Adult Skaters: One Thing You Wish You Knew | Golden Skate

Adult Skaters: One Thing You Wish You Knew

Joined
Mar 2, 2018
Hey all, I've been lurking for a little while on this forum and have seen a plethora of posts from new adult beginners looking for all kinds of advice; a lot of them seem to be rather tailored, however, and a bit repetitive (people asking what skates to buy, if they can go far in the sport and if so how far, etc etc). Some of them are helpful, but I figured asking this one question might be a little more useful to new adult beginners (like me!) to have a gathering of general advice, from adults who started skating as adults to other adults who are starting to skate as adults. Of course, others are welcome to join in with advice, but adults starters to adult starters was my intent here!

So, adult skaters: what is one thing you wish you knew before you started?

(If you feel like contributing more than one thing, feel free! Can be on any topic--wish you'd bought skates straight off instead of using rentals, or wish you'd taken private lessons earlier or later or wish you'd practiced more or--whatever! :) )
 

ladyjane

Medalist
Joined
Jun 26, 2012
Country
Netherlands
When I skated as a child (speed skating) I was never afraid to fall. It didn't happen often. It still doesn't, but now I am afraid! And that is somewhat limiting in what you dare to do.
 

Mussique

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 30, 2017
Me to me circa October 2017:

—Don't trust those in the public sessions with better intentions than technique. If a hockey-skates-wearing-middle-aged-good-samaritan tries to teach you, run in the other direction.
—Cheap guards = don't. Worthless. Cheap skates = well, better than rentals, but you'll end up buying good ones in two weeks, so think it over some more.
—Look at your knees. It's the last time you're going to see them bruises-free in a long-long time.
—Those are not crossovers. What are you doing with your life. You cross the other foot. Omg. Please just stop.:drama:
—No, that's not the correct way of going backwards either. Also you look like you're dancing to Anaconda. :slink:
—Record yourself, watch yourself. Don't cry in the corner, it can be fixed.
—Bend your knees, for all that is dear to you, please.
—Spend 0,3 seconds googling how to grab your leg for #$@$## Biellmann and Y spirals.
—I really shouldn't be telling you this, but, if you feel something snap, please stop.
—It's called Waltz Jump for a reason, not Waltz Half-Step With Flaying Arms.
—I know you're worried in the half-nanosecond you're jumping a black hole will suddenly appear in the ice and swallow you, but looking all the damn time down to the ice won't help you any.
—Can. You. Just. Stop. Overrotating. The. Shoulders??
 

Jh9772

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 14, 2018
How important well fitting skates are. It took me 3 pairs before figuring out I was wearing boots too long and wide and the difference in control is incredible. Equipment won’t automatically make you able to skate, but I see a lot of adults wearing skates that are basically caving in at the ankles or so big the sides completely touch when laced up, and it obviously causes a lot of issues and discomfort.
 

cl2

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Many things. But the main thing I would wish for is less about what I knew, but what I had.

I wish I had a coach with expertise in the pedagogy of motor skill learning.
 

likevelvet

#Bless this mess
On the Ice
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Country
United-States
I'm a little bit of a unique case since I skated as a kid, left off for six years, then picked it back up as an adult, but that gap made this piece of wisdom eternally relevant:

It's okay to have bad, unproductive, frustrating days, and they don't actually carry over and have any effect on the next one.
 

Schpanky

Rinkside
Joined
May 25, 2016
I bought a pair of used skates. They were incredible. But they smelled. So I bought a new pair. I did NOT get a fitting done. I figured that I'd order the same size and similar model. THEY TURNED OUT TO BE A HALF SIZE TOO BIG. The company changed the boot mold. I couldn't return them, because I put my old blade on them before realizing how big they were.
Essentially...
NEVER BUY A GOOD PAIR OF SKATES UNLESS YOU GET FITTED BY SOMEONE THAT KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING. PLEASE.
Expensive expensive expensive lesson.
 

Miss Ice

Let the sky fall~
Medalist
Joined
Apr 16, 2006
I didn't start as an adult, but as an adult now, I really wish I focused more on the MIF elements rather than jumps in my first year of starting to skate as a teenager. I'm sure this is true for athletic adults too, who are more eager to do the FS stuff rather than the tedious MIF patterns. But man, do I wish I learned more patterns and trained more different turns in the very beginning. :(
 

SmallAminal

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2016
Don't worry about being on the ice with the little kids. They really don't care that you're there and its better to suck it up and get proper instruction from a coach.
 

SmallAminal

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2016
How important well fitting skates are. It took me 3 pairs before figuring out I was wearing boots too long and wide and the difference in control is incredible. Equipment won’t automatically make you able to skate, but I see a lot of adults wearing skates that are basically caving in at the ankles or so big the sides completely touch when laced up, and it obviously causes a lot of issues and discomfort.

Yep, it took me 3 pairs as well and some tweaking at that to finally get the right fit. DO NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING OTHER THAN A PERFECT FIT.

Also, get a professional (such as your coach or tech) to make sure your blades are positioned properly for your feet as adult feet can sometimes have issues that kids don't have (fallen arches, valgus heels, excessive pronation, etc). I have orthotics, wedge correction, AND my blades were moved slightly to the inside to correct for my over-pronation. I've also learned to make other adjustments (lacing, etc.) to make sure I'm comfortable. Its basically made the difference in being to "skate" for only 5 minutes and having a productive 45 minute lesson.
 
Joined
Feb 27, 2018
Very helpful thread, everyone! I'm just starting out and this is great advice. (Though I had to Google MIF). I felt nervous about looking stupid in front of the kiddos, but realized that's such a waste of energy.

Keep 'em coming! :)
 

vlaurend

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Don't assume that practicing something over and over and over will make it better. More likely, it will give you a repeated use injury. I learned this in my early 40's doing too many sit spins and axel takeoffs and my left knee suffered as a result. The most important practice happens in your brain. Understand exactly what you're trying to do and why, and do a few mental walk-throughs of correct technique, rehearsing what each body part is supposed to be doing, and THEN do the spin or jump or turn. And, if, after trying it 5 times, it starts getting worse instead of better, leave it alone and practice something else for awhile, then come back to it later.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
Don't stop practicing the basics, because you'll never know when you need them again. And then if you do need them again, you have an uphill climb to get them back.
 

cl2

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Don't assume that practicing something over and over and over will make it better. More likely, it will give you a repeated use injury. I learned this in my early 40's doing too many sit spins and axel takeoffs and my left knee suffered as a result. The most important practice happens in your brain. Understand exactly what you're trying to do and why, and do a few mental walk-throughs of correct technique, rehearsing what each body part is supposed to be doing, and THEN do the spin or jump or turn. And, if, after trying it 5 times, it starts getting worse instead of better, leave it alone and practice something else for awhile, then come back to it later.

(Emphasis added)

There has been so much fascinating research into neuroplasticity and the physiological processes behind learning of motor skills, which can really enhance and inform how our approach to teaching and learning skating. For example, there is a consolidation stage of learning---the transformation of short-term unstable motor skills exhibited during practice into a stable, long-term memory state---that occurs after practice. So, what happens off the ice is no less important as on the ice. Having a good understanding of the process of motor skill acquisition, and putting it into practice, makes for much more effective and stable learning!
 

sillyant

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 10, 2015
(Emphasis added)

So, what happens off the ice is no less important as on the ice. Having a good understanding of the process of motor skill acquisition, and putting it into practice, makes for much more effective and stable learning!

I can't agree more!
Working out what and why exactly went wrong is soo important!

For example, I used to be hopeless when it comes to checking shoulder. But then I found out that I didn't really have enough upper body strength to hold the position and hence subconsciously avoiding it.

So I did a bunch of push-ups and dumb bells and planks off ice regularly.

Now, I found it very easy to check shoulder and the off-ice exercise helped me with my posture on ice too :D
 

tothepointe

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 4, 2018
Don't watch any of those adult skaters Progress after X months. It'll only make you feel bad about your own more than reasonable progress. Or DO watch them but only if they have several years worth of comparison so you can see the fast progess eventually tapered off.

Do tape yourself even if you feel your terrible. You don't have to watch it now but it'll feel good for a comparision later.
 
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