Rookie question - I’m starting Adult LTS 5, and am allowed to skate on public sessions or on special “adult only” freestyle sessions. I haven’t tried the freestyle sessions yet, partly because I don’t know where on the ice to practice without being in someone’s way. I know about Lutz corners and spinning in the center and staying out of the way of someone skating to their music. But where on the ice can I safely practice crossovers? Edges on a circle? Half swizzles? I’m not sure during the public sessions, either, but worry less about commandeering a hockey circle for a few minutes in those sessions. The challenge there is to avoid skaters skating in apparently random directions and clumps of 3 or more skaters chatting together.
Where should I practice?
- Thread starter Talionis
- Start date
Hello, I am not an adult skater but I have skated with adults on freestyle sessions because some of the sessions are all level sessions. You can skate any where on the ice as long you don't get in the way of some one jumping and/or doing their program. I do reccammend that you have a coach with you for the first time so they can help you like know your way around.
You can practice crossovers/edges/ turns on the cirlcles just make sure you are aware of the surroundings.
You have the right to be there as anyone else you paid for it
I am only 16 and just start a year and half ago and this base on my experiences and what people told me.
You can practice crossovers/edges/ turns on the cirlcles just make sure you are aware of the surroundings.
You have the right to be there as anyone else you paid for it
I am only 16 and just start a year and half ago and this base on my experiences and what people told me.
OP: Perhaps a more critical question is not "where" but "when"? How flexible is your schedule and what is the availability of public and freestyle sessions at your local rinks? In my area, weekend sessions are totally packed, as are early-morning (before-school) and late-afternoon (after-school) weekday sessions. But fortunately there are also sessions (public and freestyle) available from around 8 am to around 3 pm on weekdays. These are not at elite training facilities, so they tend to be lightly attended, except on school holidays: typically 10 or so skaters (30 would be a crowd) on publics; even fewer on freestyles. A sparsely attended public is a great bargain for the type of practice you want ... assuming this is a viable option for you.
Last edited:
Now that I work from home most days, I can sometimes slip off for a mid morning public session. There are a few adult-only ones that are never crowded, and those are my favorites. Even then, though, I don't want to be “that” skater that gets in everyone’s way by being in the wrong place, going in the wrong direction. How can I practice going backwards clockwise without causing a pile-up?
Middle circle is probably best, but wherever you go just don’t hog the same spot for too long, that’s always the most annoying thing. Everyone else will just skate around you, but it can be annoying if someone is in the same place for like 10 minutes at a time, so as long as you switch up what you’re doing and where you’re going it should be all good.
Doing repetitive drills within a confined region is generally not a problem if you have a max of e.g. 10 - 15 skaters (even more depending on the mix of skaters). You have the center-ice circle and at least 3 end-zone circles available. A fourth end-zone circle is usually positioned by the entrance/exit gate; you probably want to avoid this circle during the first and last e.g. 10 - 15 minutes of the session when skaters are getting on/off the ice, but it is also available otherwise. Typically you should be able to get a reasonable amount of practice time on at least one of the circles. Sometimes, for whatever reason, several people will gather around one or two circles. Then just move to another one.
Typically there will be a mix of skaters: beginners who hug the boards, recreational skaters who just want to stroke around the entire rink, and then the figure skaters and hockey players who want to do drills. So it's only the last group that will want a circle, and generally not for the entire session. And if you're doing repetitive drills in a confined area, I've found that most of the other skaters will steer clear of you. The exceptions are children too young to understand abstract patterns and aggressive hockey players who don't give a damn. So you might need to pause your drills when one of those comes near.
More problematic are drills down the length of the ice or across the width of the ice. Here I track when there are the fewest skaters during a session. E.g., for a 2-hr session, sometimes the first 20 minutes or so, sometimes the last 20 minutes or so. Again at times you may have to move to a different line, or pause your drill. If you pay attention to the traffic, you can generally time your drill to avoid other skaters. The hardest skaters to contend with are figure skaters who practice whole-ice routines (you have no advance notion of where they're going) and hockey players doing mad rushes. You just need to be patient with those.
Last edited:
You already know more than some of the supposed experienced adults on some of our freestyle sessions!! Ideally go to the first session with a coach, then just stand and watch how things flow. Every group is different so you need to see how things work at your rink. Most of the time the first 5 -10 minutes will be stroking then people will start to do their own thing. Have a plan of the things you want to work on, then talk to the coach about the best approach.
If you watch the other skaters you will identify the people who are considerate, those who know what they are doing, and those that you just need to avoid for your own safety, but remember you've all paid for the ice time and you are as entitled to be there as everyone else. Just be aware of others and remember that those running programs with music and those in lessons do have priority.
If you watch the other skaters you will identify the people who are considerate, those who know what they are doing, and those that you just need to avoid for your own safety, but remember you've all paid for the ice time and you are as entitled to be there as everyone else. Just be aware of others and remember that those running programs with music and those in lessons do have priority.
