Improving edges
- Thread starter soogar
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2004
See if your coach knows figures -- doing figures will definitely help with your edges.
Otherwise, practice, practice, practice.
Otherwise, practice, practice, practice.
icedancer2 said:See if your coach knows figures -- doing figures will definitely help with your edges.
Otherwise, practice, practice, practice.
I do figures and I have somewhat of a knack for them, however doing figures doesn't really give you the stylish body line - ie laying the body over the skate. That's what I'm really looking to achieve (and I hope the speed and the flow follows from that).
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2004
Oh, okay -- wasn't sure what you were looking for -- how about ice dance?
icedancer2 said:
Other than the actual dances, are there certain drills you do to help with your edges/body position? For example I do a lot of crossrolls and backward x-overs to a back edge glide. I just want to see if there are better ways to get more dramatic results in a shorter time.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2005
Honestly? I just do the moves, over and over, but think about applying my upper-body lessons from dance to my posture during the MIF. My weakest are my back edges, though they're improving, but I found that the body-position work I'd been doing to improve inside-edge swing rolls helped a lot on the back inside edges.
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2004
soogar said:
I don't know if there are any ways to get more dramatic results in a shorter time.
Learning dances is fun and you end up learning the same skills over and over, but in different contexts -- I usually end up working on a dance, relating some part of it to moves, another part to figures, and then to other dances. I can work on the same "problem" in a million different ways and it doesn't get (too) boring or repetitive.
I don't know about others, but I don't think I've ever been taught "how" to get the lean -- I think that in order to get deeper edges, you just have to have more lean and to lean to trust that lean. Do I have good lean? Some of the skaters at my rink think I have great lean. Sometimes I feel as though I have pretty good lean. Compared to many others (like my coach for example) my lean is tepid.
There is always something to work on. I was surprised when I started working on Moves that my BI edges basically sucked, even though I can do all of the dances (with varying degrees of success) up through Gold and some International. So now they are better, although I still need to work hard on holding them. Figures have helped that tremendously.
Good luck. Practice Practice Practice.
The ultimate help also is to BEND BEND BEND your knees and ankles. Also getting the right bend in your hips (at the top of your legs -- whatever you want to call that region) is also important.
Any of you techno-skaters want to take a whack at my explanations and say it better?
Thanks for the opportunity for discussion. :agree:
soogar said:
Everything icedancer said is really good advice.
If you are really serious about wanting beautiful deep clean edges with nice line & extension, I can tell you how to do that. For the next 3-4 months, do nothing but basic edge exercises. Forward, backward, inside, outside. Do moves exercises that you've already passed. Do alternating 3 turns. Then do it all with a double knee bend (down, up, down). Then do it all with your hands behind your back. Do all the simple things, so you can focus your energy on the push, the speed, the leg extension, straight back, etc. For an hour each time you skate, do this (assuming you skate at least 4 times a week). Have your coach watch you & push you & correct things.
I know it will seem boring beyond all measure, but if you do this and truly push yourself to the point of exhaustion each time, in 4 months you will be a completely different skater. And everything you try will be easier, faster, and more secure.
People watch the high level dancers & envy their line, speed, lean, extension & security.......let me tell you, that was all bought with a price, and it is spelled endless hours of p-r-a-c-t-i-c-e. (insert Debbie Allen's inspirational speech during the opening theme song of "Fame"
)**backspin gets off her soapbox......
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