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| 30 Nov 2004 08:19:28 |
| LK |
| A Balancing Life |
I'm pulling back on pushing myself on skating. My legs are so weak that practicing 3 hockey circles of the pumping stroke to prepare for doing crossovers feels like pumping iron. I felt it in my chest during and after 2 skating sessions, so time to back off. I'm now exercising, finally, at home and doing the knee strengthening exercises as a part strengthening and limbering in prep for taking belly dance lessons in January. Belly dance uses a lot quadriceps (sp?) as well as abdominal muscles. What really surprised me was how poor my balance is off the ice. Doing one leg yoga stretches, even standing on tip toe to do knee bends is not a breeze. Standing on tip toe ain't great. I'm also having the same problem of keeping my feet less than shoulder width apart on the floor. I'm not used to that kind of feminine stance. Sneakers are the only universal footwear! So in skating I have a hard time keeping my feet close to together because I rarely stand that way or walk that way off the ice. Funny thing is at "Nutcracker" rehearsals my 8 year-old is on the sidelines and tired of watching the other skaters from the hockey box. She steps out on the ice puts her arms over her head and starts doing hip drops and shimmies. ...Show--off :-) LK |
| 30 Nov 2004 10:59:00 |
| sktrsumday |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
> So in skating I have a hard time keeping my feet close to together > because I rarely stand that way or walk that way off the ice. I've been concerned about that, too--plus, when I *think* my feet are close together, if I look down, I see that they're not nearly as close as I thought they were (like knee bending: the knees are never as bent as one thinks they are!). But my coach recently told me that the feet don't have to be *that* close together--not much closer than shoulder-width, if I recall correctly what he said. I think they just have to be close enough to facilitate the necessary weight shifts from one to the other. If your feet are too far apart, it's hard to keep balanced, plus when you shift your weight, there's a tendency to "fall" onto the new foot, rather than just placing it down. But that shouldn't require a particularly "ladylike" stance, should it? LK wrote: > I'm pulling back on pushing myself on skating. My legs are so weak > that practicing 3 hockey circles of the pumping stroke to prepare for > doing crossovers feels like pumping iron. I felt it in my chest > during and after 2 skating sessions, so time to back off. I'm now > exercising, finally, at home and doing the knee strengthening > exercises as a part strengthening and limbering in prep for taking > belly dance lessons in January. > > Belly dance uses a lot quadriceps (sp?) as well as abdominal muscles. > What really surprised me was how poor my balance is off the ice. Doing > one leg yoga stretches, even standing on tip toe to do knee bends is > not a breeze. Standing on tip toe ain't great. > > I'm also having the same problem of keeping my feet less than shoulder > width apart on the floor. I'm not used to that kind of feminine > stance. Sneakers are the only universal footwear! > > So in skating I have a hard time keeping my feet close to together > because I rarely stand that way or walk that way off the ice. > > Funny thing is at "Nutcracker" rehearsals my 8 year-old is on the > sidelines and tired of watching the other skaters from the hockey box. > She steps out on the ice puts her arms over her head and starts doing > hip drops and shimmies. ...Show--off :-) > > LK > |
| 30 Nov 2004 16:10:40 |
| Mrs Redboots |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
sktrsumday wrote to rec.sport.skating.ice.recreational on Tue, 30 Nov 2004: > But my coach recently told me that the feet don't have to be *that* >close together--not much closer than shoulder-width, if I recall correctly >what he said. That may be true while you are learning, and/or for free skating, but I can assure you that in ice dance your feet must touch on every step! And as you swing your leg forward (or back) in a swing roll, and as you lift your foot for a chassé.... -- "Mrs Redboots" mailto:annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/ Website updated 28 November 2004 |
| 30 Nov 2004 16:08:37 |
| W Letendre |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
Mrs Redboots <Annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk > wrote in message news:<OOII41PAuJrBFw3a@amsmyth.demon.co.uk>... > sktrsumday wrote to rec.sport.skating.ice.recreational on Tue, 30 Nov > 2004: > > > But my coach recently told me that the feet don't have to be *that* > >close together--not much closer than shoulder-width, if I recall correctly > >what he said. > > That may be true while you are learning, and/or for free skating, but I > can assure you that in ice dance your feet must touch on every step! > And as you swing your leg forward (or back) in a swing roll, and as you > lift your foot for a chassé.... Huh! Had wondered about that; coach I take lessons from is quite fanatic about bringing feet together before pushing off on stroke, as well as requiring that feet touch on "swings." And, as it happens, she was an Ice Dancer in her competitive days.... Gotta tell ya, though, that "feet together" business is absolutely counter intuitive to a reformed hockey skater! W Letendre |
| 01 Dec 2004 01:47:49 |
| johns |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
You should start walking more. What you are describing sounds serious in a way .. esp having to stand or walk with your feet apart to maintain balance. And shortness of breath along with the rest indicates very poor physical condition. Under those circumstances, injury is very probable. Sports aren't meant to get you healthy, Sports keep you healthy. A more practical exercise would be aerobics until you are physically fit. Then do skating. johns |
| 01 Dec 2004 13:15:05 |
| Mrs Redboots |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
W Letendre wrote to rec.sport.skating.ice.recreational on Tue, 30 Nov 2004: > >Gotta tell ya, though, that "feet together" business is absolutely >counter intuitive to a reformed hockey skater! > Actually, though, it makes sense if you stop and think. For dance and free skating, you need your centre of gravity to be such that you are balanced on your blade. If your feet are wide apart, then this is going to pull your centre of gravity into your middle, making you work much harder to get on to an edge and, if you do get an outside edge, pulling you off it. For hockey, where the required posture is very different, and you do a lot of work on two feet, it's another matter. -- "Mrs Redboots" mailto:annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/ Website updated 28 November 2004 |
| 01 Dec 2004 13:16:14 |
| Mrs Redboots |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
johns wrote to rec.sport.skating.ice.recreational on Wed, 1 Dec 2004: >You should start walking more. What you are describing >sounds serious in a way .. esp having to stand or walk >with your feet apart to maintain balance. And shortness >of breath along with the rest indicates very poor physical >condition. Under those circumstances, injury is very >probable. Sports aren't meant to get you healthy, Sports >keep you healthy. A more practical exercise would be >aerobics until you are physically fit. Then do skating. > But aerobics is boring....... It used to be said, on an old and now defunct mailing list, that one went skating to avoid having to go to the gym, and then one ended up going to the gym in order to improve one's skating! It's taken nearly ten years, but I'm getting to Part 2 of that one! -- "Mrs Redboots" mailto:annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/ Website updated 28 November 2004 |
| 01 Dec 2004 08:21:00 |
| GordonSk8erBoi |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
LK <fountainmdomeb5@yahoo.com > wrote in message news:<cqqoq0trmbsaf7neijnam2k7qs0kasdse7@4ax.com>... > I'm also having the same problem of keeping my feet less than shoulder > width apart on the floor. I'm not used to that kind of feminine > stance. Sneakers are the only universal footwear! > > So in skating I have a hard time keeping my feet close to together > because I rarely stand that way or walk that way off the ice. Hmm. I don't stand that way off ice either, but never thought of it as particularly feminine. It does take some getting used to, but it's pretty essential. Especially in learning forward crossovers and other, later stuff, you're going to have to be comfortable having your feet (and legs) close together. I remember especially learning back swizzles and my instructor insisting I have my feet touch after every one. It was SO hard! Gordon Zaft GordonSk8erBoi@yahoo.com http://sk8rboi.blogspot.com |
| 01 Dec 2004 12:49:37 |
| Renata |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
Mrs Redboots wrote: > It used to be said, on an old and now defunct mailing list, that one > went skating to avoid having to go to the gym, and then one ended up > going to the gym in order to improve one's skating! It's taken nearly > ten years, but I'm getting to Part 2 of that one! Funny, but very true. I was never the type to consistently exercise in a gym or (can you imagine this!) at home, but lately get quite often on my elliptical machine that is in the basement of our home, just to condition myself for skating! --Renata |
| 01 Dec 2004 12:52:53 |
| LK |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
On 1 Dec 2004 08:21:00 -0800, gordonsk8erboi@yahoo.com (GordonSk8erBoi) wrote: >LK <fountainmdomeb5@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<cqqoq0trmbsaf7neijnam2k7qs0kasdse7@4ax.com>... >> I'm also having the same problem of keeping my feet less than shoulder >> width apart on the floor. I'm not used to that kind of feminine >> stance. Sneakers are the only universal footwear! >> >> So in skating I have a hard time keeping my feet close to together >> because I rarely stand that way or walk that way off the ice. > > Hmm. I don't stand that way off ice either, but never thought of it >as particularly feminine. > > It does take some getting used to, but it's pretty essential. >Especially in learning forward crossovers and other, later stuff, >you're going to have to be comfortable having your feet (and legs) >close together. I remember especially learning back swizzles and my >instructor insisting I have my feet touch after every one. It was SO >hard! > >Gordon Zaft What is wild is this morning I dreamed I was skating and mastering backward swizzles. That is the first time since I've started that I've actually dreamed about real skating. And it is very interesting that I would dream about some I'm very timid about doing. LK |
| 01 Dec 2004 12:58:43 |
| LK |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
On Wed, 1 Dec 2004 13:16:14 +0000, Mrs Redboots <Annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk > wrote: >johns wrote to rec.sport.skating.ice.recreational on Wed, 1 Dec 2004: > >>You should start walking more. What you are describing >>sounds serious in a way .. esp having to stand or walk >>with your feet apart to maintain balance. And shortness >>of breath along with the rest indicates very poor physical >>condition. Under those circumstances, injury is very >>probable. Sports aren't meant to get you healthy, Sports >>keep you healthy. A more practical exercise would be >>aerobics until you are physically fit. Then do skating. >> >But aerobics is boring....... > >It used to be said, on an old and now defunct mailing list, that one >went skating to avoid having to go to the gym, and then one ended up >going to the gym in order to improve one's skating! It's taken nearly >ten years, but I'm getting to Part 2 of that one! Exactly. Aerobics is boring and not expressive and there is no goal except achieving numbers. Running hurdles is more fun because you at least go somewhere and have the thrill of leaping through the air. And my fan club is at the rink not in an aerobics class. How do people at a gym say they admire you for exercising at your age? LK |
| 01 Dec 2004 19:55:47 |
| George P |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
Legs not strong enough? I'll second the sentiments about time in the gym. You might not want to answer to us here, but ask yourself, how fit, strong, heavy or old (this last one is far less relevant) are you? Annabel, although I don't agree personally, I can see why skating can be more fun than the gym. The issue here is use of time though. If someone is weak or overweight and with X amount of time in their hands, to skate as well as possible does not necessarily imply spending all the time on the ice. Targeted exercises off ice can take care of bottleneck weaknesses and improve the skating faster than if the same time had been spent on ice. If you can combine the two, excellent, but it usually takes a certain level of skill to be able to do adequate on ice drills, or to do them strongly/powerfully enough. So yes, the answer might be: if you want to improve your skating, spend some of your time not skating (in the gym!). GP |
| 01 Dec 2004 11:59:06 |
| W Letendre |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
Mrs Redboots <Annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk > wrote in message news:<uIOgZwDZPcrBFwDS@amsmyth.demon.co.uk>... > W Letendre wrote to rec.sport.skating.ice.recreational on Tue, 30 Nov > 2004: > > > > >Gotta tell ya, though, that "feet together" business is absolutely > >counter intuitive to a reformed hockey skater! > > > Actually, though, it makes sense if you stop and think. For dance and > free skating, you need your centre of gravity to be such that you are > balanced on your blade. If your feet are wide apart, then this is going > to pull your centre of gravity into your middle, making you work much > harder to get on to an edge and, if you do get an outside edge, pulling > you off it. > > For hockey, where the required posture is very different, and you do a > lot of work on two feet, it's another matter. Yeah, hockey stance requires a stable "gun platform" for shooting, and a high degree of resiliance to being bodily knocked over. That's one major attraction of figure skating; Tanya Harding jokes aside, one does not generally expect to be assaulted by other figure skaters! W Letendre |
| 01 Dec 2004 21:09:41 |
| The Walsh Family |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
Ohhh, tsk, tsk, another serious case of AOSS, welcome to the asylum. Lyle > > What is wild is this morning I dreamed I was skating and mastering > backward swizzles. That is the first time since I've started that > I've actually dreamed about real skating. And it is very interesting > that I would dream about some I'm very timid about doing. > > LK > |
| 01 Dec 2004 21:12:52 |
| The Walsh Family |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
May I suggest Yoga. I find it fascinating, very helpful for skating and good for the body and soul. Lyle "But aerobics is boring....... > > It used to be said, on an old and now defunct mailing list, that one > went skating to avoid having to go to the gym, and then one ended up > going to the gym in order to improve one's skating! It's taken nearly > ten years, but I'm getting to Part 2 of that one! > -- > "Mrs Redboots" mailto:annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk > http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/ > Website updated 28 November 2004 > > |
| 02 Dec 2004 13:14:32 |
| William Schneider |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
<<But aerobics is boring....... >> As a single young man in my early thirties, I found aerobics fascinating. I was surrounded by fit women -- what better motivation could a bachelor need to keep going? Seriously though, I was a very serious aerobics exerciser in the early 80's and was never more physically fit. Unfortunately when I moved away to attend graduate school, I had no time for them. When I tried a class during a break from my studies, I found it greatly watered down. That was it for me. Now I skate about 12-14 hours per week during skating season (from September through March for our local rink). It keeps weight off, but not to the extent that aerobics did. I should do something more - especially for my upper body, but finding time becomes the problem. Bill Schneider |
| 02 Dec 2004 13:31:08 |
| Lionello |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
In your Dreams! In my dreams, I can do the most amazing jumps! € What is wild is this morning I dreamed I was skating and mastering € backward swizzles. That is the first time since I've started that € I've actually dreamed about real skating. And it is very interesting € that I would dream about some I'm very timid about doing. € € LK -- Lionel Morality has nothing in common with politics. ...Bob Dylan www.cameraart.ca |
| 02 Dec 2004 13:29:56 |
| Mrs Redboots |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
LK wrote to rec.sport.skating.ice.recreational on Wed, 1 Dec 2004: >What is wild is this morning I dreamed I was skating and mastering >backward swizzles. That is the first time since I've started that >I've actually dreamed about real skating. And it is very interesting >that I would dream about some I'm very timid about doing. > Been there, done that! And in your dream, you know *exactly* what your body needs to do to do that move - and it's so frustrating to arrive at the rink and you still can't do it. But it does actually help, though, as does visualisation. -- "Mrs Redboots" mailto:annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/ Website updated 28 November 2004 |
| 02 Dec 2004 13:29:26 |
| Mrs Redboots |
| Re: A Balancing Life |
The Walsh Family wrote to rec.sport.skating.ice.recreational on Wed, 1 Dec 2004: >May I suggest Yoga. I find it fascinating, very helpful for skating and >good for the body and soul. >Lyle > What I'm looking into is Pilates - I may have found a class.. Have a friend who might go with me, so fingers crossed. -- "Mrs Redboots" mailto:annabel@amsmyth.demon.co.uk http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/ Website updated 28 November 2004 |