Ice skating as preperation for the ski season

[LuliTheYounger]

As for edge control and balance.. my BOF fore/aft balance was awesome.. and way to many hours doing figures (circles) where the whole idea was edge control and being able to skate perfect circles on the inside or outside edge of the blade.. sometimes with brackets } and sometimes with loops at the top and bottom of the figure 8. You'd be judged on a perfectly clean sheet of ice by 3 judges who'd get down on the ice and examine when edge change happened or if your blade scuffed..

My coach grew up in the compulsories era with you and good god can she spot an edge mistake; I swear everyone that came out of that system has freaky super eyes. She's basically retired to coaching beginners but she still scares the bejesus out of me once in awhile by calling mistakes when she's on the other side of the rink & I thought she was coaching someone else entirely. Like trying to skate with an eagle hunting you, I swear.

 

[WheatKing]

Kids today have it easy.. LOL I remember renting the rink (the whole thing) at 5am.. two hours of flat out skating. .school, chores and then more ice time at 7pm.. I can't watch it on TV.. it bothers me to no end.. big deal, you can land a triple axle, but on the landing your dragging a pick.. or dragging a pick anywhere.. drives me nuts..

 

[scott43]

Kids today have it easy.. LOL I remember renting the rink (the whole thing) at 5am.. two hours of flat out skating. .school, chores and then more ice time at 7pm.. I can't watch it on TV.. it bothers me to no end.. big deal, you can land a triple axle, but on the landing your dragging a pick.. or dragging a pick anywhere.. drives me nuts..

Curmudgeon...

 

[ella_g]

I totally disagree with those who claim skating isn't a workout. If you really get going its just like skate nordic skiing ... My family is from Holland and my grandmother always told these epic stories about skating on the canals all day and how there were little huts where you could get pea soup or hot chocolate. Miles & miles. It sounded amazing, she & her brother & sister and I bet all the kids loved it .... I grew up next to a pond and skated a ton & played hockey / mop hockey with friends, and figure skated until I started doing team sports in middle school. My kids all skate and luckily in the winter our next door neighbors who we share a back yard with are a hockey family and they build an ice rink in our yard every winter (surprisingly easy & relatively cheap). My kids skate & play hockey on nights they don't have ski practice. I play hockey w/ them sometimes and I get wicked sweaty & tired & Im in pretty good shape. The rapid acceleration, speed, change in direction, etc. It might not be just like skiing but my sense is that any physical activity helps in some way with any other physical activity. Cleaning off the backyard ice rink, with the dog .....

 

[cantunamunch]

I totally disagree with those who claim skating isn't a workout. If you really get going its just like skate nordic skiing ...

There is a technique limit / plateau you may not be aware of - it takes intermediates a lot of dedication to stroke work and practice to get past it. It has nothing to do with athleticism - it is simply not having the body mechanics to put the power to the surface.

Usually plateau-ed skaters have good glide and decent edge control and excellent balance - but can't get their HR up even to slow-medium run levels. So every skate becomes just dieseling along...

 

[luliski]

There is a technique limit / plateau you may not be aware of - it takes intermediates a lot of dedication to stroke work and practice to get past it. It has nothing to do with athleticism - it is simply not having the body mechanics to put the power to the surface.

Usually plateau-ed skaters have good glide and decent edge control and excellent balance - but can't get their HR up even to slow-medium run levels. So every skate becomes just dieseling along...

My limitation recently has been toe picks. After 45 minutes of going in a circle and recovering from pick catches multiple times, I will eventually wipe out. It's very alarming to the college-aged rink staff to see a middle-aged woman crash like that.

 

[cantunamunch]

My limitation recently has been toe picks. After 45 minutes of going in a circle and recovering from pick catches multiple times, I will eventually wipe out. It's very alarming to the college-aged rink staff to see a middle-aged woman crash like that.

At least no one is running out to give you a mercy pair of hockey skates

 

[Wilhelmson]

Anyone playing hockey without sweating must be playing goalie.

 

[LuliTheYounger]

There is a technique limit / plateau you may not be aware of - it takes intermediates a lot of dedication to stroke work and practice to get past it. It has nothing to do with athleticism - it is simply not having the body mechanics to put the power to the surface.

Usually plateau-ed skaters have good glide and decent edge control and excellent balance - but can't get their HR up even to slow-medium run levels. So every skate becomes just dieseling along...

I think there's a lot of limitations in public skate sessions, too. I spend most of my practice sessions burning energy on drills, but at publics even I end up just meandering in circles and trying not to get in anyone's way. If you're comfortable enough skating forward on two feet, it definitely gets to the point where just doing public-speed laps isn't going to push anyone that hard, especially if you're self-taught and aren't really running drills.

 

[scott43]

Anyone playing hockey without sweating must be playing goalie.

Meh most goalies I play with get pretty sweaty..they do wear a lot of equipment and a lot of them play butterfly style now which is a workout..

 

[scott43]

Hockey is a pretty tough thing to generalize on.. A lot depends on how good you are compared to who you're playing with, what your objectives are and just plain how good a shape you're in. Hockey isn't really exercise as Primoz said..I generally agree with that..however, you can play it as though it's a workout but you need to go in with that mindset and have team-mates who are understanding.

 

[CalG]

There is a technique limit / plateau you may not be aware of - it takes intermediates a lot of dedication to stroke work and practice to get past it. It has nothing to do with athleticism - it is simply not having the body mechanics to put the power to the surface.

Usually plateau-ed skaters have good glide and decent edge control and excellent balance - but can't get their HR up even to slow-medium run levels. So every skate becomes just dieseling along...

That limit is not in my experience. 4 or five 'hot laps, and my legs go rubbery and speaking, but in gasps, would be most difficult.

 

[CalG]

Anyone playing hockey without sweating must be playing goalie.

Try getting up from a sprawl three or four times as quickly as you can, AND THEN tell us about the 'no sweat' goaltender.
It's not an easy position, and you don't get to throw a leg over the boards to get your replacement onto the ice.

 

[luliski]

At least no one is running out to give you a mercy pair of hockey skates

I wish they rented hockey skates that fit me there. Their hockey rentals are made for fat feet.

 

[scott43]

Try getting up from a sprawl three or four times as quickly as you can, AND THEN tell us about the 'no sweat' goaltender.
It's not an easy position, and you don't get to throw a leg over the boards to get your replacement onto the ice.

What's the name of that goalie who had to drill holes in his skates to let the sweat out??

 

[scott43]

I wish they rented hockey skates that fit me there. Their hockey rentals are made for fat feet.

Hey I resemble that remark!!

 

[luliski]

Hey I resemble that remark!!

This is at a school with a women's hockey team. They should have hockey skates that fit women too, right?

 

[LuliTheYounger]

This is at a school with a women's hockey team. They should have hockey skates that fit women too, right?

Ma, they have rental hockey skates for anyone of any gender, just as long as they have fat feet

 

[scott43]

What's the name of that goalie who had to drill holes in his skates to let the sweat out??

Ahh...Khabibulin..the Bulin Wall...and he got traded to Arizona...fail army!

 

[scott43]

Ma, they have rental hockey skates for anyone of any gender, just as long as they have fat feet

She's sexist, right?!?!