"Quick" fixes to increase PCS?

[Tokinekim]

Hi

I am an adult skater in the Bronze category. I can do all single jumps save for axels at the moment. Spins are decent but not very consistent. I understand my jumps are ok in height for an adult skater, there's decent rotation in my jumps as well.

So we just had our adult skating competition - my technical scores were above average, but my PCS scores were absolutely rock bottom. To me it was quite devastating - it cost me quite a bit in the ranks. I did not have any difficulty in executing my jumps and spins, and I tried to smile + look up + cover as much ice as possible.

My question is, are there any basic things a skater can look out for to improve PCS? Or any exercises I can work on?

Thanks!

 

[icewhite]

Did you ask people who watched or even judges what they were missing?
Do you think you have more problems with the technical side of basic gliding/stroking/skating skills or with musicality?
Do you dance?

 

[Tokinekim]

Did you ask people who watched or even judges what they were missing?
Do you think you have more problems with the technical side of basic gliding/stroking/skating skills or with musicality?
Do you dance?

Hi icewhite,

I don't dance. I won't be surprised if my issue is with musicality. I don't really have very good body awareness. I probably don't look as great as I feel.

I have asked what people have thought of my skate, and for now there's nothing quite constructive coming from my conversations.

How does one know whether the "problems" are with the technical side or with musicality?

 

[icewhite]

There are surely other people better suited to help you. I can just ask some questions and give some superficial advice.
I also think there must be people who have seen you skate and can help you a bit.

I know people who are pretty amusical and usually they know that themselves. They are also not very interested in music, that is, they wouldn't miss it that much if it didn't exist in their life. They have gotten feedback that they can't sing. They might technically be able to play an instrument, but not be able to actually hear nuances that their teacher expects them to hear.
Have you ever done any kind of dance course or dance workout, maybe at school, where maybe you got some feedback or struggled with keeping in line with the rhythm according to others?
If it's about skating skills I would think that your coach (or other people skating with you) should be able to tell you. Ask for honest, precise advice and tell them you need it to improve.

I don't have any short term solutions, but I think general body work (like attention to breathing, yoga) and maybe a bit of ballet might help with body awareness. It might also help to train more in front of a mirror - to see what your body looks like from the outside while you have a certain feeling.

If it's musicality I think it is really important to find the right kind of music, that you can really connect with on some level. If you are not really into the musical structure you might still relate to the lyrics, for instance. Find something you like and can convey authentically, and maybe something where certain problems like rhythm are not that important. But for that you really need people to tell you more precisely what's the problem. (Or maybe you can upload a video of yourself.)

Who does your choreo? Do you do it yourself, your coach? If you have a coach, which I assume you do, since you have all those jumps, can they not help you with feedback?
The most short term solution, in my eyes, is to have music and a choreo that's better suited to your strengths and weaknesses.

 

[MiraiFan]

I find that practicing my choreo in front of a large mirror helps a lot. You can see what you look like and make adjustments.

 

[kolyadafan2002]

Hi icewhite,

I don't dance. I won't be surprised if my issue is with musicality. I don't really have very good body awareness. I probably don't look as great as I feel.

I have asked what people have thought of my skate, and for now there's nothing quite constructive coming from my conversations.

How does one know whether the "problems" are with the technical side or with musicality?

A good coach should be able to tell you.
Without seeing how you skate, there's no way that we will be able to pinpoint the reasoning behind the low PCS. If you have a video, you can post that (or watch it yourself and compare to another skater with higher PCS).

If its on the technical side, I wouldn't recommend searching for a "quick fix". Putting in the hours to work on skating skills is the best solution- and you'll find the mechanics are quite transferable to jumps as well.

 

[gkelly]

So we just had our adult skating competition - my technical scores were above average, but my PCS scores were absolutely rock bottom.

How does one know whether the "problems" are with the technical side or with musicality?

You say that your PCS scores in general were rock bottom, but was there a difference between the Skating Skills and the Presentation score? If judges generally agreed that one was lower than the other, then that is probably where you could use more improvement.

That said, even with the recent changes to the PCS definitions, overall skating skill still probably has a large effect on judges' perceptions of Composition and Presentation. So unless the SS score was already significantly higher than the other two, you'll probably see the biggest improvement in all PCS if you focus on improving and showcasing skating skills such as balance, edges, power/flow, multidirectional skating. As I understand the current descriptions, carriage and body line would now be considered under SS as well.

As others have suggested, specifically working with a coach to focus on those skills, and with a coach or choreographer to focus on the other components, should help.