slow progress over 7 years.

[aimeeskates]

I am currently working on consistent single sal, toe and loops while still learning the flip over the whole year. For spins, I used almost 3-4 years mastering the scratch spin which is ridiculous to me. Well now you could say I'm pretty good at it. My sit spin is coming together and started to learn the backspin and camel spin. I started skating when I was 7 and I am now nearly 14, which means I've been skating for 7 years but am still on freestyle 3 ISI. For the past couple of months i made little to no progress and I came here to find out why. I only skate an hour a week on ice (with a coach) and 30 minutes off ice which occurs to me that perhaps this could be the main problem as I barely get practice time with managing school work. The past 2-3 years I've lost the passion and just didn't really care about the sport anymore. i didn't care that I didn't make progress and I genuinely wanted to quit but my parents were stopping me and I knew it wouldn't be the same without skating so I just pushed through doing the same repetitive lesson every week. However, after the lockdown for 2-3 months this year I had found the love for the sport again and wants to improve as much as i can. Everyone that used to be on the same level as me are off doing axels and doubles now when I'm still here doing waltz, sal, toe and loops with barely any height. People who were on a lower level than me are now on the same level as me too. I feel guilty how I'm making so little progress for the past 7 years.

We put school before any hobbies or sports so I don't think I will be able to go to the rink for more than once a week. I'm thinking whether I am naturally bad at the sport or I didn't care about it for a few years or that I don't practice enough.

If anyone has any idea, please let me know. Anything would be helpful. Thank you!

 

[DizzyFrenchie]

Aimeeskates, welcome on GoldenSkate! Are you sure this thread doesn't belong to The Lutz Corner?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I am currently working on consistent single sal, toe and loops while still learning the flip over the whole year. For spins, I used almost 3-4 years mastering the scratch spin which is ridiculous to me. Well now you could say I'm pretty good at it. My sit spin is coming together and started to learn the backspin and camel spin. I started skating when I was 7 and I am now nearly 14, which means I've been skating for 7 years but am still on freestyle 3 ISI. For the past couple of months i made little to no progress and I came here to find out why. I only skate an hour a week on ice (with a coach) and 30 minutes off ice which occurs to me that perhaps this could be the main problem as I barely get practice time with managing school work. The past 2-3 years I've lost the passion and just didn't really care about the sport anymore. i didn't care that I didn't make progress and I genuinely wanted to quit but my parents were stopping me and I knew it wouldn't be the same without skating so I just pushed through doing the same repetitive lesson every week. However, after the lockdown for 2-3 months this year I had found the love for the sport again and wants to improve as much as i can. Everyone that used to be on the same level as me are off doing axels and doubles now when I'm still here doing waltz, sal, toe and loops with barely any height. People who were on a lower level than me are now on the same level as me too. I feel guilty how I'm making so little progress for the past 7 years.

We put school before any hobbies or sports so I don't think I will be able to go to the rink for more than once a week. I'm thinking whether I am naturally bad at the sport or I didn't care about it for a few years or that I don't practice enough.

If anyone has any idea, please let me know. Anything would be helpful. Thank you!

You might want to speak to your coach about this because everyone progresses differently. Also, if it's not working out with coach, possibly switching coaches may help.

@moderator can you please move this to Lutz Corner part of the board. Thanks!

 

[MCsAngel2]

An hour a week, that is also taken up with a lesson, is definitely not enough time to progress. You really should be going two to three times a week to see a difference. The first thing you can do is stretch that hour to two or three hours, so that you have a period right after your lesson where you are practicing on your own. Then add another practice on another day, per week. You need to have additional practice time outside of your lesson.

 

[tstop4me]

OP: This is definitely a good place to start:

You might want to speak to your coach about this because everyone progresses differently. Also, if it's not working out with coach, possibly switching coaches may help.

But the following is a major constraint:

We put school before any hobbies or sports so I don't think I will be able to go to the rink for more than once a week. I'm thinking whether I am naturally bad at the sport or I didn't care about it for a few years or that I don't practice enough.

It's really difficult to make progress if you're skating only once a week. Preferably you'll want at least two practice sessions in between lessons. And note: One long session (say 3 hrs) a week is not as effective as 3 one-hr sessions spaced apart throughout the week; and may actually be harmful. You and your parents need to sort out your priorities and resources. If you can't commit the time and resources, then be content having fun and joy at a slower pace and don't fret over it; you'll still be waaay ahead of the typical recreational skater. I've known many girls who had to choose school over skating at some point: the stress just got too much for them and their parents. This may be blasphemy to say on this forum, but there is life outside of skating.

 

[aimeeskates]

An hour a week, that is also taken up with a lesson, is definitely not enough time to progress. You really should be going two to three times a week to see a difference. The first thing you can do is stretch that hour to two or three hours, so that you have a period right after your lesson where you are practicing on your own. Then add another practice on another day, per week. You need to have additional practice time outside of your lesson.

thank you so much! I’ve now added an extra practice day. finger crossed i’ll see some progress.

 

[aimeeskates]

If you can't commit the time and resources, then be content having fun and joy at a slower pace and don't fret over it; you'll still be waaay ahead of the typical recreational skater.

this made me realize loads of things. thank you!

 

[tstop4me]

this made me realize loads of things. thank you!

You're very welcome. Something else I forgot to mention. Stop comparing yourself to others at the rink. You'll only drive yourself nuts. Besides, for every skater you look at and sigh, "Oh, I wish I could skate like her!", there are probably half-a-dozen other skaters looking at you and sighing, "Oh, I wish I could skate like her!"

 

[loveohio]

I would also recommend switching coaches. Find someone who is more responsive to you and your goals of progressing, and not just interested in taking your parents money and teaching you the same lesson each week. Have you started working on the Moves in the Field tests? If not, you should start, which will help give you something to consistently work towards and progress on. Passing those tests will make you feel so good, and your progress will be obvious to you.
Good luck.

 

[gliese]

You're very welcome. Something else I forgot to mention. Stop comparing yourself to others at the rink. You'll only drive yourself nuts. Besides, for every skater you look at and sigh, "Oh, I wish I could skate like her!", there are probably half-a-dozen other skaters looking at you and sighing, "Oh, I wish I could skate like her!"

Not to mention the goal post always moves. I used to look at the girls attempting triples like that. They weren't even landing them. I just wanted to be good enough to attempt triples. Now I am attempting triples, doing fairly well at them, and I watch the girls who land all their triples in awe. I'm sure once I land all the triples I'll look at the girls with triple triple combos. It just keeps moving