. 

Any other pointers would be super appreciated! 

I'm still a beginner (though admittedly more advanced, we're talking maybe halfway through what group lessons teach, plus a few silly tricks I do for fun), but mostly I do splits, squats, and yoga poses that help flexibility. If you don't have a lot of natural turnout, try the butterfly pose often until your legs are touching the floor. I should work out core, I really should, but there's only so much time in the day Eventually, when you start learning spins, get an off-ice spinner, it'll help you find your center of balance. 

 

...and don't do what I did and practice splits only on one side  I can now raise my left leg into a sad-looking adult Y-spiral (off-ice, I don't want to kill myself...), and pull my right leg back into a Chinese spiral, but I can't do it the other way around Go me...

[guitarist]

Also, speaking of silly tricks, well, I tried. It's a work in progress. Mostly I should work in, well, not looking so freaking awkward. But that's partly genetic, so not much I can do about it  I welcome you all to laugh with me. I'll make it look cool, someday!

 

 

[yuzuangel]

5 hours ago, guitarist said:

Also, speaking of silly tricks, well, I tried. It's a work in progress. Mostly I should work in, well, not looking so freaking awkward. But that's partly genetic, so not much I can do about it  I welcome you all to laugh with me. I'll make it look cool, someday!

 

 

LOL I think that looks like a success! It's never crossed my mind that this is possible to try lmao

[yuzuangel]

6 hours ago, dotsquare said:

Thanks guys 

Yet another rookie question! What sort of exercise do you guys do off the ice to help with skating? Im going to try getting my splits this year and I'm also thinking of doing some basic core exercises because I've heard that also helps with skating. 

Any other pointers would be super appreciated! 

 

6 hours ago, guitarist said:

I'm still a beginner (though admittedly more advanced, we're talking maybe halfway through what group lessons teach, plus a few silly tricks I do for fun), but mostly I do splits, squats, and yoga poses that help flexibility. If you don't have a lot of natural turnout, try the butterfly pose often until your legs are touching the floor. I should work out core, I really should, but there's only so much time in the day Eventually, when you start learning spins, get an off-ice spinner, it'll help you find your center of balance. 

 

...and don't do what I did and practice splits only on one side  I can now raise my left leg into a sad-looking adult Y-spiral (off-ice, I don't want to kill myself...), and pull my right leg back into a Chinese spiral, but I can't do it the other way around Go me...

 

Ooh, I didn't know butterflys help with turnout -- I need to practice that, thanks!

 

Hm I mostly do splits*, and then I stretch my shoulders, pistol squats (but holding on to a table or a pole, because otherwise it's damn near impossible), back stretches against a pole or a wall where i just place my feet at the bottom of the pole and lean backwards. i found this picture, but lower:

 

 

* So I think I've been trying to do the splits for more than a year, maybe two. I don't do it very consistently, which might be the problem, as I'd do it every day for a couple of months and then stop for a couple of months. I've found that the last inches are absolute killer. My left side was stretchier than my right side, and I would stretch both sides for 30 seconds a day, and my right side quickly became as flexible as my left but I was stuck on both at around 1-2 inch above the ground for the longest time (and still am). I also found that I could stretch for a week and maybe gain the splits (but only after long periods of stretching), but then I could not stretch for a weekend and it would sorta go back to how it originally was.