Guidance for new starter?

Hello! I thought I'd make a sort of introductory post as I'm very new to both figure skating and this forum, and I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing to be quite honest!

I'm 21 and went skating for the first time earlier this year. I decided to try it again about two months ago. Since then, I've been going to the rink at least once a week, 2-3 times in more recent weeks. Thanks to a full time job and twice weekly beginner ballet classes, I haven't been at liberty to take a group lesson in skating yet, but have taken it upon myself to try learning, anyway.

I'm now comfortable skating backwards (on inside edges, at least), doing forward crossovers on both sides, doing lunges, and doing (very basic) arabesques, hoping to graduate those into better spirals sometime soon. I'm absolutely hopeless at anything approaching a 3-turn and can't hold a full circle on any edge except my left outside edge. I want to try backwards crossovers soon. Ultimately, I'd really like to be able to compete in local competitions one day.

I've been feeling a bit discouraged seeing videos and threads of people who have been skating about as long as I have and are much more advanced already. I know it's hard to tell how much experience other people had before taking lessons or teaching themselves, or what kind of lessons they are taking, but I still get embarrassed thinking I just have no idea what I'm doing.

My schedule is finally seeing a change soon (studio closing and need to find a new one...), so the week after next I will be able to start taking weekly group lessons.

I guess I'm just trying to gauge - is the progress I've made so far average or am I stunting myself? Also, have you had experiences with adult beginner group skating lessons, and what sort of set up should I expect when I finally get to go?

I'm proud that I'm able to skate at all after clinging to the side of the rink for two hours when I skated two months ago, but having had a taste of what it's like to actually feel confident moving around and doing basic tricks, I'm somehow getting more self conscious! I enjoy myself immensely when I just kind of let go and allow one move to shift into another without thinking too much about it, but I feel like I'm making progress so slowly when I actually stop and look back...

Any advice or tips would be greatly welcome!

Group lessons are a great idea for beginners, so definitely do that for a while and practice on your own. Turns are hard--it takes a while to get comfortable. Hang in there with the lessons and get as much ice time as you can. I had phases where things progressed really fast, then plateaued for a while--it's completely normal. Just keep working away at it. I am not a patient person but skating has taught me the importance of patience. Enjoy the process!

This thread should get moved to The Lutz Corner (participant) section of the board. Check out some other similar threads there.

It sounds as though you are doing well as a self-taught beginner. But you will do better if you can get some real lessons, either group or private (group is probably a better deal financially), to make sure you learn correct technique and don't teach yourself bad habits that will take twice as long to unlearn later.

Whoops, sorry about that! Will take note for future.

Thanks - I am very conscious of possibly learning things incorrectly, so that's something I worry about. But it's hard to guess what you might be doing wrong if you just don't know... in any case, I do hope the lessons will help with that! Looking forward to it heaps.

Your progress sounds pretty good to me, for someone who hasn't taken any lessons at all. A lot of the people who you see progress faster would be taking lessons pretty frequently. Starting with group classes is great at your level, because at the start, you'll get put into a group of other people with similar skills as you, and you'll be able to learn from watching your peers as well as from the coach. It is also good that they might force you to work on skills that you might not like as much. Good luck and enjoy the lessons!

You seem to have learned quite a few things on your own! I started in adult learn to skate classes and I enjoyed them because you can interact with others and you get to make some friends. It also allows you to meet coaches you may be interested in taking private lessons with. The lessons will help teach you skills with proper technique which may be hard to teach yourself. Good luck on your figure skating journey!

It sounds like you're doing very well! I've never been in group lessons, but I've been taking private lessons for almost three months and I'm trying to learn how to stroke and hold edges while going backward instead of just doing the swizzles. I'm also working on 3 turns, but I've only just gotten comfortable with doing them on two feet. Since you learned what you did on your own and you take ballet, I think you'll see good progress once you do the group classes and can skate regularly. Good luck to you!

Thanks all! I'm definitely looking forward to these classes now, especially with only a few days to go (bahaha I'm actually counting them down, oh geez...)

Best of luck to you guys too for those of you also starting out. Enjoying it immensely so far.

I think you're doing great, but agree that getting lessons will make a big difference.

Try not to be self-conscious, everyone starts somewhere. I know someone who started as an absolute beginner at 26 and has their axel. Competing in local and adult competitions someday is definitely possible.

Most importantly, have fun!

You're actually doing pretty good! Thats about where i was after two months.

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