Training or Fun? What's practice like at your club?

[MWehmeier]

Without influencing any one's opinion--

What is practice like at your club? Is it serious training?

Or practice with the emphasis on fun?

[speeddevil]

Our club definitley has both. For the older kids(and adults) its a more serious thing than for the younger kids. The coaches just don't expect a 6 year old to make practice as serious as it would be for someone who's 20. theres alot more goofing off going on now because at this time over half of our 21 skaters are under the age of 10.

[rolaboi]

well, its a bit of both at mine..

the new rink I have moved to is very new - so basically I'm there teaching on my own daily with only 1 other coach part time.. so its very 'serious' in our regard.. we walk in the rink, the kids run straight over the other side and get out all the physical/gym/off skate roof harness/training gear equipment and start warming up.. then its down to business.. unless they are doing figures first..

when they are done (normally 20-25mins doing this) they leave all the equip out and move on to the skate warmups... during this time the other skaters arrive and start doing their warm ups... by the time they are done, everyone is mostly on the floor and its work work work.. i dont do 20mins lessons, i only work in hour blocks with my kids... so they must stay on that full hour having their lesson.. then they have a break and come back on .. so during that time slot, i've worked with 4 - 5 skaters.. that wraps up our day basically...

we do have alot of fun tho.. i used the on skate hand held harness alot too, so we share that around and after 20mins on that, i need a rest too sometimes!

i love teaching and i only do it b/c the kids enjoy it.. otherwise i dont think any of us would be there..

[Ancient1]

Rolaboi,
I like your style of teaching for 1 hour increments. 20 min is barely enough time in my opinion to get anything accomplished, and have them practice it in front of the instructor consistantly the correct way. Cheers to you.

Mary,
Where I skate it is extremely relaxed. But then again, there are only 2 art skaters getting lessons. I feel lucky in that I get to practice without being forced to take lessons. I can do whatever I want as long as I pay my practice fee. Of course I am out on the floor for the entire 2 hours without taking a break. It is extremely fun. Lots of dance music, no kids, only 2 sometimes 3 dancers on the floor, no other freestyle skaters in my way, no figure skaters. It is a shame that the club is so dead, and I hope I can change that as soon as I get my abilities back. Till then I enjoy a practice session with total freedom. So to answer the question as best I can: It is serious for me, and at the same time more fun than a person should be allowed to have...

Jim (The Ancient One)

[snydertoestops]

Oh my gosh... don't get me started.

We are mainly a dance rink. But for the some of us who skate freestyle it's annoying because we always have to move out of the way for the dance skaters so they always take up the floor. It's hard to practice a camel because everybody is everywhere! (at least during open practice.)

And then when it's separated practice they're on the floor hovering! Ahh!

For them it's like their sacred training time, for me and my cousins (and a session skater or two who just joined) it's all fun. I don't know about them, but I skate for fun and exercise not so I can win nationals (but if I did that'd be nice too!).

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

it depends on who you are. if you are doing figures- definately serious or nothing will get acomplished. if youre doing dance, i have no idea because i dont do dance. if you are in a lesson- serious. but i often practice freestyle with my friend when neither of us are in a lesson and thats fun but we are definately working. Some of the younger skaters often emphasize fun more than seriousness. its a mixture of both at my rink and i like it.

[masterd]

Our club has maybe 12 skaters. I would say 10 practice hard and two always play.

I posted a couple of days ago about the skaters in Frieburg Germany. They have to get permission to leave the floor. It is all business and they have the drive to succeed.

[Mom2Skaters]

Originally Posted by masterd

Our club has maybe 12 skaters. I would say 10 practice hard and two always play.

I posted a couple of days ago about the skaters in Frieburg Germany. They have to get permission to leave the floor. It is all business and they have the drive to succeed.

I find asking permission to leave the floor to be distasteful. If it is the rules then it is the rules. But if I was in charge I wouldn't make it a rule unless someone showed they clearly needed that rule. Sometimes you just suddenly have to pee. lol

[Mom2Skaters]

Originally Posted by MWehmeier

Without influencing any one's opinion--

What is practice like at your club? Is it serious training?

Or practice with the emphasis on fun?

I think for some it is serious training with a bit of fun and for some it is serious fun with a bit of training at our rink. lol And some in between.

[masterd]

As long as those who want to play stay out of the way it really does not bother me.

I do think that as a club rule if you are on the floor skate and do not play and stay out of the way of skaters who are practicing.

In Freiburg they were having test and had other clubs there. So I can say for sure which rink this youg lady was from.

[Can't skate at all]

Do you think maybe it depends on the time of the year? Just right now, our senior skaters are building up to one of our major competitions, and those involved are working really hard.

But at some other times of the year, perhaps in the periods between the bigger competitions, there'll be a bit more goofing around - the odd hit out with the hockey sticks, all manner of pairs, attempts to emulate moves and elements seen on the latest ice competition on ESPN, that type of thing.

And isn't there a time and a place for both? After all, we wouldn't want to discourage people from joining in by presenting the rink solely as a place for pain and falls. There has to be some fun to get the skaters to want to start this in the first place.

But I have to agree with Masterd - if your skater is trying to train seriously, and someone uses the rink to hold a giggly conversation, its super-frustrating!

[MWehmeier]

Okay now let me add a little more to the discussion--

Does you coach have you do off skate training? If so, what?

Mary Lu

PS There is a method to my madness.

[Mom2Skaters]

Originally Posted by MWehmeier

Okay now let me add a little more to the discussion--

Does you coach have you do off skate training? If so, what?

Mary Lu

PS There is a method to my madness.

Sure, my daughter has to do camels in her socks and off skate jumps. Plus, we have endurance and various other activities off skates.

[Can't skate at all]

Absolutely. For my daughter's coach, its all about "higher, faster, stronger, better".

Our club was running a full-on two-hour (once per week) aerobic and strength session, focused on core strength and leg strength. Body weight resistance - ie no external weights, but lots of speed stuff using rope ladders on the floor, and press-ups for upper body. Stretching too.

Within the group of skaters I know of, there seem to be two opinions. One is that you train for skating solely by skating. The other is that you train for skating using multiple methods - obviously including skating - but also including other exercise to help you. The club class stopped.

So my daughter has switched to a gym membership - 3x per week, 90mins per time. Programme designed specifically with skating needs in mind. Only been on it for a short time, so we'll have to see how it goes.

I get tired watching.

She doesn't do so much with off-skate jumps and that kind of thing. The area we have available for that type of training isn't that suited to it - at home, an axel would end up landing on the coffee table.

And further to your comments from another thread, Mary Lu, Laura finds its really hard to train the jumps without the speed to give them the height and travel they need. But she does use a spinner when she can't get out to the rink.

[angoraknitter]

Each skater has their own list of things to practice, and usually we're all asked to spend at least 20-30 minutes on figures at the begining of our individual practices. Hardly any of the members even know a dance so I usually wait till all the kids have gone off the floor (usually to goof off, but I don't mind) so I don't need to worry about running into anyone.

I try and run through as many of my figures as my kids will let me...and then the rest is gravy.

I've been in clubs where we were expected to practice for 50 minutes of every hour. I don't remember the rest of those rules too much, but that was a long time ago, and perhaps for now, a thing of the past.

My time is precious, so when I've got it, I want to make the most of practice...but I must qualify that...if the kids allow it.

I don't have any off skate work out assignments...but doesn't mean I don't practice in my head, think about skating, or stretch out some each day. I encourage the kids to watch good skates when I find them on youtube, and stuff like that, to try and keep their inspiration fresh.

[snydertoestops]

Originally Posted by angoraknitter

.but doesn't mean I don't practice in my head, think about skating, or stretch out some each day.

I've been thinking/practicing about my routine non stop for the past two days - I leave for the Auburn meet on Thursday (I'm sooo excited!)

[NWGlenn]

Originally Posted by snydertoestops

I've been thinking/practicing about my routine non stop for the past two days - I leave for the Auburn meet on Thursday (I'm sooo excited!)

What's your schedule? I'm doing figures Fri. and Sun. morning... ~8:00, Mens Novice B and Veteran A.

Good Luck in case we don't meet up, Glenn

[roller gramma]

I will also be at Auburn...Friday for Novice B solo dance...I am the one in a purple dress, out of breath and having thigh cramps. I cannot believe how out of shape I am. 2 of my grandsons will also be skating on Friday.

[snydertoestops]

Originally Posted by roller gramma

I will also be at Auburn...Friday for Novice B solo dance...I am the one in a purple dress, out of breath and having thigh cramps. I cannot believe how out of shape I am. 2 of my grandsons will also be skating on Friday.

I too, skate friday! Fresh/Soph B Figures (blue velvet dress, swirling rhinestones) - one of the first events, panel c. And I skate sometime around 10:45 - fresh/soph c singles (only one other person in my event =( ) I'm the one in the turquoise/blue dress, rhinestones on the sholder.

[LinP]

It seems like nearly every club has one thing in common, the skaters work only as hard as they want to. If you have beginners, they often don't really know how to practice, and they spend more time trying to stay out of the more advanced skaters' way. If it is an open practice, there are lessons going on in different disciplines, so it is harder to work intently on a dance if you have to dodge figure skaters. Sometimes at our rink we joke that it's like practicing on I95. Way too much traffic!

Now, when my son goes to his coach for JWC lessons, it is totally different. Fewer people on the floor at once, and it is very controlled as to what is going on. You wouldn't dream of slacking off, and breaks are few and very brief. You can skate like you're on the World floor, and actually, you'd better skate like that or the coach won't be happy.

I suppose it all depends on where you are in the spectrum of skaters. I have, however, seen beginners who work their butts off. Sadly, I have seen advanced skaters do as little as possible; basically wasting precious practice time.

Lin P