How much are lessons nowadays? | Golden Skate

How much are lessons nowadays?

Annelegato

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 30, 2017
Hi, so I used to have a coach in the US more than 3 years ago she is like 40 something so one of the more experienced coaches at the rink. She charged $40 for half an hour. Now I'm taking lessons in Thailand but I'll be back next month so I need to look for a new coach. I am on ISI5 working on my axel. Also, does anyone here ever took a lesson with the younger coaches ? The ones that look like they're 20~30 years old. How much less do they charge? Are they good in terms of techniques and teaching style? I know they can probably teach doubles but I'd be more interested if they are well-rounded (edges+spins). I am a college student so I am kinda on budget idk if there are coaches who charges $25 for half an hour lol

FYI: I'll be going back to San Diego and probably will be skating at La Jolla utc or Krocs center so pls lmk if u skate there and have suggestions
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
Um, how about instead of making snap judgements about coaches based on age, you look into the coach's credentials before writing them off as "only able to teach doubles because they're 20s-30s". :unsure:

My coach charges $40 for half an hour. She is in her 60s. There is a coach at my rink who is a national champion who charges more - and is in her 30s...
 

Annelegato

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 30, 2017
Um, how about instead of making snap judgements about coaches based on age, you look into the coach's credentials before writing them off as "only able to teach doubles because they're 20s-30s". :unsure:

My coach charges $40 for half an hour. She is in her 60s. There is a coach at my rink who is a national champion who charges more - and is in her 30s...
Oh no! Sorry that came off wrong! I only meant I'd be able to do only till doubles... double axel is still a long way
 

jf12

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
In general, the prices of coaches don't vary as much as you think they might, and when a coach charges more it doesn't necessarily mean that they are better for you. A coach's age doesn't mean that much either. What I would do is define your price range, take sample lessons with each one that you can afford, and have available timeslots that work for you, and choose the one that fits best with your learning style.

Something that bothers me though, is that sometimes even at rinks where most coaches are highly qualified, there will be some which I am kind of shocked at how low their qualifications and abilities are. For example, coaches who are skaters that started skating as an adult, that have only bronze, silver, or adult gold MIF, especially if they are active skaters who have been skating a long time, yet haven't advanced to high level moves, and don't have excellent basic stroking or crossovers. I always see them teaching beginners who have just started and can't tell the difference, and sometimes I feel like saying something but don't want to get involved.
 

tstop4me

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 2, 2015
Country
United-States
I'm in NJ. My coach is an experienced coach. She charges $45 for a half hour lesson. The going rate in my area for experienced coaches is $40-$50/half hour (not counting coaches for top championship level). Junior coaches charge as low as $30/half hour.

The age of the coach is not dispositive. The skill level and the years of actual coaching experience are more important, and they do not necessarily correlate with age (depends, e.g, on when they started). Also, you need a coach whose style of coaching meshes with your needs. E.g., I need a coach who actually demonstrates the moves and who can analyze my mistakes in detail ("you're dropping your right shoulder too much", "your left foot is hanging outside too much", ...). I see some coaches who hardly ever skate during a lesson; they are not for me, though effective for others.
 

MasterB

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 18, 2004
Finding a coach for $25 will be a stretch experienced or otherwise. You can always just ask for a 20 minute lesson.
 

sk8momto1

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
We've moved a lot and the cost of coaches really varies a lot regionally. Where I live now even the most experienced coaches charge less than $30/ 1/2 hour. And I agree that there is little connection between age and coaching ability. There are two coaches at our rink who are both fairly accomplished skaters themselves. One is quite young and one is more middle aged. The younger one is an excellent coach and the older one is not so great. Being a good skater doesn't make you a good teacher. There is also a coach who is not particularly high tested herself but is an excellent moves coach. Personally, I would look at the students of the coaches you are considering....particularly those who have been working with the coach for awhile. What are their skills like? Do they have good technique? Does the coach have students who are at your level and higher?
 

Sibelius

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2017
I'm in Northern California. My daughter has 2 coaches, one for primary lessons and one for jumping. Her primary coach is a former Olympian and former Canadian National champion, she charges $55/half hour. Her jumping coach is $60/half hour. As far as I know all the coaches at her home ice charge roughly the same. Both coaches do squeeze in shorter lessons for less though, so that's probably what you'll be looking at, and if you're focused you can get quite a bit out of 15 or 20 minutes.
 

posha

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 12, 2010
How much are lessons nowadays?

How much money do you wanna blow?

$40-175/hour - depending.
 

Annelegato

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 30, 2017
Thanks for all the response so far. Currently in Thailand, my coach is awesome. He is the most accomplished out of them all but he's not a foreign coach ( there are some Japanese and Canadian caches at my rink but I like my coach so I stick with him). Here, they charge per hour and my coache's rate converted to $45. I've never had 20 mins lessons before, I think it's too short. I'm looking for ~45mins minimum. Do you think I can get that for around $50?
 

vlaurend

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
My coach charges $105 per hour. She is 53. My former coach charged $105 two years ago and she was in her late 20's. Age is not a great indicator of how good a coach someone is, or how much they should be charging. Find out about that coach's own competitive history, PSA rating and experience and success coaching. Ask people who take lessons with that coach what he/she is like, pros and cons. And ask for a few trial lessons with several coaches and tell them you're just shopping around before you decide. They're used to it and will understand.
BTW, I think one of the major factors that influence a coach's hourly rate is the rink itself. Some rinks charge coaches higher fees and that gets passed along to the students. Also, everything is going to be more expensive in places like New York city and L.A. and cheaper in areas where rents are cheaper.
 

ifshehadwings

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 17, 2017
My coach charges $25/half hour, and I think quite a few other coaches in my area do as well. Although I'm certain the higher level coaches charge more. I am just getting started working on my single jumps, so I don't need a super advanced coach. I live in Virginia, though. And our prices for pretty much everything are much lower than California.

As to coaches being well rounded, regardless of age, you can't really generalize. That's something you could only know from talking to an individual coach and finding out about their qualifications and experience. There is literally no way to say that an entire age group of coaches are similar at all. It's all down to the individual. If you know the rink you will be skating at, you could get in contact with someone there to ask for recommendations.
 

cl2

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Thanks for all the response so far. Currently in Thailand, my coach is awesome. He is the most accomplished out of them all but he's not a foreign coach ( there are some Japanese and Canadian caches at my rink but I like my coach so I stick with him). Here, they charge per hour and my coache's rate converted to $45. I've never had 20 mins lessons before, I think it's too short. I'm looking for ~45mins minimum. Do you think I can get that for around $50?

If cost is a strict concern for you, one option is to do a semi-private lesson: find a fellow skater of roughly the same skill level and skating goals, and take lessons together (provided he/she can take lessons with the same coach as you). I have seen several skaters at my rink do that. Some are adult skaters on a budget, some are siblings or good friends, some do it for scheduling reasons, their skating levels ranging from basic skills to intermediate or novice. You can still get individualized attention in semi-privates, or by combining a semi-private plus a private lesson. Moreover, there are some other benefits such as motivating each other and helping each other point out mistakes and improvements (after all, as they say, the best way to learn something is to teach it). This kind of arrangement may not work for everyone, but don't take it off the table until you've considered it.
 

renla

Rinkside
Joined
May 11, 2017
My coach is in his 50's and charges $40 per half hour. He said his rate is a bit higher than the other coaches at the rink, but he's the only former Olympian out of them. His students are competitive and he teaches children and adults. My parents balked at the price when I told them (they're concerned I'm not buying enough food, lol), but I think it's money well spent. Plus, the price doesn't seem that bad from everyone's responses here.
 

Ender

Match Penalty
Joined
May 17, 2017
I think it depends on the level of the skaters as well. $25 for half an hour is quite difficult. I don't think you can find someone like that.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Country
Olympics
My coach is in his 50's and charges $40 per half hour. He said his rate is a bit higher than the other coaches at the rink, but he's the only former Olympian out of them. His students are competitive and he teaches children and adults. My parents balked at the price when I told them (they're concerned I'm not buying enough food, lol), but I think it's money well spent. Plus, the price doesn't seem that bad from everyone's responses here.

IMHO $40 for a former Olympian coach is a steal. Normally they charge 50 bucks a half hour or more depending on their credentials.
 

renla

Rinkside
Joined
May 11, 2017
I guess I'm lucky that's what he charges! If it was $50 I'd probably have to have one lesson every two weeks. I've been contemplating doing that now, but I feel like I'm making really good progress with my weekly lessons. This sport sure is expensive, but it's so fun!
 

treesprite

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
I guess I'm lucky that's what he charges! If it was $50 I'd probably have to have one lesson every two weeks. I've been contemplating doing that now, but I feel like I'm making really good progress with my weekly lessons. This sport sure is expensive, but it's so fun!

Mine who charges $50 per half hour, has coached at the Olympics and at several World Championships. I could have chosen a much cheaper coach and had more lesson time, but I didn't because I knew I would be getting my money's worth by working with this one. When choosing a coach, it did help to have been working at the rink for several years beforehand, so I had plenty of time to observe them and talk with their students about them.
 

Annelegato

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 30, 2017
How long should I typical trial lesson be? How long should it take for me to know if I like this coach's teaching style or not ?
 

renla

Rinkside
Joined
May 11, 2017
I'm not sure about the length of a typical trial lesson. I think normal lessons are between 15-30 minutes, so maybe around there? I think if you take a few trial lessons with different coaches you'll be able to pick who you liked best. In my case, I was set up with a coach through my rink's skating director based on availability, which probably wasn't the best way. But I mesh well with his teaching style and he adapts to my personality, so I lucked out!
 
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