Flailing Arms

[Tokinekim]

Hi. This forum has been my Holy Grail for all things ice skating!

Anyway, I have been bothered by my failing arms for quite some time now. When I am on the ice, I feel beautiful and like I'm flying; when I watch myself on the camera, I have no idea where the extra movements in my arms are coming from. For every quick turn or move that I make, it looks like a defillibrator has been applied to my chest - my arms make these quick jerks as if I am trying EXTREMELY hard not to fall. These jerky moves are exceptionally pronounced when I am turning (especially 3 turns!) or when I am setting up for a jump. I have no idea I am moving so much when I am skating, and how on earth these extra movements escape me. I think it is because I have been so focused on getting the footwork right that my arm twitches have been embedded into my subconscious. Because of this, I hate recording myself on camera when I skate.

Does anyone have the same problem?

For the record, my arms are not tired when I skate, and balance never seems to be an issue on the ice. I am an adult skater with about 2 years' ice experience. I can do all single jumps except Axel (not perfectly, but I can land them), as well as the basic spins. I can do most basic turns (3 turns, rockers, meh-counters). My edges and speed are fine for my current level and as a singles jumper. I think I have always been aware of my lack of awareness when it comes to my arms - I had thought that these tiny habits would go away after more practice and experience, but it has been a while and I fear that if I don't nip the problem in the bud, I will always play Mr Tickle on the ice.

Does anyone have any tips on what to do / how one should "feel" with the arms when skating? I try to "hug the circle" or "keep my arms out" when I skate - turns out I am a very violent hugger / scarecrow with 0 body awareness. My coach also thinks I have clotheshanger arms sometimes: straight arms and droopy hands at the wrists.

Any quick tips on how to look as graceful as I feel will be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

Thank you so much.

 

[gliese]

This usually happens when you're unstable. Knee and ankle bend helps a lot. Your arms could also be too weak to resist movement. It's hard to know without seeing you skating.

 

[tstop4me]

Whenever my arms flailed (or, as my coach put it, "whenever my arms had a mind of their own"), she'd get out her stick. After she finished whupping me soundly with it , she'd have me perform repeated drills while holding on to the stick. These drills can cover a broad regimen of moves (including, where applicable, both forwards and backwards directions, and both inside and outside edges), such as stroking, consecutive edges, cross-overs , 3-turns, mohawks, figure-8's, waltz-8's, simple spins ....

The stick that she (as well as other coaches) typically uses is a hockey stick that she scrounges up. But I didn't care for that, so I made my own. All you need is a mop or broom handle ... you may already have a suitable extra used one lumping around. These are typically about 1 inch diameter X about 4 to 5 feet in length. These should be fine as-is for most adults (if you need something shorter, they are easy to cut with a handsaw; if you need something longer, you can buy extension poles, such as used by painters). The handles are typically made of wood or plastic (sometimes aluminum). I prefer plastic ones, since they are lighter than wood and resistant to water; but that's a matter of personal preference. As a safety measure, I cap both ends of the stick with heavy-duty rubber tips. I buy the replacement tips used for canes or walking sticks. The tips come in different hole diameters; pick ones that will fit over your stick snugly.

The stick should be long enough such that you can hold it with your arms stretched out to the sides in front of you (left hand gripping the left end of the stick, right hand gripping the right end of the stick). As needed, you can adjust your grips to assume other arm positions, such as left arm in front, right arm to the side. Holding on to the stick not only mechanically enforces proper arm posture, but also psychologically enhances awareness of your arm positions. After sufficient drills, I was able to abandon the stick, as arm control became embedded in muscle memory. But, if I relapse, or have problems with new moves, my coach has me fetch the stick.

My stick just happened to have a bright green color; so it sometimes attracted attention when I used it on the ice. One time, an advanced freestyle skater noticed it and asked to borrow it. Man, she did some crazy spins and jumps with that stick. Not something I'd recommend, but she really put on a wild show.

Anyway, ask your coach if stick therapy is right for you. Just make sure your coach agrees not to beat you with it.

Some coaches here use a rubber stretch band instead of a stick. It has the advantage of being easy to carry around in your kit bag. And it doesn't hurt as much when your coach thrashes you with it. I personally prefer a stick over a rubber band, but you might want to try both and see what works better for you. They are both inexpensive (both in absolute dollars and relative to other figure-skating expenses).

 

[Tokinekim]

Thank you for your helpful tips @gliese and @tstop4me! You both sound like beautiful skaters.

I don't generally like to share videos of myself, unfortunately. Safe to say, I don't look good on the ice (yet).