Can anyone learn triples if they dedicate the time and $$? | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Can anyone learn triples if they dedicate the time and $$?

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
The thing about triples is that to do them, your body needs have the strength, athleticism and fitness to execute them properly, and this can only be developed through off-ice conditioning. If your body feels like a noodle it'll be hard to get the snap needed to rotate and lift yourself in the air (unless you're a tiny skater who can spin super fast a la Lipinski or Miyahara). Your body needs to feel like one of those thick rubber bands, strong but a bit flexible to allow a controlled "snap" in movement as you jump.

When I was younger, triples were way easier because I was leaner and had a stronger core (did a lot of off-ice conditioning as part of skating). I got my 3S and 3T back last year (not very consistently though), but only got it after deciding to try working out at the gym almost 4-5x a week, and committing to getting my body into the right shape for it, meaning stronger core and legs in particular. It's super hard to stay in shape (especially into your 30's) but still doable if you commit to it. There's a "big girl" at my rink who has a lovely 3S, and while she doesn't have the most slim physique, she's still young (early 20's I think) and her legs are exceptionally strong (she constantly practices getting her doubles higher and more "open" as in less pulled in)... reminds me of Ito/Osmond. You can't just practice doubles and pull in tighter hoping to get a triple, you need to make them bigger (at this point they should be jump-jumps and not lifting off the ice a few inches and spinning quickly). Develop huge, effortless, controlled doubles (even your waltz jumps, go in with more speed and height), and gain more muscle strength and spring through plyometrics, squats, and pilates, and a triple might be closer than you think. Good luck! :)
 

fenway3

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Most kids who start skating by age 7 and train hard for 10+ years will not succeed at mastering triples.

Can a good coach tell, after a few years (or maybe even less time) of observing a young skater, whether he or she has the potential to master triples? In other words, does a child have to train like a total maniac for 10+ years before finally concluding, "You know, maybe I'll never really get triples after all!!"? ;)
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I'm not a coach. I'll let those who are answer from a coach's perspective.

I see kids at the rink all the time, and sometimes one stands out as having strong clean double jumps and solid skating skills even at preliminary/prejuvenile level. Those are the ones who are more likely to go on to learn triples.

But if the kid is going to become very tall and/or very curvy as a teenager, then body type might make it harder for them to do even the jumps they could do as preteens let alone add new ones.

It's not necessary to have a very compact body, but if that's your natural body type it will certainly help.
 

Arwen17

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 20, 2017
And she already had solid triples in her youth.

Which proves nothing about whether it would be possible for an adult who had never landed triples before to learn them for the first time as an adult.

Yeah, she almost had a 3axel in her youth. Now she's only doing 3sal and 3toe because she doesn't want to push to get all of the other triples back. She's keeping herself in amazing shape, but 3toe and 3sal is "retirement" for her, not "progress".
 

sk8chis

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
I don’t mean to make it seem like I want it more for her than she does but I was just genuinely curious because she says all the time that she wishes she could skate more and i always ask her why she doesn’t, to which she replies “if she got a coach, they would probably make her go back and fix all her doubles and then work triples” as if it was like the worst thing ever, and i kinda giggle cause she’s probably in the best position to do so. she’s young, physically fit, since we work at the rink the availability of ice time and coaching is more prominent (and cheaper) than would be most likely everyone else. We are students so there’s that, but for me it’s easy to make myself get up and skate because it’s almost no effort in my part. we leave my skates at the rink so all i have to do is wake up and go (which is pretty close by. 10 min walk) I mean, this is every skaters ideal opportunity [emoji23]
 
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