As a skater for 40 years and a coach for the last 15 years, the one critical factor in skating is correct posture. It’s something that my coaches drilled into me for years. If I had a dime for every time a coach told me, “Get your chest up!” or “Shoulders back!” or “Stand up tall!”, I would be a really wealthy woman! The good news in all this is that they were right. Standing up tall is imperative in ice skating.
For newer skaters, if there is one thing I recommend throughout every single move it is to skate tall (aka: “Stand up tall!”) Skating tall means to:
1. Keep a soft knee bend at all times,
2. Keep an arch in your lower back,
3. Keep your shoulders back, and
4. Keep your chest up.
Did you get all of that? And, you have to do all of that, at the same time, all of the time! Not just sometimes– really, I’m not kidding, all of the time. I know, I know and I hear you. It’s a lot to remember when you are learning to do your crossovers, or learning a spin, or running through 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-no) changes the weight on your blade. When you drop your chest, it puts your weight more on the front of the blade which causes toe scratching with the toe picks-not an attractive sound when delivering a beautiful program. Straight knees (another big no-no) have the same result.
Did you know that on average, about 50-60 percent of a program for a newer skater is stroking and footwork in preparation for the jumps and spins? It’s true. Of course this percentage changes as you become a better skater when you can perform bigger jumps and longer spins, but a good percentage of time for newer skaters is the stroking and footwork. If you are bent over, that means 50-60 percent of the time your performance looks, well how should I say this nicely, “ICKY!” Yes, that’s an official coaching term (kidding). But seriously, there is nothing worse than watching a skater deliver smooth jumps and spins in a program and have the rest of it look “icky” because they couldn’t get their chest up. And, remember this- there is nothing that will drive your coach more nuts! Just saying…
Conversely, when a skater stands up tall, the spectators see a confident and competent individual. A skater with solid stroking and footwork and maybe just decent jumps and spins is much more pleasant to watch- from both the spectator’s seat and the coach’s. Overall, the program looks more polished because it flows. And, yes, judges may even score you better in competition and on your freeskate tests! I’ve seen it happen over and over again!
One last thing, to all you skaters out there– please, for the love of God, stand up tall! And for all the coaches out there, you owe me a dime (or twenty)!
