Tuesday's Lesson 4/4
First, let me say that I am sooooo thankful for the warmer weather. It's finally approaching a decent temperature in the unheated rink. I wore a thin 3/4 sleeve shirt over a skating dress and was not cold after my warm-ups!
Today's lesson started with a full run-through of novice mitf.
-I had a little trouble with the 3turn pattern. On the counter clockwise pattern, I was hesitating between turns. On the clockwise pattern, it took me 3 tries to get the end pattern placed correctly. Coach K said that she saw improvement though. The turns are flowing much better clockwise. In fact, I'm starting to prefer the clockwise direction which is normally my nemesis. I just need to work on placing the end pattern correctly, and maintaining flow (which I have when I really think about it).
-The quick rocker sequence went fairly well. I still feel like I'm losing a bit of speed by the end of the corner, but Coach K thinks they are ok. She would like to see more stretch, a straighter knee, and better toe point on the free leg during the forward perimeter xover stroking between the rocker end patterns.
-Coach K likes my counter patterns. These are one of my best novice moves. She would like to see a bit more knee bend before the forward counters. We also changed the entrance to the RI counters. I'll do 2 crossovers instead of the one that I had been doing. It gives me more speed and flow into the first turn.
-Coach K also liked my slow rocker pattern. I've figured out how to get the pushes on this pattern, and she noticed. I still need to straighten the knee and point my toe on the free leg though. I also need to move my entrance farther into the corner so that I can keep my lobes bigger. Right now, I'm squishing the last one just a little.
-Coach K likes my spiral pattern as well. She said that it had good speed and flow. The extension is ok. The only thing I need to work on is the step from LBO spiral to RFI spiral. I need to get my free foot closer to my skating foot when I step to make the beginning of the RFI spiral steadier.
-My brackets are also fine. The only thing I'm supposed to work on is the transition from the LFO set to the LFI set.
Overall, she thinks that I have a shot at passing. I still think she's nuts - nobody passes novice on their first try. In practice, she wants me to focus on speed and presentation of the moves. She thinks all of the turns/edges are fine. I just need to have a little more confidence/attitude, and I should fit right in with the other kids who have passed the test. I really hope she's right because I turned in my test form/check today.
The second part of today's lesson was learning how to use the buzzer to train my air position for multiple rotations. The buzzer is a thick black strap that you velcro around the boot on your landing leg. On the outside upper ankle area is a buzzer that 'blings' when you hit it. The idea that you should bring your free leg in and hit the buzzer when you jump. You have to listen for the 'bling' to make sure that your ankles were crossed in the correct position. This is a great way for me to work on eliminating the wrap that I've noticed creeping into my jumps. Coach K had me try waltz jumps which were fairly easy after a few attempts, loops which I didn't quite get, and double loops which I also didn't quite get. The waltz jumps were really educational though. I had to really feel the lift, turn over, pull in motion in the legs (not to mention controlling the upper body, especially the L shoulder). Another thing that we discussed was pulling in the free leg for rotation. I really shouldn't think of it as a backspin in the air. For the backspin, the leg starts high and then pushes down. That can encourage wrapping in the air. I have to hit what is called an h position (free leg in front, toe turned in) and then pull directly into the D position (rotation position with feet crossed & space between the knees which should make me hit the buzzer). I should not at any point have to slid my free leg down to hit the buzzer. These were neat things to think about. I'm going to have to find a buzzer to sew into my over the boot tights...
Today's lesson started with a full run-through of novice mitf.
-I had a little trouble with the 3turn pattern. On the counter clockwise pattern, I was hesitating between turns. On the clockwise pattern, it took me 3 tries to get the end pattern placed correctly. Coach K said that she saw improvement though. The turns are flowing much better clockwise. In fact, I'm starting to prefer the clockwise direction which is normally my nemesis. I just need to work on placing the end pattern correctly, and maintaining flow (which I have when I really think about it).
-The quick rocker sequence went fairly well. I still feel like I'm losing a bit of speed by the end of the corner, but Coach K thinks they are ok. She would like to see more stretch, a straighter knee, and better toe point on the free leg during the forward perimeter xover stroking between the rocker end patterns.
-Coach K likes my counter patterns. These are one of my best novice moves. She would like to see a bit more knee bend before the forward counters. We also changed the entrance to the RI counters. I'll do 2 crossovers instead of the one that I had been doing. It gives me more speed and flow into the first turn.
-Coach K also liked my slow rocker pattern. I've figured out how to get the pushes on this pattern, and she noticed. I still need to straighten the knee and point my toe on the free leg though. I also need to move my entrance farther into the corner so that I can keep my lobes bigger. Right now, I'm squishing the last one just a little.
-Coach K likes my spiral pattern as well. She said that it had good speed and flow. The extension is ok. The only thing I need to work on is the step from LBO spiral to RFI spiral. I need to get my free foot closer to my skating foot when I step to make the beginning of the RFI spiral steadier.
-My brackets are also fine. The only thing I'm supposed to work on is the transition from the LFO set to the LFI set.
Overall, she thinks that I have a shot at passing. I still think she's nuts - nobody passes novice on their first try. In practice, she wants me to focus on speed and presentation of the moves. She thinks all of the turns/edges are fine. I just need to have a little more confidence/attitude, and I should fit right in with the other kids who have passed the test. I really hope she's right because I turned in my test form/check today.
The second part of today's lesson was learning how to use the buzzer to train my air position for multiple rotations. The buzzer is a thick black strap that you velcro around the boot on your landing leg. On the outside upper ankle area is a buzzer that 'blings' when you hit it. The idea that you should bring your free leg in and hit the buzzer when you jump. You have to listen for the 'bling' to make sure that your ankles were crossed in the correct position. This is a great way for me to work on eliminating the wrap that I've noticed creeping into my jumps. Coach K had me try waltz jumps which were fairly easy after a few attempts, loops which I didn't quite get, and double loops which I also didn't quite get. The waltz jumps were really educational though. I had to really feel the lift, turn over, pull in motion in the legs (not to mention controlling the upper body, especially the L shoulder). Another thing that we discussed was pulling in the free leg for rotation. I really shouldn't think of it as a backspin in the air. For the backspin, the leg starts high and then pushes down. That can encourage wrapping in the air. I have to hit what is called an h position (free leg in front, toe turned in) and then pull directly into the D position (rotation position with feet crossed & space between the knees which should make me hit the buzzer). I should not at any point have to slid my free leg down to hit the buzzer. These were neat things to think about. I'm going to have to find a buzzer to sew into my over the boot tights...
posted by Jennifer @ 11:45 AM
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