The Most Relatable Figure Skating Posts

"If you can't dazzle them with your performance, blind them with your sequins!" Dedicated to all those who live life on the ice!

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The Most Relatable Figure Skating Posts turned 2 today!

You guys….I just saw this in my email and freaked out. I have been woefully negligent of the blog lately because everything in my life has been so crazy, and I am truly sorry for not updating and not answering your messages!

I really want to keep this blog going and I’m thinking about taking on another admin to help me out at times when I’m super busy.. if anyone reading this would be interested in helping me run the blog, please do send me a message and tell me a little about yourself and why/how you’d like to be an admin :)

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Hello. Today I just found your blog and I think you make great content. I had a 1 hour lesson today specifically about my program as I have a competition (skate southern if any of you know what that is, I'm going to be there on monday skating for peterborough, I'm a guy in a blue shirt with waistcoat) in a few days. This is when I realised that I was completely exhausted by the end. Do you know how to increase stamina? I need lots of it!

Hey, thanks so much! :)

Getting through programs is one of the hardest things about skating, in my opinion! Unfortunately, the best way to increase stamina is to do as many full run-throughs of your program on the ice as possible.

If you’re having a lot of trouble getting through it and you have some time before you have to perform it at an event, start with sections of 2-3 elements at a time, then move on to doing it in 2 halves, and so on, until you can do the whole thing.  Off ice, I find high intensity interval training (HIIT) to be the best way to condition, since short bursts of high intensity (jumps and spins) followed by less intensity (but still intense) (choreography, etc) is more similar to what you would be doing in a skating program than steady-state cardio for 30 or 45 minutes.

Good luck at your competition and please let us know how it goes! :)

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Any advice on backspins?

Best advice i can give is to bring your arms and legs together at the same time (similar to the forward scratch spin), and to keep practicing until you find the “sweet spot” to spin on. You should feel like your weight is on a point just behind the ball of your foot

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I feel really embarrassed because I'm the oldest in my skate group... Which wouldn't be too bad, if I wasn't sixteen and still in gamma. That being said, any tips on getting inside left threeturns? It's all I need to pass into freestyle 1.

I’m not sure if I have anything specific to left inside three’s to talk about, but for all three turns, the trick is to keep your feet and arms still, and rotate with just the hips and the shoulders, especially if you have one side that feels better than the other :)

Also, I hope you don’t feel like you need to be embarrassed anymore, there are many positive posts here from skaters who started at later ages

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When your coach is in another lesson but you know s/he is watching you

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Talking to non-skaters about skating

Me:

Them:

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Hello I came across your blog because I'm watching the US Figure Skating championships and I was in the skating mode. I was just wondering what testing level you were at (if you test if not what "free style" level)?

Hello! :)  I’m USFSA junior test level. I’m in the process of working on my senior program to test it!

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When it’s time to do program run-throughs

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When my coach asks me to demonstrate for another student

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How do I feel confident in my skating costume? I'm a bit overweight and I have really bad negative body image issues. My first competition is coming up and I feel really nervous. I don't like tight clothing but that's the style. I don't know what to do. :(

Hey!  I definitely understand where you’re coming from.  Skating is considered an “aesthetic” sport, meaning it matters what you look like when you perform.  However, the important “aesthetics” in skating, things like pointed toes, straight knees, clean lines….none of those things have anything to do with body type or body size!  Skaters come in many sizes and shapes and all of them can rock a skating dress.  If you’re performing in a skating competition, your body is definitely doing some amazing things :)

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Hi! I landed my axel in March of this year and it was pretty consistent until June. I landed a few during the summer as well. Our rink closed for a month in July and I haven't been able to get my axel back. I can do it perfectly on the harness without my coach's help, but off I get nervous and can't land it. My coach tells me that I'm fully capable but I'm holding back. Any tips for not holding back and getting the axel consistent again? Thank you so much! :)

Hi there!  First of all, congrats on landing your axel!  Huge milestone!  And it’s definitely difficult that you weren’t able to practice for a while and get in those repetitions to make it a confident jump for you.

Because you’re able to land it on the harness without help, one suggestion could be to find one or two important things to focus on when you are doing those perfect axels on the harness (could be a technical cue you say to yourself like picturing your feet crossed in the air, or something like looking at where you’re going to land, or whatever works for you).  Then, once you’re off the harness, keep using those same cues, and the idea is that you will be focusing on the right things that help you do the jump correctly, and doubts and nerves won’t have room to get in your head. Let us know how it works out!

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I would love to compete some day in figure skating, but the thought of it makes me very nervous.. I feel like during a program I'll look like I'm in a rush or fall on my face and look ridiculous ;-;

Hey, I completely understand your nervousness!  So much of skating after all is just trying not to look ridiculous ;)  If competing is what you want to do, I encourage you to give it a try.  You’ll have practiced that program so many times, you might end up more confident than you think :)

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Hi! I just discovered your blog and its amazing!! I have read all your post

Thanks!! That’s so nice to hear, I’m glad you like the blog!

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I just found your blog and I love it! I am 14 and I am in freestyle 1. I just started learning my scratch spin and I can't seem to get the spin into motion. Any tips? Thanks.

Thanks so much for the kind words! :’) I’m not quite sure what you mean by getting the spin into motion, but I would say to focus on the technique and the speed will come. Have you been doing a regular one foot spin (with the foot not crossed)? One thing you can do is try to build up slowly from the one foot spin to the scratch spin, by practicing spinning in just this position first: 

Then this position:

And eventually this position:

(The pictures are from google images, lol. Do not own)

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Skating as fast as I can

How I feel:

What I actually look like:

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When my scores are lower than I expected

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I'm a 13 year old boy and Im going to start figure skating. I can skate well (with hockey skates) and I don't know anything anything about axels or jumps and stuff figure skaters do. Do you have any advice before I start?

Hey! Super awesome that you’re going to start figure skating :) I think your first challenge will be getting used to skating in figure skates, since the blades are a little different (hockey blades are shorter and curve a little more) and you will have toepicks to make sure you don’t trip over. Take your time to get stronger at your skating skills and I’m sure you’ll do just fine :)