Advice on choosing a coach: cost, schedule, teaching style?

[natkatj]

Hi everyone! I’m an adult skater who has been skating for a little more than 2 years. I skate at least 3 hours per week (usually 1.5-2 hours in group lessons), and more if my work allows. I recently passed my rink’s test to join the Freeskate 6 class (USFS program). I have all my singles up to Lutz, but my Flip / Lutz are still a little shaky, and I’m currently working on jump combos and spin combos.

I want to start private lessons soon since I’m feeling like I’m pushing against my limit of what I can do in group lessons. I’ve narrowed down my options to 3 coaches that I have somewhat clicked with during group lessons, but they all don’t work for at least 1 reason:

Coach A: my most preferred coach in terms of what I want to learn and focus on going forward (she has amazing performance skills, footwork, etc.) But her cost is really expensive and above my current budget. She also jumps and spins clockwise (opposite direction from me), and so far I have not faced any issues but I don’t know if it would be a problem going forward. I also don’t know if she is very experienced in putting skaters through USFS tests (most of her skating experience was in Europe).

Coach B: I prefer him if going just by teaching style — I feel like I’ve made the most progress in his group lessons. His cost is what I expected to pay. He’s a very experienced coach, with lots of experience putting kids and adults through skating tests. He and his wife did pairs back in the day and that’s something I want to be open to in the future. But our schedule don’t align currently. My schedule might change in the new year but I’m not sure about it. I could request my work to stop scheduling me during the times he is free, but that change won’t go into effect until April (I work at a school so it’s a little weird).

Coach C: my “backup”. Her instructions are somewhat hit or miss for me. She’s a younger coach who only recently passed her Gold skating skills test, so I’m a little concerned about her ability to guide skaters through test. But her cost is the most affordable for me so I might be able to do more lessons with her.

So, I could spend a lot of money to get lessons with Coach A (probably at the risk of being able to afford fewer lessons), wait until the new year or maybe April to begin lessons with Coach B, or just start lessons with Coach C now but not being able to get my top-choice coaches. What would you suggest me do in this case? Especially looking for advice from more experienced skaters! Thank you!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi everyone! I’m an adult skater who has been skating for a little more than 2 years. I skate at least 3 hours per week (usually 1.5-2 hours in group lessons), and more if my work allows. I recently passed my rink’s test to join the Freeskate 6 class (USFS program). I have all my singles up to Lutz, but my Flip / Lutz are still a little shaky, and I’m currently working on jump combos and spin combos.

I want to start private lessons soon since I’m feeling like I’m pushing against my limit of what I can do in group lessons. I’ve narrowed down my options to 3 coaches that I have somewhat clicked with during group lessons, but they all don’t work for at least 1 reason:

Coach A: my most preferred coach in terms of what I want to learn and focus on going forward (she has amazing performance skills, footwork, etc.) But her cost is really expensive and above my current budget. She also jumps and spins clockwise (opposite direction from me), and so far I have not faced any issues but I don’t know if it would be a problem going forward. I also don’t know if she is very experienced in putting skaters through USFS tests (most of her skating experience was in Europe).

Coach B: I prefer him if going just by teaching style — I feel like I’ve made the most progress in his group lessons. His cost is what I expected to pay. He’s a very experienced coach, with lots of experience putting kids and adults through skating tests. He and his wife did pairs back in the day and that’s something I want to be open to in the future. But our schedule don’t align currently. My schedule might change in the new year but I’m not sure about it. I could request my work to stop scheduling me during the times he is free, but that change won’t go into effect until April (I work at a school so it’s a little weird).

Coach C: my “backup”. Her instructions are somewhat hit or miss for me. She’s a younger coach who only recently passed her Gold skating skills test, so I’m a little concerned about her ability to guide skaters through test. But her cost is the most affordable for me so I might be able to do more lessons with her.

So, I could spend a lot of money to get lessons with Coach A (probably at the risk of being able to afford fewer lessons), wait until the new year or maybe April to begin lessons with Coach B, or just start lessons with Coach C now but not being able to get my top-choice coaches. What would you suggest me do in this case? Especially looking for advice from more experienced skaters! Thank you!

Hi and welcome! Personally, I would have had you in adult private lessons since Freeskate 2, but if you weren't ready yet, then you weren't.
I'll break this down by coach....

Coach A: If you want some of the best coaches, we cost decent $. Skating is a very expensive sport. Anyway, the fact that she jumps in a different direction than you doesn't matter (for instance, I jump a different direction than most of my skaters and it doesn't affect anything). She can still coach you in jumps and if she is coaching competitive skaters in the US, then should have experience with the USFS program or she wouldn't be certified to coach it.

Coach B: He sounds great, and if it's your preferred teaching style then even better, but IDK what else to tell you. Also, really think about if you want to do pairs, it really requires alot and you have to be flexible with jumping and many other things with your partner.

Coach C: I would not go with her if you want experience.

If it were me and telling you what would be best for you with coaches, I would say A. But B should be fine as well.

Good luck!

 

[Diana Delafield]

Hi everyone! I’m an adult skater who has been skating for a little more than 2 years. I skate at least 3 hours per week (usually 1.5-2 hours in group lessons), and more if my work allows. I recently passed my rink’s test to join the Freeskate 6 class (USFS program). I have all my singles up to Lutz, but my Flip / Lutz are still a little shaky, and I’m currently working on jump combos and spin combos.

I want to start private lessons soon since I’m feeling like I’m pushing against my limit of what I can do in group lessons. I’ve narrowed down my options to 3 coaches that I have somewhat clicked with during group lessons, but they all don’t work for at least 1 reason:

Coach A: my most preferred coach in terms of what I want to learn and focus on going forward (she has amazing performance skills, footwork, etc.) But her cost is really expensive and above my current budget. She also jumps and spins clockwise (opposite direction from me), and so far I have not faced any issues but I don’t know if it would be a problem going forward. I also don’t know if she is very experienced in putting skaters through USFS tests (most of her skating experience was in Europe).

Coach B: I prefer him if going just by teaching style — I feel like I’ve made the most progress in his group lessons. His cost is what I expected to pay. He’s a very experienced coach, with lots of experience putting kids and adults through skating tests. He and his wife did pairs back in the day and that’s something I want to be open to in the future. But our schedule don’t align currently. My schedule might change in the new year but I’m not sure about it. I could request my work to stop scheduling me during the times he is free, but that change won’t go into effect until April (I work at a school so it’s a little weird).

Coach C: my “backup”. Her instructions are somewhat hit or miss for me. She’s a younger coach who only recently passed her Gold skating skills test, so I’m a little concerned about her ability to guide skaters through test. But her cost is the most affordable for me so I might be able to do more lessons with her.

So, I could spend a lot of money to get lessons with Coach A (probably at the risk of being able to afford fewer lessons), wait until the new year or maybe April to begin lessons with Coach B, or just start lessons with Coach C now but not being able to get my top-choice coaches. What would you suggest me do in this case? Especially looking for advice from more experienced skaters! Thank you!

I'm inclined to advise Coach A as your first choice, if you can manage the fees. Perhaps fewer lessons, but take a lot of notes and use what ice time you can afford for serious practice to make the cost of her lessons justifiable. Her own jumping direction is irrelevant. Probably the great majority of her pupils jump counterclockwise, the most common direction, so she's accustomed to teaching that. The technique is the same, she'll just say Left instead of Right.

As a former pairs competitor who still skates pairs recreationally, I'm somewhat concerned about your thought that you "might want to try pairs in the future" as a reason to take lessons from Coach B. If you could put that idea aside and could change your work schedule, then I'd recommend him because you like and can afford him. Most of the pairs coaches I've known, apart from the top specialists, were versatile in what they taught and were equally good at teaching singles and dance. To learn pairs as an adult still in the beginner stages, though, you would have to skate with your coach as your partner, if he has still kept his skills up as an active pairs skater not just verbally instructing others how. It's imperative that you have a very reliable partner with skills more advanced than yours, for safety reasons.

If he's such a busy coach that you already know his teaching schedule can't be adjusted and it's your work schedule that has to change, then he won't be available for the many hours of partnered practice time on the ice and in the gym. For obvious reasons, the woman in pairs skating can't practice the elements on her own (although the men do, for many elements). You can't do your part of the lifts, twists, throws, death spirals, most pairs spins etc etc by yourself. And they take many hours of repetition to get even the simplest elements into muscle memory, since you don't have time to think while you're in the middle of doing them. It's highly unlikely your coach will be able to find you a suitable adult test/competitive partner, and whether it's himself or perhaps an advanced male pupil of his looking for part-time work, those hours of practice are going to cost you a lot of money -- probably more than lessons with Coach A and then ice time away from her to work on your singles skating by yourself.

I don't want to discourage you from your pairs ambition, loving the discipline as much as I do! But to be realistic, it's not likely to happen for someone who learns to skate in adulthood. Yes, Deanna Stellato-Dudek turned to pairs as an adult, but she'd had a long career at an elite level in singles starting in childhood, and could build on that base to add pairs skills to her repertoire. So I'd advise starting with Coach A and then, if your work schedule changes and you still like Coach B personally as a teacher, switch to him. He could probably take you through dance tests as a testing partner and you might find yourself attracted to learning some free dance moves instead of the more dangerous pairs. (Not that free dance doesn't have its share of injuries too, but you'd be looking at beginner or adult competitive level.)

And in the meanwhile, keep an eye on the neophyte Coach C and track how her pupils fare at tests and what they say about her. As she finds her feet in the coaching world, she may develop into another good option for you down the line.

Good luck!

Edit: Just realized I was going on the assumption that you're female, but you didn't actually say that. Apologies if you're a male skater and ignore much of the details I went into about needing a practice partner for pairs. You'd still need an experienced partner, and a spotter to hover nearby, though, for *her* safety, and the cost would still be major for your "team", all of whom would need to be paid for their time.

 

[jersey1302]

Well in my opinion it seems like I would go with A. Direction doesn’t mean a lot, body still aligns the same . Yes you may pay more but if it means good coaching, and given clear things to work on.. you may not even need extra lessons and you can cut down amount of lessons you take. The inexperienced one will be cheaper but you likely won’t get as much out of the lessons, the one with a different schedule.. is a conflict that doesn’t seem like it will solve it self anytime soon. I’d go with A 100%