Post-Acceleration Balance

[lastaxiom]

Hi Everyone,

I have a question regarding balance once you're at full speed. I recently started learning to skate (32 years old haha). I've done a lot of research and am working on the basics (balance drills, posture, 1 leg gliding for balance, turning, cross-over, etc), I'm doing ankle strength training in work-outs. I went in to my local shop and made sure my skates are the correct size (made them smaller, and they fit tight, baked them, tie them correctly).

However, 1 problem I am having is once I have a good stride going and am at a good speed I feel unbalanced. I am not comfortable and feel as if I have to work extra hard (stay really low, arms out) to remain comfortable. Is there anything I can be doing (training, techniques?) to feel more balanced once I am gliding? Going straight once gliding is difficult.

Thanks so much.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

It takes practice, you know! Staying low and arms out helps but there really is no substitute for practice.

Be aware that medication can also affect your balance.

 

[Friday]

Hi Everyone,

I have a question regarding balance once you're at full speed. I recently started learning to skate (32 years old haha). I've done a lot of research and am working on the basics (balance drills, posture, 1 leg gliding for balance, turning, cross-over, etc), I'm doing ankle strength training in work-outs. I went in to my local shop and made sure my skates are the correct size (made them smaller, and they fit tight, baked them, tie them correctly).

However, 1 problem I am having is once I have a good stride going and am at a good speed I feel unbalanced. I am not comfortable and feel as if I have to work extra hard (stay really low, arms out) to remain comfortable. Is there anything I can be doing (training, techniques?) to feel more balanced once I am gliding? Going straight once gliding is difficult.

Thanks so much.

Apart that it takes a lot of practice (like WednesdayMarch said already), what skates do you have and what is your weight/height?
I remember that I wasn't very stable when I skated in my Artistes, so I think that boot stiffness plays a role in the stability/balance as well....

 

[lastaxiom]

Thank you, both, for your reply.

I'm certainly practicing LOL. I guess I gotta just keep at it. I met a woman this morning that wasn't any better than me and she had been going (probably off and on) for a year - I'm hoping that won't be the case for me!

As for skates, I have Bauer Vapor 3X skates - I'm no pro but they should be pretty solid, yah?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thank you, both, for your reply.

I'm certainly practicing LOL. I guess I gotta just keep at it. I met a woman this morning that wasn't any better than me and she had been going (probably off and on) for a year - I'm hoping that won't be the case for me!

As for skates, I have Bauer Vapor 3X skates - I'm no pro but they should be pretty solid, yah?

Hi and welcome. Hockey skates?!? You realize this is a figure skating forum, correct? Are you planning on figure skating in the future or playing hockey? I ask b/c hockey skates and blades are different from figure skates and blades, and you'll get very limited help here if you are going to be choosing hockey.

 

[tstop4me]

Hi Everyone,

I have a question regarding balance once you're at full speed. I recently started learning to skate (32 years old haha). I've done a lot of research and am working on the basics (balance drills, posture, 1 leg gliding for balance, turning, cross-over, etc), I'm doing ankle strength training in work-outs. I went in to my local shop and made sure my skates are the correct size (made them smaller, and they fit tight, baked them, tie them correctly).

However, 1 problem I am having is once I have a good stride going and am at a good speed I feel unbalanced. I am not comfortable and feel as if I have to work extra hard (stay really low, arms out) to remain comfortable. Is there anything I can be doing (training, techniques?) to feel more balanced once I am gliding? Going straight once gliding is difficult.

Thanks so much.

I'm not sure how fast "full speed" and "good speed" is. But the first thing to check is how your one-foot glides are at a moderate speed, in case there are issues with your equipment or feet (or both) that should be corrected. If you are going too slow, you will not have enough momentum to maintain a one-foot glide. If you are going too fast, you might lack sufficient confidence to maintain control.

Try this. Do several strokes so you can do a two-foot glide at a speed that you are comfortable with. Then lift your left foot slightly such that the left blade is about the height of your right ankle, and your left boot is touching your right boot. Do a one-foot glide on your right foot. Don't try to control the glide; let the right blade control you. Don't try to follow a color line or the boards as a guide. Don't focus on one point in the distance. Glide for about 10 ft. Is your glide straight, veering to the right, or veering to the left? Repeat the same maneuver, except switch feet: start with a two-foot glide at moderate speed; lift your right foot, and do a one-foot glide on the left foot. It's best to have another skater observe you from behind, so you don't bias the results. Let us know how you do.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Thank you, both, for your reply.

I'm certainly practicing LOL. I guess I gotta just keep at it. I met a woman this morning that wasn't any better than me and she had been going (probably off and on) for a year - I'm hoping that won't be the case for me!

As for skates, I have Bauer Vapor 3X skates - I'm no pro but they should be pretty solid, yah?

My pairs partner, who also played recreational hockey with his friends, once accidentally brought his hockey skates instead of his figure skates to one of our practice sessions. He tried, but there was no way he could figure skate on hockey blades. He was a senior competitor who'd been on skates since he was 3, and he couldn't balance on the proper edges and curves he needed to match me for even warming-up circuits of the rink. I've never tried hockey blades, but I know you seldom if ever see the players gliding on one foot at speed for any distance, although why not I don't know. I've seen some women players just for fun doing waltz jumps, and they do three-turns if you watch their feet during a game, but that's about it. No spirals!

You need figure skates to do what you're attempting. If your rink has rentals, try them out just to feel the difference in the blades. You may still have balance problems at speed or on long glides, but at least you'll feel what others have already said here. Good luck!

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Thank you, both, for your reply.

I'm certainly practicing LOL. I guess I gotta just keep at it. I met a woman this morning that wasn't any better than me and she had been going (probably off and on) for a year - I'm hoping that won't be the case for me!

As for skates, I have Bauer Vapor 3X skates - I'm no pro but they should be pretty solid, yah?

Ah. Well, good luck with those...!

 

[lastaxiom]

Hah - No I didn't sorry. Someone mentioned this was a forum for the questions, which is why I posted here. Do you happen to have a link to the forum I should be posting on?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hah - No I didn't sorry. Someone mentioned this was a forum for the questions, which is why I posted here. Do you happen to have a link to the forum I should be posting on?

If you want a hockey forum you need to just google one. Good luck!