Fear of injuries and bad mindset

[sonitaskates!]

hi! I'm a begineer teenage skater, and recently I've been struggling so much with my mindset. I really really love figure skating, it's all I ever think about. but recently so many media has been circling around my head non stop about injuries, I watched spinning out and became terrified, if you watched it you'd know the head and hip injury. and now I see tiktoks saying "one bad fall could be the end of your skating career" now when I go skating my brain constantly yells at me about all these tings like twisting an ankle or breaking a wrist, next season my helmet will come off and it's considered weird to wear knee pads in my level,I dont care though I wear them anyway, but does anyone have help or advice on my feelings and thoughts except for "just grow up and fall!" , I fall all the time, but how do you fall safely on a spiral? or even a jump?

 

[Diana Delafield]

hi! I'm a begineer teenage skater, and recently I've been struggling so much with my mindset. I really really love figure skating, it's all I ever think about. but recently so many media has been circling around my head non stop about injuries, I watched spinning out and became terrified, if you watched it you'd know the head and hip injury. and now I see tiktoks saying "one bad fall could be the end of your skating career" now when I go skating my brain constantly yells at me about all these tings like twisting an ankle or breaking a wrist, next season my helmet will come off and it's considered weird to wear knee pads in my level,I dont care though I wear them anyway, but does anyone have help or advice on my feelings and thoughts except for "just grow up and fall!" , I fall all the time, but how do you fall safely on a spiral? or even a jump?

Before you start listening to advice on "how to fall", which I'm sure someone on here will try to explain in detail, you need to clear those fears. The biggest safety feature you can have in skating is a more relaxed attitude to it. The more stiff and tense you are, the more likely an injury might occur. If falling is just a normal part of skating in your mind, you'll do like the competitors who splat and get right up in an instant and keep skating, without injury.

It's a pity you read or watched all that stuff on media that put those ideas in your mind, but too late to say that. Just stop watching those things right now, OK? I'm a longtime pairs skater and I've seen some horrific falls from lifts or collisions in pairs spins, live or on TV, but they're few in number compared to the number of times I've seen the same moves done without harm, or done them myself. A lot of women pairs skaters say they think the same thing I think as I go into the grip for a lift: "Is this the time I'm going to crash from 10 ft up?" And the thought flits through our minds from one side to the other with no more weight than a butterfly, and is genuinely forgotten as we take off. The thought flies past but never lands, so to speak.The odds are strongly in favour of you coming out of a practice session safe.

If it's at all possible where you live, I'd highly recommend something like self-hypnosis lessons, meditation classes, or yoga relaxation techniques, anything that will teach you how to clear your mind of negative thoughts and fill it with the positives -- how much you want to skate, how much you love that feeling of gliding and soaring.

Physically, the rinks where I live require helmets for beginners of all ages and encourage them for everyone on public sessions. Many skating clubs also require helmets on skaters up to a certain level, and you're not allowed on the ice without one, so you're being sensible there. Knee pads would be all right if they're not the bulky hockey kind. Those will restrict your movement and coul even make a fall more likely. Certainly they won't let you skate as freely as you want to. But hang onto them until you've got mind control and realize you don't need them.

Make sure you have skates that are right for your size and your level of ability. Are you using rentals? Kits (boots with blades already attached) bought at a sporting goods store or rink pro shop? Someone else's used skates? All of those might be too soft to support you and might not fit you properly and let your feet move within the boot, which could contribute to a fall.

But your #1 priority should be resetting your mind by any relaxation technique that works for you and that you can afford. Delete those scaremongering images you unfortunately came across, and I guarantee your skating and your enjoyment of being on the ice will improve enormously! Good luck!

 

[sonitaskates!]

Before you start listening to advice on "how to fall", which I'm sure someone on here will try to explain in detail, you need to clear those fears. The biggest safety feature you can have in skating is a more relaxed attitude to it. The more stiff and tense you are, the more likely an injury might occur. If falling is just a normal part of skating in your mind, you'll do like the competitors who splat and get right up in an instant and keep skating, without injury.

It's a pity you read or watched all that stuff on media that put those ideas in your mind, but too late to say that. Just stop watching those things right now, OK? I'm a longtime pairs skater and I've seen some horrific falls from lifts or collisions in pairs spins, live or on TV, but they're few in number compared to the number of times I've seen the same moves done without harm, or done them myself. A lot of women pairs skaters say they think the same thing I think as I go into the grip for a lift: "Is this the time I'm going to crash from 10 ft up?" And the thought flits through our minds from one side to the other with no more weight than a butterfly, and is genuinely forgotten as we take off. The thought flies past but never lands, so to speak.The odds are strongly in favour of you coming out of a practice session safe.

If it's at all possible where you live, I'd highly recommend something like self-hypnosis lessons, meditation classes, or yoga relaxation techniques, anything that will teach you how to clear your mind of negative thoughts and fill it with the positives -- how much you want to skate, how much you love that feeling of gliding and soaring.

Physically, the rinks where I live require helmets for beginners of all ages and encourage them for everyone on public sessions. Many skating clubs also require helmets on skaters up to a certain level, and you're not allowed on the ice without one, so you're being sensible there. Knee pads would be all right if they're not the bulky hockey kind. Those will restrict your movement and coul even make a fall more likely. Certainly they won't let you skate as freely as you want to. But hang onto them until you've got mind control and realize you don't need them.

Make sure you have skates that are right for your size and your level of ability. Are you using rentals? Kits (boots with blades already attached) bought at a sporting goods store or rink pro shop? Someone else's used skates? All of those might be too soft to support you and might not fit you properly and let your feet move within the boot, which could contribute to a fall.

But your #1 priority should be resetting your mind by any relaxation technique that works for you and that you can afford. Delete those scaremongering images you unfortunately came across, and I guarantee your skating and your enjoyment of being on the ice will improve enormously! Good luck!

Thank you so much, i thought nobody would reply since it was a such a lengthy message and not the usual topic but you did and i’m so grateful! i don’t know why i never thought of the statistics like that of how most people don’t even fall, i guess it’s just my scared mind talking lolol, and my rink requires helmets for public sessions as well! it’s just the devolpment camp i’m going to that allows it for a few weeks but then says to take it off to get rid of the fear of not having it on, i don’t have those huge hockey knee thingies, i have no idea how they even wear them, i have these volleyball ones which honestly are kind of tight and i might need new ones soon , i just bought new skates that i finally got my size for but they came with the wrong blade and the figure skating store hasn’t emailed me back in a week, i think that also adds to my stress, that i know my boots are broken down and not that good at all for what i want to do, but i’m working with what i got and i’ll definitely try yoga sometime!
thank you so much again for replying, you’re amazing

 

[Diana Delafield]

Thank you so much, i thought nobody would reply since it was a such a lengthy message and not the usual topic but you did and i’m so grateful! i don’t know why i never thought of the statistics like that of how most people don’t even fall, i guess it’s just my scared mind talking lolol, and my rink requires helmets for public sessions as well! it’s just the devolpment camp i’m going to that allows it for a few weeks but then says to take it off to get rid of the fear of not having it on, i don’t have those huge hockey knee thingies, i have no idea how they even wear them, i have these volleyball ones which honestly are kind of tight and i might need new ones soon , i just bought new skates that i finally got my size for but they came with the wrong blade and the figure skating store hasn’t emailed me back in a week, i think that also adds to my stress, that i know my boots are broken down and not that good at all for what i want to do, but i’m working with what i got and i’ll definitely try yoga sometime!
thank you so much again for replying, you’re amazing

Any time! I've loved skating myself for so long and want others to love it also! If you have more questions or need more encouragement, let us know. Or you can DM me if you'd rather (click on the little envelope at the top of the screen next to your user name, and then enter my user name in the Recipient line, and invent a subject title in the line below).

 

[sonitaskates!]

Any time! I've loved skating myself for so long and want others to love it also! If you have more questions or need more encouragement, let us know. Or you can DM me if you'd rather (click on the little envelope at the top of the screen next to your user name, and then enter my user name in the Recipient line, and invent a subject title in the line below).

Thank you so much, I didn't know how to start a conversation so that's very helpful!!

 

[Query]

Most of falling gently, is learning to relax when you fall, and getting practice at falling. Practice is needed because that helps you speed up your reflexes.

It has been estimated that trained simple reflexes take about .1 seconds, but trained reflexes with a decision (such as whether to try to prevent the fall, and how) take about .3 seconds, though of course that varies. But if you haven't trained yourself, it may seem like you don't have enough time to figure out what to do.

From adult standing height, a fall takes about .7 to .8 seconds. But in a spiral, you are somewhat less than standing height. A rough formula is that in s seconds, you fall about 4.9 * s * s meters, which is about 16 * s * s feet.

That means there is more than enough time to do it right.

But there are other factors. E.g., If you are moving forward fast , and you catch a toepick, that can cause your body to rotate into the fall faster.

But for the most part you can still learn to do it gently.

I suggest you start practicing from a sitting position, advance to a kneeling position, then a bent knee standing position, then a full standing position. Practice falls in all directions.

It is much easier on you to take your initial impact on soft tissue than hard bone. And if your muscles tense, you become much more fragile.

Some of the same principles apply to collisions - with a wall, with other skaters. And to other athletic things that can cause injury.

While you are still learning to fall right, don't be too embarrassed to wear a helmet and other hockey or inline skating protective equipment, like wrist guards, knee pads, rear end padding... Some meanies might laugh at you - but I point out that hockey players, who are supposed to be "tough", often wear helmets & padding too. BTW, some helmets, including hockey helmets, ski helmets, and whitewater boating helmets, and some others, can be strapped on. And some helmets, like most bicycle (and maybe construction helmets?) helmets, aren't designed to take more than one fall or collision (the others I just named can probably take many falls or collisions). I guess you could make yourself foam pads for everything but your head by cutting a camping foam pad, that might cost $15, or other pieces of reasonably soft foam, and slip it under clothing.

I will send you a link to my web page on falling gently, but I admit it is pretty long. I became something of a fanatic about learning to fall. The rules of this forum don't let me post the link publically here.

 

[sonitaskates!]

Most of falling gently, is learning to relax when you fall, and getting practice at falling. Practice is needed because that helps you speed up your reflexes.

It has been estimated that trained simple reflexes take about .1 seconds, but trained reflexes with a decision (such as whether to try to prevent the fall, and how) take about .3 seconds, though of course that varies. But if you haven't trained yourself, it may seem like you don't have enough time to figure out what to do.

From adult standing height, a fall takes about .7 to .8 seconds. But in a spiral, you are somewhat less than standing height. A rough formula is that in s seconds, you fall about 4.9 * s * s meters, which is about 16 * s * s feet.

That means there is more than enough time to do it right.

But there are other factors. E.g., If you are moving forward fast , and you catch a toepick, that can cause your body to rotate into the fall faster.

But for the most part you can still learn to do it gently.

I suggest you start practicing from a sitting position, advance to a kneeling position, then a bent knee standing position, then a full standing position. Practice falls in all directions.

It is much easier on you to take your initial impact on soft tissue than hard bone. And if your muscles tense, you become much more fragile.

Some of the same principles apply to collisions - with a wall, with other skaters. And to other athletic things that can cause injury.

While you are still learning to fall right, don't be too embarrassed to wear a helmet and other hockey or inline skating protective equipment, like wrist guards, knee pads, rear end padding... Some meanies might laugh at you - but I point out that hockey players, who are supposed to be "tough", often wear helmets & padding too. BTW, some helmets, including hockey helmets, ski helmets, and whitewater boating helmets, and some others, can be strapped on. And some helmets, like most bicycle (and maybe construction helmets?) helmets, aren't designed to take more than one fall or collision (the others I just named can probably take many falls or collisions). I guess you could make yourself foam pads for everything but your head by cutting a camping foam pad, that might cost $15, or other pieces of reasonably soft foam, and slip it under clothing.

I will send you a link to my web page on falling gently, but I admit it is pretty long. I became something of a fanatic about learning to fall. The rules of this forum don't let me post the link publically here.

Thank you so much, I saw the site you sent me before I went to practice and it eased my nerves a ton! I'm glad you made a website, it's super helpful and I'll definitely start checking it more often, thank you again!!

 

[midori green]

Something that helped me was to watch videos of whatever I was learning done well. It helped visualize what it should look/feel like, and I felt more confident doing stuff.

But also, I don't think they should make you stop wearing the helmet. Protecting your brain is never a bad idea. Take it off if/when you're comfortable to do so.

 

[Query]

As recent events have highlighted (though the air crash was quite atypical), I sometimes think that sports related travel is often more dangerous than the sport itself. E.g., when my nearby rink closed, I traveled to a more distant rink, along a heavy traffic route with a lot of lane changes and construction, which encouraged a lot of people to drive aggressively, and was shared by a lot of interstate truck traffic (including oversized trucks and double trailers, and uncovered trucks).

But almost everything we do that is fun (and some that isn't) is a bit dangerous. You can't get rid of that completely. I accept that as part of the activity.

Learning to control the danger, and keep it within reasonable bounds gives one a sense of accomplishment, sometimes as much as mastering athletic skills. At least for me. I suppose I enjoy taking some level of risk.

This is an issue that varies a lot, person to person. I hope you find a compromise that makes you happy. And that you don't get badly hurt.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Your brain/mind is your worst enemy in figure skating. Let your body just do. The more you think about getting hurt the more you will cause yourself a higher chance of injury.

 

[RineX]

Most of falling gently, is learning to relax when you fall, and getting practice at falling. Practice is needed because that helps you speed up your reflexes.

It has been estimated that trained simple reflexes take about .1 seconds, but trained reflexes with a decision (such as whether to try to prevent the fall, and how) take about .3 seconds, though of course that varies. But if you haven't trained yourself, it may seem like you don't have enough time to figure out what to do.

From adult standing height, a fall takes about .7 to .8 seconds. But in a spiral, you are somewhat less than standing height. A rough formula is that in s seconds, you fall about 4.9 * s * s meters, which is about 16 * s * s feet.

That means there is more than enough time to do it right.

But there are other factors. E.g., If you are moving forward fast , and you catch a toepick, that can cause your body to rotate into the fall faster.

But for the most part you can still learn to do it gently.

I suggest you start practicing from a sitting position, advance to a kneeling position, then a bent knee standing position, then a full standing position. Practice falls in all directions.

It is much easier on you to take your initial impact on soft tissue than hard bone. And if your muscles tense, you become much more fragile.

Some of the same principles apply to collisions - with a wall, with other skaters. And to other athletic things that can cause injury.

While you are still learning to fall right, don't be too embarrassed to wear a helmet and other hockey or inline skating protective equipment, like wrist guards, knee pads, rear end padding... Some meanies might laugh at you - but I point out that hockey players, who are supposed to be "tough", often wear helmets & padding too. BTW, some helmets, including hockey helmets, ski helmets, and whitewater boating helmets, and some others, can be strapped on. And some helmets, like most bicycle (and maybe construction helmets?) helmets, aren't designed to take more than one fall or collision (the others I just named can probably take many falls or collisions). I guess you could make yourself foam pads for everything but your head by cutting a camping foam pad, that might cost $15, or other pieces of reasonably soft foam, and slip it under clothing.

I will send you a link to my web page on falling gently, but I admit it is pretty long. I became something of a fanatic about learning to fall. The rules of this forum don't let me post the link publically here.

Hi, could I also get the link to your webpage on falling gently? Thanks!

 

[thatdarncat]

I have exactly the same problem, fear of falling, it does hold me back and I do find I get tense, which doesn't help anything. I am having one on one coaching, which helps as its like having a safety net. I am just perservering and taking it slow and steady allowing my mind and body to get used to the movement and find my sense of balance, its going to take me a long time but hopefully I will get there. Considering I was to scared to leave the barrier and struggled to get the hang of forward skating I am making progress.

If a helmet and padding help you feel more confident then do it, at my ice rink they aren't uncommon, especially the padded shorts, thinking of getting some myself.

 

[thatdarncat]

Most of falling gently, is learning to relax when you fall, and getting practice at falling. Practice is needed because that helps you speed up your reflexes.

It has been estimated that trained simple reflexes take about .1 seconds, but trained reflexes with a decision (such as whether to try to prevent the fall, and how) take about .3 seconds, though of course that varies. But if you haven't trained yourself, it may seem like you don't have enough time to figure out what to do.

From adult standing height, a fall takes about .7 to .8 seconds. But in a spiral, you are somewhat less than standing height. A rough formula is that in s seconds, you fall about 4.9 * s * s meters, which is about 16 * s * s feet.

That means there is more than enough time to do it right.

But there are other factors. E.g., If you are moving forward fast , and you catch a toepick, that can cause your body to rotate into the fall faster.

But for the most part you can still learn to do it gently.

I suggest you start practicing from a sitting position, advance to a kneeling position, then a bent knee standing position, then a full standing position. Practice falls in all directions.

It is much easier on you to take your initial impact on soft tissue than hard bone. And if your muscles tense, you become much more fragile.

Some of the same principles apply to collisions - with a wall, with other skaters. And to other athletic things that can cause injury.

While you are still learning to fall right, don't be too embarrassed to wear a helmet and other hockey or inline skating protective equipment, like wrist guards, knee pads, rear end padding... Some meanies might laugh at you - but I point out that hockey players, who are supposed to be "tough", often wear helmets & padding too. BTW, some helmets, including hockey helmets, ski helmets, and whitewater boating helmets, and some others, can be strapped on. And some helmets, like most bicycle (and maybe construction helmets?) helmets, aren't designed to take more than one fall or collision (the others I just named can probably take many falls or collisions). I guess you could make yourself foam pads for everything but your head by cutting a camping foam pad, that might cost $15, or other pieces of reasonably soft foam, and slip it under clothing.

I will send you a link to my web page on falling gently, but I admit it is pretty long. I became something of a fanatic about learning to fall. The rules of this forum don't let me post the link publically here.

Would you be able to send me the link too, it sounds helpful.

 

[sonitaskates!]

I have exactly the same problem, fear of falling, it does hold me back and I do find I get tense, which doesn't help anything. I am having one on one coaching, which helps as its like having a safety net. I am just perservering and taking it slow and steady allowing my mind and body to get used to the movement and find my sense of balance, its going to take me a long time but hopefully I will get there. Considering I was to scared to leave the barrier and struggled to get the hang of forward skating I am making progress.

If a helmet and padding help you feel more confident then do it, at my ice rink they aren't uncommon, especially the padded shorts, thinking of getting some myself.

Same here! i still use helmets even though most people my level take it off, the first time i didn’t use it was because i forgot it at home(haha!) , its my profile now, the padded shorts are such a good idea! honestly i thought nobody used them as well until i saw a grandma lift her skirt (with pants under) to show kids her shorts, and i saw that all of them have them on! honeslty it’s such a good investment, i’ll get one once i progress to toeloop and salchow!

 

[sonitaskates!]

Something that helped me was to watch videos of whatever I was learning done well. It helped visualize what it should look/feel like, and I felt more confident doing stuff.

But also, I don't think they should make you stop wearing the helmet. Protecting your brain is never a bad idea. Take it off if/when you're comfortable to do so.

that’s honeslty an amazing technique! i always do so aswell!

 

[sonitaskates!]

As recent events have highlighted (though the air crash was quite atypical), I sometimes think that sports related travel is often more dangerous than the sport itself. E.g., when my nearby rink closed, I traveled to a more distant rink, along a heavy traffic route with a lot of lane changes and construction, which encouraged a lot of people to drive aggressively, and was shared by a lot of interstate truck traffic (including oversized trucks and double trailers, and uncovered trucks).

But almost everything we do that is fun (and some that isn't) is a bit dangerous. You can't get rid of that completely. I accept that as part of the activity.

Learning to control the danger, and keep it within reasonable bounds gives one a sense of accomplishment, sometimes as much as mastering athletic skills. At least for me. I suppose I enjoy taking some level of risk.

This is an issue that varies a lot, person to person. I hope you find a compromise that makes you happy. And that you don't get badly hurt.

that mindset definitely helps me! the more I think about it you’re right haha, I love rollar coasters and i always thought the risk is worth it, so why wouldn’t it be the same for skating? i’m fighting my brain here