It is highly recommend that recreational and competitive figure, hockey, and speed skaters follow a comprehensive training plan that involves both on-ice and off-ice training involving weight/strength, flexibility, warm-up, and cool down exercises, plus an emphasis on nutrition and attention to a regular and sufficient sleep schedule.
Figure skaters should also consider taking off-ice classes in ballet, ballroom, modern, and other forms of dance to improve their musical interpretation and presentation abilities.
Development of Bilateral Abilities
Every skater should learn how to skate outside and inside edges, both forward and backwards on both feet. It is the balance and control of edges that allow a skater to begin learning basic turns from forward to backward and backward to forward on one foot turns (i.e. Three Turn) and a change foot turns (i.e. Mohawks).
After a skater learns to skate forward in a straight line, they must learn how to skate in a circle. This process is called crossovers, but frequently taught as Stepovers. Learning to skate fast is useful only if you are able to perform turns and controlled stops.
In public and most free skating sessions, skating usually occurs in the counter clockwise (CCW) direction, which is the direction that most right-handed skaters feel most comfortable.
It is no surprise that beginning skaters mostly skate in the CCW direction and that this becomes the stronger, more comfortable, and dominating direction because it is most often skated in practice. As a result the CW direction does not develop the same strength and control!
Skaters enrolled in group classes and/or private lessons maximize progress they are skating five times a week as compared to once or twice a week.
Research has shown that motor skill development benefits from regular practice to convert short-term muscle memory into automatic muscle and nerve responses essential to all ice skating sports.
Anders Ericssons research indicates roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice is needed to become an expert for world class/Olympic athletes to reach their skill levels. While this averages out to 20 hours a week for 10 years, I caution parents to factor in the childs age. Twenty hours a week would be excessive for even teenager basic skill skaters.
Parents should be aware that a rush to progress too fast can ultimately cause delays, frustration, and unnecessary expenses to correct fundamental technical skating errors not corrected at the basic skill stage.
Many elite track skaters will continue to compete additional years past the 10,000 hour/10 year rule in order to gain a place on the Canada world and Olympic team in hockey, speed, and figure skating.
Figure skaters should also consider taking off-ice classes in ballet, ballroom, modern, and other forms of dance to improve their musical interpretation and presentation abilities.
Development of Bilateral Abilities
Every skater should learn how to skate outside and inside edges, both forward and backwards on both feet. It is the balance and control of edges that allow a skater to begin learning basic turns from forward to backward and backward to forward on one foot turns (i.e. Three Turn) and a change foot turns (i.e. Mohawks).
After a skater learns to skate forward in a straight line, they must learn how to skate in a circle. This process is called crossovers, but frequently taught as Stepovers. Learning to skate fast is useful only if you are able to perform turns and controlled stops.
In public and most free skating sessions, skating usually occurs in the counter clockwise (CCW) direction, which is the direction that most right-handed skaters feel most comfortable.
It is no surprise that beginning skaters mostly skate in the CCW direction and that this becomes the stronger, more comfortable, and dominating direction because it is most often skated in practice. As a result the CW direction does not develop the same strength and control!
Skaters enrolled in group classes and/or private lessons maximize progress they are skating five times a week as compared to once or twice a week.
Research has shown that motor skill development benefits from regular practice to convert short-term muscle memory into automatic muscle and nerve responses essential to all ice skating sports.
Anders Ericssons research indicates roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice is needed to become an expert for world class/Olympic athletes to reach their skill levels. While this averages out to 20 hours a week for 10 years, I caution parents to factor in the childs age. Twenty hours a week would be excessive for even teenager basic skill skaters.
Parents should be aware that a rush to progress too fast can ultimately cause delays, frustration, and unnecessary expenses to correct fundamental technical skating errors not corrected at the basic skill stage.
Many elite track skaters will continue to compete additional years past the 10,000 hour/10 year rule in order to gain a place on the Canada world and Olympic team in hockey, speed, and figure skating.
SHARE
