What do most skaters eat?

[SkateFiguring]

Skating is an extremely articulate sport and the training is not constantly physical. There are a lot of stopping and slow moving, discussions with coaches, thinking and mental preparation. It's about every detail and the perfecting of technique for each element and segment of the program. They don't do run through frequently, especially the Europeans. (Similarly baseball is not an aerobic sport.) The executions are strenuous, requiring strength, fitness and endurance, but practices are not not long durations of non stop exertions, thus total energy expenditure and requirement are not as high as sports of constant rigorous training.

eta. Importantly, skaters are not big people requiring the same amount of calories as those giants in many other sports.

[deedee1]

[QUOTE=Buttercup;620627]Bananas are for Yags. Plushy's mistake was in eating any bananas to begin with.

Seniorita & Buttercup, you really made me laugh!
Bananas for Yags, or bananas for Plushy, we need a POLL for that! lol

Anyway, on that very night when Alexei won his glorious Gold Medal at SLC, in the midnight at the cafeteria of Olympic Village, he was witnessed by American media; he was alone, biting McDonalds' hamburger w/a plate of french fries; he was all smiling, rather looked 'almost esctatic'.
He then answered to the media that he had been on a strict diet all year, due to the Olympics season...I feel for him.

[seniorita]

Why they dont do run throughs in Europe? I didnt know that. They have another model of training?

[macy]

you mean they don't do program run-throughs...?

[mskater93]

Correct - the training model in Europe typically is to NOT do complete program run throughs. This is why European skaters typically look more tired in the back half of their programs.

[SkateFiguring]

Different coaches have different approaches. European skaters coming to train in N America have commented on how they do more run throughs here and it's rarely done at home. I read once Lysacek spent a long session with Lori Nichols just on arm movements in a 2 second segment. There are always techniques on elements and choreographed moves to tweak and focus on, especially at the most competitive highest level.

Even sprinters don't do run through all the time. 100 meter dash is highly technical and the runner focuses on each and every stride of the race. The beginning three strides is critical for example.

Patrick Chan is supposed to do a run through each day, alternating the two programs. His coach Krall said last season that all the other skaters always dropped their practice to watch and applaud the "show". However, judging from how exhausted he was after the 4CC FS, followed by coughing and headache, and, as described by him and agreed by the other medalists, finishing the LP felt like verging on death, I think the usual run throughs at his training rink at high altitude probably are not complete, leaving out certain jumps or portions, as often seen in run throughs in official practice at competitions. Maybe he did complete run throughs of POTO last season but Aranjuez of this season is non stop with no slow resting period and is evidently very difficult to perform in its entirety at high altitude.

[seniorita]

you mean they don't do program run-throughs...?

yes, my question was about the post below.
I just didnt know that. I knew Lysacek is doing it because I heard about it in Olympics a lot but besides that i didnt know who does what in their training.

They don't do run through frequently, especially the Europeans. (Similarly baseball is not an aerobic sport

[deedee1]

yes, my question was about the post below.
I just didnt know that. I knew Lysacek is doing it because I heard about it in Olympics a lot but besides that i didnt know who does what in their training.

Seniorita, yes it is true.

While it is common in NA that they do run-thrus with all jumps included every day, in Europe, especially in Russia, they usually devide their programs into 2 or 3 segments, and prefer practice each seg. at a time.

One of the reasons of Kozuka's very successful season last year, he did run-thrus of his free profram 2 times in a row every day. In the beginning of the season, it was very hard for him; he ran out of gas, and popped a jump and/or fell during his 2nd run-thru. But as season went, he started nailing them all and got a lot of confidence.

He said in an interview, on the night of free skate at Moscow Worlds, he did not have to worry about his stamina at all, so he went all out believing in himself.

[macy]

i've never really thought about other countries training differently...interesting stuff. i thought most skaters trained the same way. my coach always made me do my programs everyday and quite a few double run-throughs. and just practicing different sections. weird how it differs.

[seniorita]

I guess each coach does what it works best for the athlete, I can understand doing this everyday for a newbie a la Mirai, or a headcase a la many but maybe everyday run through can be tough for the body. I dunno. I dont know details of skaters training at all. Only recently i found out the spin disc, lol!.
Macy thank you for the diet insight as well.

[mskater93]

A run through a day should be the minimum (even if it's alternating between SP and LP). The idea of doing a run through is to build up the stamina to get through everything in the program so that by the time you compete it's "easy". It also helps the skater develop a breathing regimen for the program since each program has different pacing. If a skater isn't doing run throughs regularly, they probably won't have the mental fortitude to KNOW that they can do the program NO PROBLEM when it counts.

[Dee4707]

I remember reading that Yagudin would forego food on the day of competition so he'd be lighter for his jumps.

I don't know if you ever saw the 2001 Goodwill Games where Alexei was very thin. He had been eating ,I think, it was just apples. Tatianna had commented that he need to eat more than that to remain strong. Of course Alexei continued to eat just the apples. He almost took on a frail look.

This is the competition where he crashed into the boards. I'm not sure whether just eating the apples was the cause but he literally looked like he was starving.

[ivy]

Not sure if this is true, but one of the ideas I heard (via Dick Button?) behind not doing full run-throughs is that is keeps the program fresher when performed as a whole. Continual repetition will make it rote and stale.... Don't really buy it personally, but maybe makes sense for some

[mskater93]

^^^
I don't buy it. If the program is a good fit personality wise for the skater, it won't be rote or stale. It should be muscle-memorized, though, so the skater can concentrate on nuances.

[seniorita]

How do you know which skaters do or dont do run throughs, beside Brezina that I ve seen frequently and Tomas at Euros I havent seen anyone having hard time finishing their program. I m not talking about 4CC where conditions were special. And maybe Brezina has other issues. I know Hanyu has stamina problems but maybe it is not from that.