It is getting colder in my area and, now that the time has changed, it is getting dark quite early. However, sunny days are still perfect for bundling up a bit and continuing to play outside in your Off-Ice Skates!
If you have questions about the equipment needed, take a look back at my earlier post about what you need to get onto the asphalt or concrete and practice your ICE skating Without having ICE!
And, don't forget to use the safety gear recommended there!
Last time, we talked a bit about the Swizzle. This time, I’m focusing on the crossover and I thought it would make sense to discuss how we move ourselves forward in the world of figure skating. In other words:
Progression and the process of learning
The C Push
I made this GIF to show the level of progressions within movements like a cross over. I’m wearing an old set of Pic Skates with a pair of my Graf Figure Skates, BUT the same can be done with regular roller or inline blades. For the “feel” closest to figure skating, I definitely recommend Off Ice Skates. They have a uniquely shaped rockered chassis that is more similar to figure skates than other brands.
Take a close look at the GIF. Do you see that it is very similar to the movement of the swizzle? This is where our discussion of progression begins. As in most learning processes, we learn the foundations before moving forward, but what does that mean in relation to figure skating because most of the "tricks" and "elements" feel like they are something completely different and separate from one another?
The C-Push seen here is an isolated movement of the swizzle that takes into consideration a combined normal stroke and a swizzle motion. There are levels of isolation that come into play: like the isolation of the standing leg hip flexor, the standing leg knee, the free leg extension, and more. If you had the time to practice your swizzle, you will realize that the biggest difference is that we are doing the push and pull movement , or contractions and extension movement, only on one side.
Why is this important?
It may seem obvious, but consider that a crossover is a basic skating movement yet its foundation technically combines the isolated movement of 7 – 8 other movements! That is why it is important to start with good basics, learning from someone with the expertise to properly teach the foundations.
The process of learning in skating can be a long and arduous road, but it's much like the learning process of life. The hardest part is trying to remember all the pieces and combine them together into one goal or endpoint. Using this success, we then build upon it to learn the next, more difficult and complex combination.
When you are progressing, oftentimes the hardest barrier in skating is the one that goes from head to body. Sometimes it is an easy transition, sometimes it is much more difficult. Some days feel like they are two steps forward with six steps back. Others feel like you have been moving 10,000 steps forward from day one. What is most important at the end of each day, and in the heat of every frustrating moment, is to understand the foundations of what you are trying to achieve. Rather than just doing an element to do an element, it is important to learn the element, understanding how the fundamental movements involved make the movement come to fruition. Overtime, this creates more consistent learning.
Bringing this back to skating vs. a philosophical discussion…
Back to the crossover: This is a movement that takes time and extensive practice to perfect and it is sometimes not until the movement is done properly that it is fully understood.
A method to help in the leaning process is to write everything down that comes to mind for the movement. Put the list in order of the actions you take to complete the element. For example, not just writing "Crossover," but writing bend knees, twist core into the circle, heels together, sizzle push with outside leg, etc.
As you progress, the writings will become shorter and list only the aspects that need to be remembered. Those are the ones that take a bit longer to “connect” from mind to body. Soon enough, they will all be ingrained in the action and it will be instinctual as you take to the ice. “Muscle memory” will take over. Practice makes perfect, but practice also takes practice.
Watch this video for more on the crossover. You can use it to develop your learning process for this element. Don’t hesitate to contact me with questions!
If you want to practice with me, you can find me at some of the locations listed in my earlier post. If you want to learn to do this on the ice, you can reach me at Codey Arena in West Orange, New Jersey.
I hope this discussion brought different insight and perspective to your learning. There's much more to learning than "Just Do it." Although just doing it is sometimes the best approach, it is often better to be focused on the outcomes as you practice, as its the process that makes the progress and the progress that makes the product.