I suck at stopping

As a side note for US skaters, Learn to Skate USA says "snowplow stop on two feet or one foot". I pass my students if they can do any type of snowplow stop. If instructors are being told different (in the US, in rinks that use Learn To Skate USA), then they are being told incorrectly.

twirlingblades said:

As a side note for US skaters, Learn to Skate USA says "snowplow stop on two feet or one foot". I pass my students if they can do any type of snowplow stop. If instructors are being told different (in the US, in rinks that use Learn To Skate USA), then they are being told incorrectly.

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I do too. In my teaching experience, little kids are better with two feet, adults with one. However, they must actually skate, glide and make the stop.
Sometimes the little kids skate really slow to the point that they stop anyway, make the snowplow feet position and think they've don't it. Nope. Doesn't count.

I'd say: try more knee bend, that way you can avoid falling over forwards. otherwise: practice, practice, practice. Our coaches sometimes do an impromptu stopping session when they see our ugly snowploughs XDDD. It helps a lot to really do this, as mentioned: get some speed (not to much at the beginning) and stop from that. we do about 4 stops in a row from one side of the rink to the other (short sides - we only have half or 1/3 of the rink at any given training session!). about 3-4 times to and back, that's quite some practice!

shaving ice/making snow with your blades to get a feeling how it's supposed to grip into the ice when stopping can help as well. you do that standing still/at the boards.

If you really think the snowplough doesn't work for you, try learning the hockey stop. (I would not recommend the more difficult stops before that. and I'd especially not encourage anyone to do those without a teacher/coach or in a public skate for the first time because... ouchies. nobody in our advances beginners group is anywhere near leving the hockey stop behind soon... most people's waltz jumps are better than their hockey stops on the weak foot! XD)