What to wear inside your skates...

Do you ever wonder what the best thing is to wear in your skates?  Wonder no more!  Wear very thin tights or knee-highs.  Do NOT wear tennis socks, as they constrict your feet inside your skates and cause blisters to no end.  Some of you like to skate barefoot, and that is alright if you don't get blisters from it and don't mind stinky skates.

If you end  up with stinky skates, you can always get one of the expensive deodorizing sprays from athletic stores.  A cheaper option would be Lysol or perhaps you may even want to replace your insole!

Training Log

Some of you may have heard of or even used training logs.  Now the big question is:  Are you using a log right now?  If your answer is 'no' you might want to consider changing your ways.  Keeping a meticulous log of practice sessions can help you adjust your training and give you an overview of your progress.  It can also help you identify some trouble spots much quicker.  Not keeping a training log can sometimes lead to unintentional overtraining which usually leads to injury.
When keeping a training log, it is usually a good idea to keep track of hours skated (incl. time of day that you are skating), jump/spin attempts and outcome (it is usually a good idea for the coach or parent who is familiar with the sport to log that information), detailed program run-throughs and all off-ice training.  Depending on how detailed you are willing to get, you can even keep a sleep and nutritional log.
This is usually done in conjunction of a seasonal plan/periodization which will help you reach peak performance when it is needed.

To get started you will need:

- Notebook
- Pen/Pencil
- An idea on how you would like to organize all the data in your notebook

OR

Buy you own training book at www.peakperformanceforfigureskaters.com

Make sure that if you decide to go ahead and keep a log, it is important to make a commitment of using it during every practice.  That is the best way to troubleshoot issues that you might face during training.

Peak Performance for Figure Skaters 2nd Edition

'Peak Performance for Figure Skaters'
with
Helena Nyman, Uschi Keszler and Celyne Stoudmann-Shull

Includes article 'On becoming a Champion' by Uschi Keszler and FREE Session with Peak Performance Coach Helena Nyman

Gain Laser Focus
Boost your Mental Toughness and Improve your Performance
Workbook * Training Journal * Peak Performance Guide
264 pages, includes Worksheets - Price: 34.95 (& Shipping and Handling)

To order your book, visit:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/peak-performance-for-figure-skaters/18631984?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/2

$10.00/book will go to Charity! ($5.00 for Uschi Keszler's Breast Cancer Research www.PenniesinAction.org / $5.00 for Celyne Stoudmann-Shull's Fight against Obesity through Ice Sports www.AeonIce.org)

This Work Book and Journal is for every Figure Skater who is committed to take an extra step toward EXCELLENCE!


Chapter 1: Your Vision and Dreams * Chapter 2: Commitment * Chapter 3: Goal Setting * Chapter 4: Welcome to the 'Ultimate Goal Setting Guide * Chapter 5: Plan your Season * Chapter 6: Periodization * Chapter 7: Breaking down the Goals * Chapter 8: Laser Focus * Chapter 9: Create a Support Group * Chapter 10: Take control * Chapter 11: Focusing on you * Chapter 12: Stay on Course * Chapter 13: Mental Imagery /Visualization * Chapter 14: Affirmations * Chapter 15: Self Talk * Chapter 16: Key words * Chapter 17: Fear of Success * Chapter 18: Worksheets * Chapter 19: Determination Quotes * Chapter 20: Final Thoughts

Meet the Authors:

Helena Nyman has a background in Psychology. She coached Olympic and World Athletes, Helena's laser focus is on peak performance. Helena speaks in Organizations, Colleges and during special Events, and she has published several books. 2009 she received the Global Artemis Award and was inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame.

Uschi Keszler is a 7-time Olypic Coach and is primarily known for her work with Canadian skaters Brian Orser, Elvis Stojko, and Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz. She is known for inventing "hydroblading". She survived tuberculosis, breast and uterine cancer and founded Uschi Keszler's Pennies-in-Action Cancer Research Fund

Born and raised in Switzerland, Célyne Stoudmann-Shull is a former Swiss National Team member, national and international (ISU) Senior/Elite competitor for Switzerland. She is now a Professional Figure Skating Coach in the United States, the proud owner of Excellence On Ice, LLC and the Founder/Executive Director of Aeon Ice, a Non for Profit Organization that is helping the fight against obesity through ice sports.

Skating Music - How To...

Skating music is a very important part of skating.  It can actually make or break a routine!  When you pick your music for programs, it is important that you look at the skaters' personality, skating style, age and level of skating.  For example it is not a good idea to take a Tango and match it up with a 6 year old  beginner skater.  So make sure you take a good look at the whole picture before you pick your favorite music, and make sure it is a good match.

Once you have the right music picked, it is important that you cut the music to the correct time as required for testing or competition.  You can find the required music time in the Figure Skating Rule Book, Test Rule Book and/or the Competition Registration Packet.

ATTENTION!!!


Sometimes a specific skating level may have DIFFERENT skating music time requirements depending on the competition!!!  So make sure ( TRIPLE CHECK)  that you have the correct music time requirement as you prepare/train for the upcoming competition.

I highly recommend getting your music cut by Hugo the Musical Magician at www.Sk8Mix.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to wish all my american friends and their families a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Blister prevention

Aaah.  You've got blisters again?  Welcome to our beautiful sport of skating where blisters are an everyday problem.  There are a lot of products out there for blisters, but not many work in skates.  So I decided to list some of my favorite products to help you find some of the products that actually work.

Most of you are probably familiar with Bunga Pads which are my favorite to prevent and help heal blisters & lace bite on your ankles.
http://bungapads.com/

For my European friends - Compeed.   This used to be my favorite product when I was living in Europe.  When I would feel the signs of potential blisters, I would use Compeed gel bandaids.  They worked miracles.
http://www.compeed.com/splash.jhtml

For my North American friends - Band-Aid.  There are two good products I like to use.  The first one is the Friction Block Stick and my other best friend is the Advanced Healing Blister pack which are gel bandaids. (Some stores might even have the store brand equivalent that are a bit cheaper).
http://www.band-aid.com/our-products/advanced-protection

Blinded by Hair

As a coach there is nothing that annoys me more then when a skater has her hair all in her face, trying to get it pulled back by redoing her hair over and over again throughout the entire duration of a lesson. It absolutely drives me NUTS!!! Hair in a skater's face not only looks sloppy, it can be distracting,  obstruct the athlete's view, and even cause injury.  Extremely long hair can also throw the skater off balance if not styled correctly, something you don't want when you work on difficult elements.

Here a few a few options:

There are several different styles that can be done with hair.  If a skater's hair is pulled up in a ponytail and her hair can reach the corner of her eyes/eyebrows or nose, then it must be styled in a tucked french braid or a chignon (a.k.a. a bun).  As for the long bangs that are back in style and seem to always hang in a skater's face, use bobby pins!


So how do I get the skaters to fix their hair?  I try to bring it up to the skaters and parents in person.  If needed I even show them how to style the hair if they don't know how.  It is important to let the skaters and parents know the reasons why you are asking them to properly style the skater's hair.

So parents, please don't drive your coaches crazy by letting your skaters blind themselves with hair in their faces.  If you need guidance, I am sure your coach or fellow skating parents would be glad to help you out with some tips.

Check out the link!

How to make perfect buns

I don't need to warm up. I can do it on the ice!

"I don't need to warm up before skating.  I can do it on the ice!"  Does that sound familiar?  I thought so.
I estimate that up to 80% of young skaters don't warm up before they step onto the ice.  That is very worrisome because not doing so could have catastrophic consequences.  It can lead to injuries that haunt an athlete for years to come.  Is that little shortcut really worth an injury that you may feel for years to come?  I  don't think so.  Unfortunately, during my skating career I didn't warm up every single time before stepping out to skate, and one of those few times that I took a shortcut in warming up, it happened.  I tore my achilles tendon.  It took over six months of healing and extensive physical therapy to get back on track. Here we are fifteen years later, and I still feel a lot of pain.  To this day I use therapeutic exercises to strengthen my ankle.

All of that could have been avoided if I would have listened to my coach.  It only takes one missed warm up to ruin your skating career!

So what I like to tell the coaches out there.  If you are not doing so yet, start your kiddos early with off-ice warm up exercises.  The sooner the better, because it will become part of their routine early on in life.

And to all the parents.  I know you have a busy schedule and it is hard to get to the rink on time.  I must want you to make sure you keep your kids safe and healthy.  Is it really worth sleeping in that extra half hour in the morning and end up having your daughter or son injured because they didn't have enough time to prepare themselves off the ice?  Think safety first!  This should become part of their daily routine.

DeMotivational Picture

I think many of you will get a good laugh out of this one.  I found it online.

Ice Time Scheduling

Over the many years of my skating and coaching career, I have noticed some trends when it comes to ice time.  It's kind of funny, because you have two complete different philosophies when it comes to Recreational Rinks and Training Centers.

Recreational Rinks tend to have early morning sessions and afternoon sessions that may sometimes interfere with school hours.  With Recreational Rinks it's about being able to fit in all groups of skaters, such as us Figure Skaters, Hockey, Short`Track/Speed Skating, Public Sessions and other types of Groups that I may not have mentioned.
For parents, especially the ones who work, it makes it extremely difficult to get their kids on the ice.  There is a lot of scheduling involved which leads to the occasional speeding ticket, because Mom/Dad tried to get Susie to the Rink on time after School.  So what can we do about this?  One option would be to Home School, not something I recommend unless tutors are available.  The second option is to work with Management and figure out a way to get the ice time you need by showing them how they can be more profitable by changing the hours to what the skaters need.  Perhaps you are willing to pay a little extra money to skate these "requested" hours in order for the rink to make the profits they need.  With that option a big group of skating parents is needed for cost sharing and planning purposes.

Training Centers tend to have a more structured schedule and usually run more then one sheet of ice.  They tend to have one sheet dedicated mostly for Figure Skating.  You will find that sessions will be more accommodating to kids who attend regular school.  They will also showcase sessions specifically for Elite/Senior level skaters (late mornings/early afternoon), High/Low Freestyle Skaters, Ice Dancers, Pairs, Adults (Noon), and Moves in the Field/Stroking/Spin sessions.  That ensures that skating stays safe for all people involved.  
Training Centers are great for skaters, but tend to be more expensive.  This is also where you find a much bigger community of Skaters that can support the amount of Ice that is available for the sport of Figure Skating.  Without a big community of skaters, Training Centers end up going under due to lack of funds to pay for the ice/staff/maintenance.

So the conclusion I made is this:  If you are lucky enough to be training at a Training Center, then great!  But if your only option is to skate the 5am-8am and 3-5pm freestyles that may be crowded with a whole array of skating levels, then you might want to look into joining forces with other Skating Parents and Coaches to make a lucrative deal with Management in order to get the ice time you want and deserve.

Welcome to my new Blog

Hi!

I have finally decided to open up a blog about skating.  I am hoping to inform and educate people who are looking to get more out of skating.  This blog may be good for skating parents, skaters and even coaches.

The sport of Figure Skating doesn't just involve skating.  There are so many things that play big parts in this beautiful, yet complicated sport.  You have things such as off-ice training, mental training, season planning, music selection, injury recovery, and many more to deal with when you are involved in skating.  I will be covering many of these topics to share my successes and what I learned from my failures.

I hope you'll enjoy reading the posted content.