As a skier for 40 years and a coach for the past 15 years, the deciding factor in skating is the right attitude. It’s something my coach has drilled into me for years. If I had a dime for every time a coach said to me, “Put your chest up!” or “Back of the shoulders!” or “Stand tall!” I’m going to be a really rich woman! The good news in all of this is that they were right. Standing upright is an imperative in ice skating.
For new skaters, if there’s one thing I recommend doing during every move, it’s skating tall (aka: “Stand up tall!”) Skating tall means:
1. Maintain soft knee flexion at all times,
2. Keep an arch in your lower back,
3. Keep your shoulders back, and
4. Keep your chest lifted.
Did you get all of that? And you have to do all of that, at the same time, all the time! Not just sometimes — really, I’m not kidding, all the time. I know and know and hear you. There’s a lot to remember when you’re learning to do your push-ups, learning a course, or running your new program, but it makes all the difference in the world! Here’s how…
The simple act of dropping your chest (a big no) changes the weight on your blade. When you drop your chest, it puts more weight on the front of the blade causing you to scratch the toe with the toe shovels – not an inviting sound when delivering a nice program. Straight knees (another big la-la) have the same result.
Did you know that on average, about 50-60 percent of a program for a new skater is stroking and footwork in preparation for jumps and spins? it’s the truth. Of course this ratio changes as you become a better skater when you can perform bigger jumps and longer spins, but a good proportion of time for new skaters is stroking and footwork. If you’re hunched over, that’s 50-60 percent of the time your performance looks like, well how can I say this so sweetly, “ICKY!” Yes, that’s a formal training term (kidding). But seriously, there’s nothing worse than watching a skater deliver smooth jumps and spins in a program and the rest of the program look “lousy” because they couldn’t lift their chest. And remember this – nothing drives your coach more crazy! I’m just saying…
Conversely, when a skater stands tall, spectators see a confident and competent person. A skater with strong stroking, footwork and maybe just a decent jump and spin is more fun to watch – from both the spectator seat and the bus. Overall, the program feels more polished because it flows. And yes, the judges may score you better in competition and in the freestyle skating tests! I’ve seen it happen over and over again!
One last thing, for all the snowboarders out there – please, for the love of God, stand tall! And to all the coaches out there, you owe me a ten (or twenty) cent!