No actually, don't. I am supposed to look at the audience. I just couldn't resist throwing that line in from Les Mis.
So anyway, this came about from Coach J reminding me to look up. This was a bit of surprise to me, as I've never had the bad habit of looking down at the ice. What I didn't realize was, I wasn't quite looking up either. I was probably gazing at a 15 degree angle down from eye level, when I should be looking at the audience. This gets particularly obvious when I'm about to enter some element that's difficult for me, then I also get this glazed over look on my face because I'm thinking.
Another thing I do when I'm thinking is that I drop all effort on keeping up a good posture. In the middle of my program, I land a jump, then turn around, take a few push-off steps then go into a shallow LFO spiral (shallow only because I can't really do edge spirals yet). This spiral is unfortunately one of my difficult elements (spirals used to be my good element, what happened?) So after the jump landing with nice checking arms, I promptly drop my arms and go into thinking mode. Coach now wants me to have default thinking mode with arms up. My brain can't handle so many things at once!
It's now the one week countdown to my recital! I've been doing full run-throughs and I think they're ok. At least I can get through it, though I'm not sure how well I actually look. I haven't had a chance to ask someone to video me doing the whole program, I really should do that this week. Sit spins aren't 100 % okay yet, but it's in the program now. I'd rather risk putting my foot down in a sit spin than to be doing a two-foot spin in my program. Oooooh only one week left!
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Practice makes perfect
...and if you don't practice, you'll suck. Yeah that was me yesterday morning at my private lesson. I had a busy week last week and got in only one hour of skating between my previous private lesson and yesterday. Definitely was not enough.
First half of the program is definitely doable and can be on time. I just need to practice a whole lot more to make it consistent and nice. The second half however, is a totally different matter. I currently end about maybe 10 seconds (?) after the music ends. My last element is a spin (hopefully it will be a sit spin, still working on that), then ending pose. I hadn't even started on the spin when the music ended! I'll have to practice much more and it will definitely speed up a bit, but I have a feeling that it'll just not be enough, and we might have to take something out.
We also spent some time going over my spins (just a one foot spin). My spins still travel a lot most of the time. Coach J told me to hold the entrance LFO edge for a lot longer (I've actually seen this on an iCoach/MySk8Coach video too!), and apparently, I managed to get one or two really good and centered spins! But it's really difficult for me and I promptly lost it again...
Oh there's just still so much to practice, but not enough time to practice because I don't manage to get up early enough to go to the rink. (This seems to be a recurring theme and getting old...) I'm still very far from practice makes perfect!
First half of the program is definitely doable and can be on time. I just need to practice a whole lot more to make it consistent and nice. The second half however, is a totally different matter. I currently end about maybe 10 seconds (?) after the music ends. My last element is a spin (hopefully it will be a sit spin, still working on that), then ending pose. I hadn't even started on the spin when the music ended! I'll have to practice much more and it will definitely speed up a bit, but I have a feeling that it'll just not be enough, and we might have to take something out.
We also spent some time going over my spins (just a one foot spin). My spins still travel a lot most of the time. Coach J told me to hold the entrance LFO edge for a lot longer (I've actually seen this on an iCoach/MySk8Coach video too!), and apparently, I managed to get one or two really good and centered spins! But it's really difficult for me and I promptly lost it again...
Oh there's just still so much to practice, but not enough time to practice because I don't manage to get up early enough to go to the rink. (This seems to be a recurring theme and getting old...) I'm still very far from practice makes perfect!
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
Learning from a program
When I first started out doing a program, or even back when I was just thinking about it, I thought that doing a program involved piecing the elements you already know together and skate them to music expressively. That's all. I didn't realize that having a new program actually forces me to find out what I cannot do and pushes the limits of what I can do, learning new things with every step.
From the very first element of my choreography, the opening pose, my abilities were tested. An opening pose requiring good turnout that I do not possess, going into a forward and backward "pivot" required a lot of practice. Then there was the toe-push/pivot after a 3-turn into another 3-turn, at speed. I fell a lot the first few practices. At speed was another problem. Sure, I can skate laps around the rink and do crossovers pretty fast, but to do three-turns and mohawks and other what-nots at speed is frightening.
Along the way of choreographing, coach J discovered what I can and cannot do. She wanted to put in a spread eagle, even if it was curved and not nice on a straight line. With my bad turnout, the "spread eagle" (if one could even call it such) I showed her was in a super tight little circle that couldn't go anywhere. Seriously, my travelling spin tracings are bigger circles than my "spread eagles". Well then how about a little Ina Bauer? I couldn't even manage to try. Coach J obviously realized that this was mission impossible and promptly had to dream up something else, getting a little exasperated that the list of options that she wants to use but I can't do was getting rather long. In the end, we settled for a sequence of LFO3, wide step, back mohawk, step behind, RFI3 and back attitude glide on the RB edge. The evil step behind! The nightmarish term that I hear from ice dancers on skatingforum! So far, I have managed to not step on the back of the blade and kill myself. Yet. Back attitude glide was another problem. I've ever only tried a forward attitude glide on flats, and that on my left foot. To do it on my not-so-good side, backwards and on an outside edge, brrrrrr. I feel super self-conscious trying it too because I'm sure I look like a monkey waving same-arm-same-leg.
Then came the worst as I learned my last section of my program this week (yay I'm done learning it!). So a few days ago, I read on alejeather's blog about having a back-3-turn entry into a loop in her program. I was in awe and at the same time relieved that I'd escaped any back-3's in my program. I rejoiced too early, coach had it waiting for me. At least it's a RBO3, since I can't do BI3's at all. But even so, my BO3's generally come to a stop or at least a crawl after the turn, so you can imagine it doesn't work quite well going into a loop right now. Currently coach J has allowed me to stick ONE back crossover between the 3-turn and the actual loop jump, if I have time, meaning I have to manage to do everything previous at speed! Eventually with practice though, I hope I can go straight into the BI3-mohawk-loop jump without any crossover help. But I foresee a lot of falling down in my future practices.
So besides all these new elements, I've also learnt (or am in the process of learning) some "skating skills". I have to skate faster so I can fit inside the music, something coach J is very happy about lol. I supposedly have to skate "pretty", thought goodness knows what I look like now. I'm also learning to use my arms and be expressive, and something that goes with that, is to be confident. I was certainly not confident at first, I was ready to run away when coach J first made me run the first portion of the program to music on the speaker. Now, I've even managed to request my program music in my own practice time : ) Hopefully, by the time recital day comes in a month, I will be confident enough to go out there, be expressive, elegant, artistic, pretty and above all, smiling.
From the very first element of my choreography, the opening pose, my abilities were tested. An opening pose requiring good turnout that I do not possess, going into a forward and backward "pivot" required a lot of practice. Then there was the toe-push/pivot after a 3-turn into another 3-turn, at speed. I fell a lot the first few practices. At speed was another problem. Sure, I can skate laps around the rink and do crossovers pretty fast, but to do three-turns and mohawks and other what-nots at speed is frightening.
Along the way of choreographing, coach J discovered what I can and cannot do. She wanted to put in a spread eagle, even if it was curved and not nice on a straight line. With my bad turnout, the "spread eagle" (if one could even call it such) I showed her was in a super tight little circle that couldn't go anywhere. Seriously, my travelling spin tracings are bigger circles than my "spread eagles". Well then how about a little Ina Bauer? I couldn't even manage to try. Coach J obviously realized that this was mission impossible and promptly had to dream up something else, getting a little exasperated that the list of options that she wants to use but I can't do was getting rather long. In the end, we settled for a sequence of LFO3, wide step, back mohawk, step behind, RFI3 and back attitude glide on the RB edge. The evil step behind! The nightmarish term that I hear from ice dancers on skatingforum! So far, I have managed to not step on the back of the blade and kill myself. Yet. Back attitude glide was another problem. I've ever only tried a forward attitude glide on flats, and that on my left foot. To do it on my not-so-good side, backwards and on an outside edge, brrrrrr. I feel super self-conscious trying it too because I'm sure I look like a monkey waving same-arm-same-leg.
Then came the worst as I learned my last section of my program this week (yay I'm done learning it!). So a few days ago, I read on alejeather's blog about having a back-3-turn entry into a loop in her program. I was in awe and at the same time relieved that I'd escaped any back-3's in my program. I rejoiced too early, coach had it waiting for me. At least it's a RBO3, since I can't do BI3's at all. But even so, my BO3's generally come to a stop or at least a crawl after the turn, so you can imagine it doesn't work quite well going into a loop right now. Currently coach J has allowed me to stick ONE back crossover between the 3-turn and the actual loop jump, if I have time, meaning I have to manage to do everything previous at speed! Eventually with practice though, I hope I can go straight into the BI3-mohawk-loop jump without any crossover help. But I foresee a lot of falling down in my future practices.
So besides all these new elements, I've also learnt (or am in the process of learning) some "skating skills". I have to skate faster so I can fit inside the music, something coach J is very happy about lol. I supposedly have to skate "pretty", thought goodness knows what I look like now. I'm also learning to use my arms and be expressive, and something that goes with that, is to be confident. I was certainly not confident at first, I was ready to run away when coach J first made me run the first portion of the program to music on the speaker. Now, I've even managed to request my program music in my own practice time : ) Hopefully, by the time recital day comes in a month, I will be confident enough to go out there, be expressive, elegant, artistic, pretty and above all, smiling.
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Aha moment
Oh those wonderful times when something just suddenly makes so much sense and all of a sudden, that elusive element just suddenly works. I had two of those AHA! moments this week. Not without good advice from my great coaches of course.
Waltz-loop combo jump
I've practiced and practiced but it just doesn't feel right. I have to put so much strength into trying to jump up into the loop jump after the waltz, and even so, the tempo isn't right and I spend too much time on the ground losing my momentum. I've tried it slow, I've tried it fast, it's just not there. Then coach J told me something which group coach A has actually told me before, but now it finally clicks. I need to curve my waltz jump more! I tend to step out my waltz jump on a very shallow curve, for fear of over-rotating the waltz, but then I have no rotational momentum to get into the loop jump. So I tried it on a deeper curve, and voila! As I land the waltz jump, my foot naturally made the fishhook curve and I instantly went into a loop jump. Compared to my old feeling of being heavy and unjumpable, now I felt as light as a feather. It's such a good feeling!
Sit spin
Something else that I've practiced again and again. My biggest problem seem to be that I would go up on my toepick (not just at the entrance, but continually) and so I would fall out of spinning. To counteract this, I tried to not lean my body forward (ie. lean back a little). During my group class, coach C told me that I should be bending my knee and ankle more instead. I certainly do bend my knee, but I realized that the problem was bending (or lack thereof) my ankle! I consciously told myself to bend my ankle and it works! I started spinning round and round in my sit spin.
Both of these were good, along with all my other jumps (toe-loop, salchow, flip) on Thursday and Friday, so hopefully, it's something that I've finally learnt and not just a mere fluke! I felt like a bouncing bean jumping here and there and everywhere, and was so happy : ) Can't wait till my next skate!
Waltz-loop combo jump
I've practiced and practiced but it just doesn't feel right. I have to put so much strength into trying to jump up into the loop jump after the waltz, and even so, the tempo isn't right and I spend too much time on the ground losing my momentum. I've tried it slow, I've tried it fast, it's just not there. Then coach J told me something which group coach A has actually told me before, but now it finally clicks. I need to curve my waltz jump more! I tend to step out my waltz jump on a very shallow curve, for fear of over-rotating the waltz, but then I have no rotational momentum to get into the loop jump. So I tried it on a deeper curve, and voila! As I land the waltz jump, my foot naturally made the fishhook curve and I instantly went into a loop jump. Compared to my old feeling of being heavy and unjumpable, now I felt as light as a feather. It's such a good feeling!
Sit spin
Something else that I've practiced again and again. My biggest problem seem to be that I would go up on my toepick (not just at the entrance, but continually) and so I would fall out of spinning. To counteract this, I tried to not lean my body forward (ie. lean back a little). During my group class, coach C told me that I should be bending my knee and ankle more instead. I certainly do bend my knee, but I realized that the problem was bending (or lack thereof) my ankle! I consciously told myself to bend my ankle and it works! I started spinning round and round in my sit spin.
Both of these were good, along with all my other jumps (toe-loop, salchow, flip) on Thursday and Friday, so hopefully, it's something that I've finally learnt and not just a mere fluke! I felt like a bouncing bean jumping here and there and everywhere, and was so happy : ) Can't wait till my next skate!
Saturday, 26 January 2013
Traumatic first practice
Despite my frantic protests, coach J decided that I needed to try out that first half of my program that I've learnt to music on the rink speaker. I wanted to run away, or at least borrow Harry Potter's invisibility cloak so no one can see me. I had tried it a handful of times to music in my headphone (I have it in one side only), but I could not do it up to speed yet. I didn't think I was ready to try it in full view of everyone. Coach J was adamant and so I reluctantly went to tie on the "I'm-in-a-program-with-right-of-way" belt for the first time ever.
My program, unfortunately, starts on something I find extremely difficult at the moment. My starting pose is with my left foot picked and right foot crossed in front. It's supposed to be that the right foot is perpendicular to the body with the heel to the left (like a tango stop), and the left foot with the pick in the ice, heel towards the right. Basically, something that requires good turnout, of which I lack, so I couldn't even hold this position steadily. From this I'm supposed to slide the right foot forward and back with left foot picked (lots of people seem to open with this!), which is kind of hard to do if you're not good at pivots. From this I turn around and go into a LFO3, right toe pick push and another LFO3 and so on. All this has to be done very quickly in order to do my jumps at a certain musical cue.
So there I am in the middle of the rink, with the program belt on, in my very awkward opening position, nervously waiting for the music to start. The notes tinkle, I try my best to do the pivot slide thing, turn around to do the first LFO3 - and I trip. Yes, 5 seconds into the music I trip. It was quite a feat to not have gone splat on my face really. Now I'm so desperately behind the music, which I could never catch up to in the first place , and I'm trying super hard to be able to follow my coach who's doing the program with me so I don't lose where I am. Everything was just super rushed and I glossed through a whole bunch of things just so I could catch up. I just wanted to dig a hole and cover myself up when I was done, I sincerely hope no one was watching that dreadful display. To sum up in one word that first practice ever with music on rink speakers - traumatic. I didn't feel any "real skater" moment out of it at all.
We tried it one more time at the very end of the lesson, because coach J said I'd never try it myself (she's quite right!). It went much better since I managed to not trip anywhere, but I'm still quite behind the music. This still needs a lot of work, plus I still have the last 40 seconds to learn!
I registered for the recital today, so I better work hard to be ready in time!
My program, unfortunately, starts on something I find extremely difficult at the moment. My starting pose is with my left foot picked and right foot crossed in front. It's supposed to be that the right foot is perpendicular to the body with the heel to the left (like a tango stop), and the left foot with the pick in the ice, heel towards the right. Basically, something that requires good turnout, of which I lack, so I couldn't even hold this position steadily. From this I'm supposed to slide the right foot forward and back with left foot picked (lots of people seem to open with this!), which is kind of hard to do if you're not good at pivots. From this I turn around and go into a LFO3, right toe pick push and another LFO3 and so on. All this has to be done very quickly in order to do my jumps at a certain musical cue.
So there I am in the middle of the rink, with the program belt on, in my very awkward opening position, nervously waiting for the music to start. The notes tinkle, I try my best to do the pivot slide thing, turn around to do the first LFO3 - and I trip. Yes, 5 seconds into the music I trip. It was quite a feat to not have gone splat on my face really. Now I'm so desperately behind the music, which I could never catch up to in the first place , and I'm trying super hard to be able to follow my coach who's doing the program with me so I don't lose where I am. Everything was just super rushed and I glossed through a whole bunch of things just so I could catch up. I just wanted to dig a hole and cover myself up when I was done, I sincerely hope no one was watching that dreadful display. To sum up in one word that first practice ever with music on rink speakers - traumatic. I didn't feel any "real skater" moment out of it at all.
We tried it one more time at the very end of the lesson, because coach J said I'd never try it myself (she's quite right!). It went much better since I managed to not trip anywhere, but I'm still quite behind the music. This still needs a lot of work, plus I still have the last 40 seconds to learn!
I registered for the recital today, so I better work hard to be ready in time!
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Beginnings of a program
Today has got to be the most exciting lesson I've had so far! We started working on my very first program! Coach J showed me the whole program before teaching it to me and so I got to hear for the first time my music on the rink loud speaker. I love my music and love the program that coach has choreographed.
Here's another new "I'm a real skater" milestone! Having a program music CD and hearing it played over the whole rink!
I was getting quite worried last week, realizing that I only have a little less than two months till the rink recital, and we haven't started anything on the program, except to decide which jumps we want to put in. I was also getting rather confused, not knowing how a program should be built. I wondered if it was the norm for a skater to be choreographing with the coach, or if the coach does all the work. I certainly hoped it was the latter since I have no idea how and what to choreograph, but due to the lateness (in my mind) of starting, I was worried if coach was expecting me to do something. Well, for all new skaters out there with their first programs coming up, don't worry, coach does it all.
So I went to lesson today and coach had my entire program choreographed. So happy! And I feel a lot less worried now, I'm remembering the choreograph faster than I expected. I learned 1:00 out of the 1:40 program in our half-hour lesson today, so I should be okay in terms of remembering the program. Of course, making it look pretty is another matter. I even drew a test-booklet-style diagram of the first minute (I go around the rink once in this time, I'll need a new diagram for the next half.), so I won't forget:
.JPG)
It's not very to scale since the paper is the wrong ratio for the rink, should be a little longer I think.
Overall, I have four jump passes in the program: salchow-toe loop, waltz-loop, toe loop, loop, and two spins. Currently the spins are just a one foot spin and a two foot spin, since my spins suck and I can't do anything else. I'm hoping very much that I can exchange the two foot spin for a sit spin. I practiced sit spins a little today, and they actually felt better:
Before I would always enter the spin and be on the toe pick (leaning too forward). Today I managed to stay on the sweet spot and it felt good. I managed about 4 revs here too, even though that's barely sitting at all lol. I'm going to practice extra hard on sit spins now!
I'm sooooooo excited to be doing my first program!
Can't wait till it's all complete!
Here's another new "I'm a real skater" milestone! Having a program music CD and hearing it played over the whole rink!
I was getting quite worried last week, realizing that I only have a little less than two months till the rink recital, and we haven't started anything on the program, except to decide which jumps we want to put in. I was also getting rather confused, not knowing how a program should be built. I wondered if it was the norm for a skater to be choreographing with the coach, or if the coach does all the work. I certainly hoped it was the latter since I have no idea how and what to choreograph, but due to the lateness (in my mind) of starting, I was worried if coach was expecting me to do something. Well, for all new skaters out there with their first programs coming up, don't worry, coach does it all.
So I went to lesson today and coach had my entire program choreographed. So happy! And I feel a lot less worried now, I'm remembering the choreograph faster than I expected. I learned 1:00 out of the 1:40 program in our half-hour lesson today, so I should be okay in terms of remembering the program. Of course, making it look pretty is another matter. I even drew a test-booklet-style diagram of the first minute (I go around the rink once in this time, I'll need a new diagram for the next half.), so I won't forget:
.JPG)
It's not very to scale since the paper is the wrong ratio for the rink, should be a little longer I think.
Overall, I have four jump passes in the program: salchow-toe loop, waltz-loop, toe loop, loop, and two spins. Currently the spins are just a one foot spin and a two foot spin, since my spins suck and I can't do anything else. I'm hoping very much that I can exchange the two foot spin for a sit spin. I practiced sit spins a little today, and they actually felt better:
Before I would always enter the spin and be on the toe pick (leaning too forward). Today I managed to stay on the sweet spot and it felt good. I managed about 4 revs here too, even though that's barely sitting at all lol. I'm going to practice extra hard on sit spins now!
I'm sooooooo excited to be doing my first program!
Can't wait till it's all complete!
Monday, 14 January 2013
2013 resolutions
Well, at the top of my list for my new year resolutions, is that I will strive to be less lazy. Judging from the few times I have skated up to now and the fact that I'm posting my "new year" resolutions in the middle of January, it's not working out very well. Still, here is my list of skating resolutions for 2013:
General:
Be less lazy!
- Wake up earlier so I can get to my morning private lesson 10-15 minutes before instead of barely on time so I can actually warm up.
- Practice at morning freestyle besides lesson day, more than just "occasionally"
- Stretch more for better flexibility
- Do core strength exercises - planks & sit-ups
Events-wise:
Perform at rink recital
Do one competition at pre-bronze
Pass bronze MITF
Pass bronze FS (This seems unlikely for the end of the year. Probably early next year)
Skills-wise:
Very good loop jumps - my favourite jump!
Consistent flip jumps
Consistent lutz jumps
Start working on axels
Good scratch spin (first I need to stop being afraid of it)
Good sit spin
Good camel spin
Good back spin
More height and extension on spiral
I've discussed a little with coach J what our plan is for the year, and it seems like it will be:
Rink recital - beginning of March
Some competition - between March and September
*Maybe* rink recital again - June
Bronze MITF test - September (test session isn't out yet but there should be one)
So the immediate goal is to work on my first program, for the March rink recital. It's less than two months away and I'm starting to get worried. I hope I can get it together in time!
General:
Be less lazy!
- Wake up earlier so I can get to my morning private lesson 10-15 minutes before instead of barely on time so I can actually warm up.
- Practice at morning freestyle besides lesson day, more than just "occasionally"
- Stretch more for better flexibility
- Do core strength exercises - planks & sit-ups
Events-wise:
Perform at rink recital
Do one competition at pre-bronze
Pass bronze MITF
Pass bronze FS (This seems unlikely for the end of the year. Probably early next year)
Skills-wise:
Very good loop jumps - my favourite jump!
Consistent flip jumps
Consistent lutz jumps
Start working on axels
Good scratch spin (first I need to stop being afraid of it)
Good sit spin
Good camel spin
Good back spin
More height and extension on spiral
I've discussed a little with coach J what our plan is for the year, and it seems like it will be:
Rink recital - beginning of March
Some competition - between March and September
*Maybe* rink recital again - June
Bronze MITF test - September (test session isn't out yet but there should be one)
So the immediate goal is to work on my first program, for the March rink recital. It's less than two months away and I'm starting to get worried. I hope I can get it together in time!
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