By connected I mean doing one after the other consecutively without stopping and dropping my free leg.

After the outside 3 turn, I'm on the inside edge, at this point I try to turn my leg out while bent to perform the next outside 3 turn but I keep dropping my free leg...

I do notice that sometimes on the inside edge the pressure is on the toe where it isn't supposed to be but nonetheless, I shifted the pressure on the heel and still I can't seem to do it right. :(

I have limited turn out (110 degrees) I don't know if this has to do with it...

We are looking for a figure skating coach for our daughter(spoken French or English) that would be available from September 2013 to January 2014 (prolongation possible if mutual consent) for private training. Monthly salary with room and board. Must be able to coach double axle and triple jumps.. Location is in Switzeralnd.

After almost 10 months, I have completed the adult basic skills and just tested the Canasta. I am more inspired than ever to keep on going and am looking for some input. I think I understand the philosophy behind the development of the adult track curriculum, but trying to decide if it is the best path to take. I have heard it said that by going adult vs standard track, one may miss out on some important skills. Thoughts... suggestions??

Thanks!!

I bought a scribe (new), but it came with no kind of instructions. Is there anyone who can tell me?

Thanks in advance

Hi everyone. I hope I'm posting this in the right forum. I just started skating a couple weeks ago and I have a question. With the rental skates I used during my first couple of weeks skating, I guess I learned to tip forward too much to keep my balance. Now I have a pair of Jackson skates which I love, but I tip forward so much on the blade that the toe pick is hitting the ice. This messed with my head a little, so one day I put my skates on the counter and examined the blade and there was a good 10 mm of clearance there from the toe pick to the counter. The description of the blade says there is a 8 ft radius, which I guess isn't technically for beginners but I'd still like to learn on this blade. For additional info, I weigh 150 lbs (maybe that's part of the problem?)

I am taking learn to skate lessons, but we don't get a lot of personal attention. Some books and websites I am reading say that you should center your weight over the ball of your foot. when I do that, I tip forward too much. During our first lesson I was told "bend your knees and lean forward, that'll help you keep your balance" but I'm thinking I might be leaning too far forward if this toe pick situation is happening. So this issue got me thinking too, maybe my posture is to blame. I don't have perfect posture either and never had to concentrate on correcting my posture, but I'm working on it. I also am still unable to even do a one foot glide, and I don't think I will be able to until I find the correct part of the blade to skate on for my personal balance. I'd like to practice on my own to see if it's something I'm doing wrong first before I get the blade altered. I guess I would just like to correct any bad habits I have now before I skate too long. I really enjoy skating and might eventually compete (although that is years from now - lol!)

If anyone has any tips for what I should focus on when practicing, that would be great! :)

Hi! The funniest thing - for a few weeks I've been desperately trying to do the cannonball sit spin with no progress what's so ever! My sit spin is JUST FINE but as soon as I try to reach down and catch my leg/foot/blade (I've tried every position) I just lose my balance completely and fall either forward or backwards.
Also, I kind of try to grab and pull myself down to bend over, but what usually happens instead is that I pull my free leg up and backwards and fall or sink down on my butt.
Is this normal? Does anyone have any tips for me? I'll be grateful if you do.

Last week was the US Adult National Championships in Scottsdale, AZ and a LOT of former and current Elite American skaters were caught around the week with their adult student skaters:
Charlie Tickner, 1980 Olympic Bronze Medalist (has been a fixture at Adult Nationals for a long time and brings a HUGE contingent every year). One of the nicest people you'll ever meet
Doug Razzano (5th US Nationals, Men's, 2011)
Todd Gilles (ice dance)
Elena Valova, 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist (she was coaching a pairs team from Pittsburg)
and...........
Adam Rippon (who is growing the curls back out)

Currently I can only do about 3 or 4 revolutions and they're usually pretty slow. A lot of times when I enter the spin I go up on the toepick and fall out of it. I need advice for how to to do a better camel spin. Thanks! :)

Just out of curiosity, which spin was more difficult for you to learn: camel or sit spin?

I'm working on my axel, double salchow, and double toe loop, and am starting prep for later doubles also. However, I have a huge problem with crossing my legs in the air. Sometimes I do, but not all the time.

So, I was thinking of getting a few lessons in a harness (going to talk about it with my coach first) to help with the 'feel' of the jumps. Do you think this is a good idea or is it not worth it?

I've never tried the harness before, have any of you tried it, and did it help?

Thank you in advance :)

Hi guys! :)

I've been skating since I was little, but stopped for 2 years. Now, I've restarted, and doing pretty well; I've been competing in the Primary level, and can do up to a lutz. But in both competitions, I received last place, which was quite disappointing. :-\ My coach decided to completly redo my program, and put a Y-spiral AND a hydrablade in it. I'm sort of flexible (my spirals are a bit over 90 degrees) but my leg refuse to create that beautiful Y shape. I stretch every other day, for my spiral, but I was wondering if anyone had tips on stretching to get a Y lift. Also, for my hydroblade, anyone know stretches for the leg muscles so I can go lower? Thanks! ;)

Hi everyone,

I have received a special invitation as a coach to register for a seminar of Christy Krall (for 250$).

Is it worth it?

Considering that I already had a seminar with Tom Zakrajsek and Manon Perron in the past, Does Christy Krall could teach me a few things new and new technical guidance for jumps and spins?

I am looking to take my first offical USFS test in May. I will be testing the first two prelim dances and have begun my search for clothing. I am having trouble finding options online. Anyone have any advice???

I am looking at purchasing a pair of Chloe Noel male skating pants. Anyone have any experience with them?

Does anyone have any experience with the Skate Science blades? We are looking at moving our 10 year old daughter into them. She is working on her double axel. I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on them. Otherwise, our 2nd choice is the Matrix 2 Supremes...............thougts???

Thank you!

Hello, I am the mother of a 9 yr. old beginner figure skater. She is a level 6 freestyle in the learn to skate program and has been skating for 2 yrs. After her 1st pair of entry level figure skates began to "break down" her coach recommended that we purchase Riddell 255TS boots and Matrix Legacy 7050 blades (the stainless steel). Since switching to the new boots/blades her performance has decreased substantially, she can no longer do her elements at the same level of competency and in particular her speed has decreased. She has had the new boots/blades for 6+ weeks and has assured us that they are broken in, and not causing her discomfort. Her coach is losing patience with her and believes she simply isn't trying. That is not the case, she is trying and is very frustrated. I need to add that her coach is normally a very kind person, but is really getting angry at our daughter. Her coach believes that she is making excuses and should simply skate "faster". Can anyone give some advice on how to help our daughter adjust to these skates, or some methods on increasing her speed? Does anyone have any experience with the blades, and advice on adjusting to them? It is noteworthy that she skates 5-6 times per week. Thanks so much in advance.

The toe box of my boots are slightly tight and the only area that hurts is my tailors bunion (Base of pinky toe). The problem is that where I live we don't have boot punches (Nor any professional figure skating shops for that matter). What can I do to widen that little area? There are times where the pain appears and times they don't, when it appears it can be so unbearable usually after 30 minutes that I just have to remove the skates.

What can I do since we don't have boot punches here where I live?
I have the Risport royal figure boots, and I can only wear thin socks.

Has anyone experienced PTT (post tibial tendon) and heel surgery? If so, what was it like to get back to skating afterwards?

I have a partially torn PTT. Orthotics have given back to me the ability to walk without pain, but I haven't regained the ability to do an outside edge on my bad foot. The surgery to treat it is:

1) FDL transfer (cut out the bad tendon, cut out a nearby good tendon, and suture the good, but smaller, tendon in where the bad tendon was)

2) Calcaneal osteotomy (cut the heel bone, slide it over, and bolt it back in place)

I know some people are able to run again after this surgery. But I care little for running; I care about skating. So if anyone here had this done, I'd love to hear what your recovery was like.

Thanks!

I am going to be working in LA for two weeks and am trying to find a great place for my kids to train while I am there. Can anyone suggest the best rink with some inspiring short term coaches (that may have availability). They are Intermediate and Juvenile level skaters who train 5X to 6X per week.

Thanks for any suggestions.

has anyone here used those antique strap on ice skates they used to use on the canals in holland? are they just for distance skating or did they use them for figures also?
thanks
s

I don't think I have ever seen a skater fall on a split jump.

I do not skate myself, but to me it looks like non-rotational jumps like falling leafs (leaves?), Russian split jumps, and stag jumps are non-trivial to say the least. You have to leap as high as for a rotational jump, achieve a full split or some other position, then land on a continuous edge. It looks pretty hard to me, and it certainly can be a choreographic highlight in a program.

Are these elements easy or hard for skaters at various levels?

http://www.jbmittan.com/webpix/cohen20616865.jpg

http://www.jbmittan.com/webpix/rochette20545948.jpg

Hi everyone! I'm new here but definitely not new to skating - I skated as a young kid and I'm now a mommy. I've got a question that I'm hoping someone on here can answer (sorry in advance for the somewhat long explanation...).

I know that USFS recently changed the allowed jumps in Adult Gold to be a choice of an Axel, 2Sal or 2Toe, which is what has me on a research quest to figure out where I fit in the USFS adult test/competition structure. In previous versions of the USFS rulebook (as recently as 2010), you could compete in Adult Gold if you have only successfully tested up to the ISI freestyle 6 test, but you'd have to compete Masters Intermediate-Novice or up if you passed any of the ISI FS7-10 tests (assuming, of course, that the corresponding USFS level freestyle tests were passed prior to competition).

I started skating and testing in ISI and passed the FS 7 test, which has a 2Toe and a flying camel on it. When I decided to switch over to USFS, I started to test the standard track, since that FS 7 test disallowed me from competing no lower than Intermediate. But the 2011 and later versions of the USFS rulebook do not mention the ISI tests at all. Does that mean I could compete at Adult Gold instead of Masters Intermediate-Novice (where 2Lo is allowed)? To me, this would make sense, since the jump and spin elements' difficulty for ISI FS7 and Adult Gold are about equal now, and taking 2 less tests is definitely cheaper for me. :)

Thanks in advance!

I paid for 8 sessions (Which I haven't started yet) with this new coach that I'm backing out of now because I don't like her attitude, she's really horrible.
Do you think it is my right to transfer the payment to another coach?

Problems with Klingbeil order

I have had such a bad luck with Klingbeil firm, that I feel I need to share it, so that no one else gets caught in similar situation.


In May 2012 I ordered custom made dance boots.

In June 2012 I noticed that Lorraine overcharged me – she counted $1384, although according to Janice’s quote the price should be $1294. I queried it and they reimbursed me the difference.

In August 2012 I received freeskating boots. When I queried it, that I had ordered dance boots, at first they tried to persuade me that those are dance boots. The boots were exactly same height, shape and stiffness to my previous two pairs I had bought from Klingbeil in the past and those were freeskating boots, so unless Klingbeil’s dance boots are identical to freeskating boots, those were not dance boots. On the invoice they actually wrote freeskating boots, whereas in all email communications from me I was asking them to make dance boots. I returned the boots. Eventually Janice admitted that there was error on their part and promised to make me another pair – dance boots this time. I had to pay for postage for returning the boots, which cost me £97.30.

At the end of October 2012 I received second pair of boots. The ‘second attempt’ boots I received are still not according to my specifications. I ordered and paid $50 for dance backstay, which neither the first attempt boots nor the second attempt boots had. Considering that I made it clear in several emails that I need it and that the reason for ordering the boots is that my coach is complaining that I don’t point my toes, I really don’t know why Klingbeil found it so difficult to make it. If they can’t do it, they shouldn’t be offering it and charging for it. (In fact, if I had known that I will get boots in which I won’t be able to point my toes, I would have never ordered the boots!)

In addition, Klingbeil forgot to mark the parcel as ‘return’, so I had to pay custom duty/import tax again, which I have already paid on the ‘first attempt’ boots. (the custom duty/import tax is charged according to information that the sender- Klingbeil - provides). I shouldn’t have to pay custom duty twice, considering that I ordered and have only one pair of boots. The second custom duty/import tax was £97.17. When I asked Klingbeil for reimbursement of the second custom duty payment, Janice offered me 25% discount from my next boots that I will order with them. Now seriously, with this bad experience, would anyone order any next pair of boots with them?) I politely declined and asked for reimbursement. Janice and Richie Perna (the director) are ‘looking into it’. Well, they have been ‘looking into it’ since 21st November and I haven’t heard from them yet! (I did send them the receipts in November as requested.)

So if I summarise it, I have spent $859 for boots that are made not according to my specification ($1294 minus the price of the blades $435) and incurred additionally £194.47 in extra expenses (postage for returning boots that were freeskating boots while I ordered dance boots, and second time paying custom duty/import tax because Klingbeil forgot to mark the second parcel as return).

I have placed the order in May 2012. We are in January 2013. At the moment I have a pair of boots that are completely useless for me. Pointing my toes was the reason for ordering dance boots, otherwise I would continue skating in my freeskating boots.

Klingbeil made a lot of promises (such as giving me the account number so that I can return the boots number two to them without having to pay another postage) and fixing the boots number 2 for me, but unfortunately none of their promises actually materialised.

It is a lot of money for me, and I wasted 7.5 months waiting for my boots, which turned out to be complete disappointment. I will definitely not order from Klingbeil again.

Figures fascinate me, and I would like to learn how to do the easiest one with my skates, but I don't really understand a lot of things (I wasn't watching skating in the figures era), like which is the correct position, how many repetitions you have to do for each figure, which are the criteria for which the figure is well done etc... Do you know where I can find some stuff (a book, video, DVD, anything) that can explain me how to do them? Or is there any former figures coach/competitor/fan that can give me some advices? Thank you! :)

Hi all
This is my first post, so if it's in the wrong place I'm sorry. I would like perform some basic skills but only have a pair of hockey skates which are quite old and blunt and with one loose blade! I'm wondering if there is anything stopping me from using them to learn basics. I've been watching some skaters doing what I think are called 3 turns and I can do them very slowly and poorly (3 out of the 4 possible forward versions). Can they be used for one footed spins or do I need the flat of the blade for this? I would love some proper skates but can't afford them at this juncture and can't afford to get much ice time either but want to learns some of the cool skills that I see from the figure skaters.
Thank you all for your time.

Best
s

I need to buy the RF2 Risport figure skates but they don't sell them where I live, I'm travelling to California in a few days, so please tell me if you know any shops there that sell them! I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks,

I've been practicing my jumps off-ice lately, and I'm frustratingly trying to do more than one rotation, it's just a bit difficult. Is it possible? And what do I need to do to improve my jumps and do at least a double rotation off-ice? What did it take for you to achieve that?

I learned to do my full loops, flips, and lutzes without ever doing the half jump versions of them during the process (started doing them later). Now I'm trying to make myself re-learn stuff (a few decades later) and I don't know how I managed to just immediately do whole jumps. For the loop it's a matter of getting up in the air. For the flip it's a matter of being chicken. I'm not planning on working on lutzes any time soon (if ever - I hated those things).

I especially question the usefulness of learning a half loop as a prerequisite to learning a full loop, because of the weight shift, and in fact think that doing them is making it harder for me to get back the regular loop jump. I go to try a full and am now in the habit of automatically letting my weight go over to the wrong side as if doing a half.

(Note: I do not have a coach presently, because it hasn't been in the budget which is extremely tight; I'm trying to find a way to fit the expense in, but for now I'm totally on my own).

Hello everyone,
So... an update for those of you who know, and for those who don't - I'm now skating again after a 12 year brake. I'm doing pretty good, still getting dizzy on the spins but can hold the regular upright (like 15 rev.) and the sit spin (9 rev.) okay. Also, I can do all single jumps through Lutz, combinations and should finally move up from my Reidel 115 skates to something more advanced. Mostly because I'm uncomfortable - I need some serious padding in there. So I looked up a few and they were all like 400$ just the boots and then at least another 150$ for the blades and I'm kind of on a low budget. So finally I found the GAM Podium G0057 that are 279$ including Ultima Aspire blades (with straight toe picks). If you've tried them or even if you haven't but can give me some advice, please, tell me what you think. Note that I can't try them on first because they're obviously not sold in Israel... which is mainly why I'm asking.

Thanks.

All right, I find that I am coming to a dead stop right after the turn. Any suggestions?

Anyone participating in their rink's Christmas shows this year?

Hey everyone hope your all doing good
Please forgive me for asking a stupid question, my daughter has reached the level in points where she would like to start competing for a position on "TEAM USA", I have been trying to get a understanding of what it takes to skate on this level. Some place I read you need to be seeded but which competitions do you have to go to to do that? If they are the grand prix competitions how do you get entered into them or is it just mail them a check and your in? I am in the U.S. so naturally I would prefer to do the quals in the states if possible to save some of the expense.

Do any of you have any advice on how to calm down during tests? I find tests to be more nerve-wracking (especially USFSA moves in the field) than actual competition. I once had Morry Stillwell judge my moves (he passed me!), but I was still very nervous. Every time I would hear my blades scratch instead of rip, I felt sure I was done for.

What do you do before tests, or during the actual skate that help calm your nerves some?

Hello, let me introduce myself. You can just call me Xstatic. I'm new to figure skating, I've been learning for 3 months, and I've pretty much nailed the lessons that were given to me, can't figure out the names, but anyway, I haven't gotten to the turns yet, and I got my first jump lesson yesterday. We practiced the waltz jump.

The only problem with me is that my hips are not limber. You all know that not all people are born with naturally open hips, that's why the spreadeagles are not included in most figure skating competitions. I can't do a spreadeagle, it's just difficult. I want to ask about transitions, because sometimes you need a good turn out to transition from one direction to another. This part can be tricky. I just need some input from those who understand or are going through the same thing. I'd appreciate it a lot. :)

P.S. I'm 20 years old.

I found some Gold Test figures blades on Ebay for 99 cents (I guess no one wants to do figures)! Then I found Jackson Elite Plus boots for $89 to put the blades on (they are in excellent shape). Then I found out the other day that there is now a figures class at my rink! Seems like I need to get things worked out so I can get in the class! I still have to get the blades mounted on the boots, but I'm really looking forward to using them.

Hi. Still working on combinations of single jumps. Don't have any of those on video but this was taken yesterday by a very nice girl I actually met here:
http://youtu.be/RZQdmUq1K_0

Heyyy... So I'm kind of bummed to be publishing this because my flip doesn't look half as good as my loop :( But this is what I've got so far.

Ignore the bending of the free leg prior to the jump, which is obviously wrong and ugly, and I have now noticed. I would like to focus on the actual jump and read your comments because they have been very helpful so far.

Thank you.

http://youtu.be/xo_HUbaYx8E

Hi everyone! As you may have read in my previous posts, I'm now trying to get back to skating after not having skated for almost 13 years.

My new skates are finally broken in now (thanks for all your tips!), and I have begun working on my elements (no major jumps, of course).

Due to circumstances (school, funding, distance) I get very little ice time, and much less coaching. There are hardly any other skaters around here as well. That's why I would like to post some videos of me here and receive feedbacks and tips.

I will start with the loop jump (why? i don't know, it's all I have on video so far).
Please watch and comment (you can be harsh as long as you top it off with a friendly comment :laugh:)

http://youtu.be/_NKYaV6MwVw

Thank you!

I know I've been having a lot of questions lately.. Sorry to be such a nag :sarcasm:
I've been trying to get the beillmann position (off ice) and can't quite. The leg does stretch as high up as it should, I just can't twist my arm to go above my head when grabbing it. I can only grab it from the side. And the left hand can't even reach. What kind of stretches or exercises are recommended for this? And is it too late at 24...?
Thanks

Hey guys, I've been trying to learn the names of all the moves in the field in skating and I've been having trouble differentiating Rockers and Counters. I have read the definitions in the ISU handbook, but I was wondering if anyone could help me maybe with videos. Thanks a bunch!

Hi everyone! I was hoping to get some advice on jumping Axels. For some reason I have always had serious trouble with the Axel. All other single jumps- no problem. Double jumps, still not perfect, but I feel comfortable trying them. But the Axel jump always feels so uncomfortable, I'm not sure if for technical reasons or if there's just some kind of psychological blockage. I know this is a pretty common problem, so do any of you have tips for me? :rolleye:
Thank you.