I just finished up my first set of group lessons, and I passed up through USFSA Basic 4. I was a little disappointed because my backwards edges and crossovers were the only things holding me back from passing Basic 5, and I was hoping I could brainstorm some possible fixes, since I don’t think I’m going to be able to afford to sign up for classes in the fall and I want to have some constructive practice times so I’m ready when I can get back into classes.
The backward edge issues are what is really mystifying me right now. Crossovers I know I just haven’t practiced enough, and my balance is pretty decent on forward edges and one foot glides in both directions, but holding an edge - especially a BO edge - seems to be so inconsistent and shakey.
My group instructor spent a little time watching me (unfortunately the format of the class doesn’t leave her with more than 10-15 minutes of time to work with me specifically) and had the following observations/ideas:
1) My BI edges are definitely stronger than my BO edges. BI edges tend to start strong but then start to curve deeper/tighter until I lose my balance. BO edges start off shaky, and then often collapse to flats and sometimes all the way to inside edges. My FI edges are also stronger than my FOs, but my FOs are definitely acceptable (I’ve been practicing forward consecutive edges in anticipation of testing pre-bronze MITF someday).
2) I can hold a RBO edge in landing position much easier than a simple glide on an RBO on the circle.
3) My BO edges got a little better when I focused on raising the quad and squaring the hip of my free leg.
4) When I continued to struggle with these for the third week in a row, she suggested that I might either have a pronation issue, my boots might be beginning to break down, or both.
I’m currently skating in GAM Concepts, with MK Pros (I upgraded from the stock Mirages when I got an unbelievable deal on a brand new pair of the Pros, and was having a hell of a time with turns and spins). Concepts are rated for singles up to axel, with a stiffness of 49 - so I think they’re similar to the old Jackson Marquis. I’ve been skating in them since March and although I do feel like I need to re-tie them more frequently than I used to, I find it hard to think that they’re already broken down (I’m 5’7” and about 200lbs, so I’m a stocky dude, and I skate with a good knee bend, but I haven’t been doing jumps other than bunny hops and some clumsy mazurkas). They do have some creasing but I’ve been told that’s normal for boots that have been properly broken in.
I think there is some stock to the idea that I have a gait issue - but what’s funny is off the ice I seem to have signs of a mild *supination* - the outside of my shoes wears out faster, my IT bands are often tight, etc.
Another factor that might be coming into play is the ice. I skate at two different rinks - the skating club facility (where my class is) and the local hockey rink. The ice at the skating club is a fair bit softer, and while I’d think that this would make holding a good edge easier, I feel like I’m having a much easier time with backward edges at the hockey rink, on the harder ice - the ice just seems “glidier.” The result of this is that I’ll practice on my own and feel like my backward edges are improving, then try to do them for my instructor and I’ll barely travel a foot before falling off the edge. In addition - I don’t get a chance to warm up at all before class, so I’m often hopping right on the ice and trying to bang these skills out with maybe five minutes of warm up time - whereas if I’m practicing at a public session I have two hours to do whatever I want, and in general I start doing my best skating after 15-20 minutes of stroking, swizzles, and slaloms to get used to being on the ice. So it could be that I just need to practice more across different types of ice and just feel more solid in the skill.
My questions:
1) How does pronation/supination affect inside vs outside edges? I would think a pronation would make outside edges more difficult, and a supination would affect inside edges - is this the case?
2) Assuming the pronation/supination is a factor, is it worth maybe trying a foot bed like the Riedell R-Fit to support my foot better on backward edges? Or is this something where I should see a fitter before trying anything?
3) Is it possible I could need a stiffer boot - like something rated for doubles - due to my weight and the fact that I’m working on skills that require deeper edges than I’m used to? Being relatively new to figure skating and growing up with hockey skates, I’m never quite sure how to tell when I’m not getting enough support - and I’m reluctant to blame my equipment if the issue is on me.
Thanks so much for your advice!
The backward edge issues are what is really mystifying me right now. Crossovers I know I just haven’t practiced enough, and my balance is pretty decent on forward edges and one foot glides in both directions, but holding an edge - especially a BO edge - seems to be so inconsistent and shakey.
My group instructor spent a little time watching me (unfortunately the format of the class doesn’t leave her with more than 10-15 minutes of time to work with me specifically) and had the following observations/ideas:
1) My BI edges are definitely stronger than my BO edges. BI edges tend to start strong but then start to curve deeper/tighter until I lose my balance. BO edges start off shaky, and then often collapse to flats and sometimes all the way to inside edges. My FI edges are also stronger than my FOs, but my FOs are definitely acceptable (I’ve been practicing forward consecutive edges in anticipation of testing pre-bronze MITF someday).
2) I can hold a RBO edge in landing position much easier than a simple glide on an RBO on the circle.
3) My BO edges got a little better when I focused on raising the quad and squaring the hip of my free leg.
4) When I continued to struggle with these for the third week in a row, she suggested that I might either have a pronation issue, my boots might be beginning to break down, or both.
I’m currently skating in GAM Concepts, with MK Pros (I upgraded from the stock Mirages when I got an unbelievable deal on a brand new pair of the Pros, and was having a hell of a time with turns and spins). Concepts are rated for singles up to axel, with a stiffness of 49 - so I think they’re similar to the old Jackson Marquis. I’ve been skating in them since March and although I do feel like I need to re-tie them more frequently than I used to, I find it hard to think that they’re already broken down (I’m 5’7” and about 200lbs, so I’m a stocky dude, and I skate with a good knee bend, but I haven’t been doing jumps other than bunny hops and some clumsy mazurkas). They do have some creasing but I’ve been told that’s normal for boots that have been properly broken in.
I think there is some stock to the idea that I have a gait issue - but what’s funny is off the ice I seem to have signs of a mild *supination* - the outside of my shoes wears out faster, my IT bands are often tight, etc.
Another factor that might be coming into play is the ice. I skate at two different rinks - the skating club facility (where my class is) and the local hockey rink. The ice at the skating club is a fair bit softer, and while I’d think that this would make holding a good edge easier, I feel like I’m having a much easier time with backward edges at the hockey rink, on the harder ice - the ice just seems “glidier.” The result of this is that I’ll practice on my own and feel like my backward edges are improving, then try to do them for my instructor and I’ll barely travel a foot before falling off the edge. In addition - I don’t get a chance to warm up at all before class, so I’m often hopping right on the ice and trying to bang these skills out with maybe five minutes of warm up time - whereas if I’m practicing at a public session I have two hours to do whatever I want, and in general I start doing my best skating after 15-20 minutes of stroking, swizzles, and slaloms to get used to being on the ice. So it could be that I just need to practice more across different types of ice and just feel more solid in the skill.
My questions:
1) How does pronation/supination affect inside vs outside edges? I would think a pronation would make outside edges more difficult, and a supination would affect inside edges - is this the case?
2) Assuming the pronation/supination is a factor, is it worth maybe trying a foot bed like the Riedell R-Fit to support my foot better on backward edges? Or is this something where I should see a fitter before trying anything?
3) Is it possible I could need a stiffer boot - like something rated for doubles - due to my weight and the fact that I’m working on skills that require deeper edges than I’m used to? Being relatively new to figure skating and growing up with hockey skates, I’m never quite sure how to tell when I’m not getting enough support - and I’m reluctant to blame my equipment if the issue is on me.
Thanks so much for your advice!