#boringbasics

Ok sure, you watch other skaters work basics all the time or maybe you’re also working them and you just find them boring. I’ve been there and dealt with it, there were some skills I absolutely detested and didn’t see the purpose of, so I just refused to work them. That didn’t end well, when it came time to throw those skills into sequences or they were absolutely necessary when it came to jumps and spins, I had made things harder for myself. Working your figures or footwork (the easier term) can be very fun, you just have to know how to set yourself up for the steps.

Everyone has a different view of what fun is, especially when it comes to the ice. You might be a huge fan of running through your edges and three turns down the axis of the rink or pushing through your crossovers around a hockey circle, while also trying to dodge the people who are just down right rude. No one ever said that you had to stay true to what your coach or some random person on the internet instructs you to do. Mix and match the skills you’re working on. Put them into sequences so you’re not just focusing on one skill at a time, this becomes way more fun when you have the freedom to do different sets of moves in one sequence. So here’s what you could try.

Outside edge and then change to inside edge, following the length of the arena.

Outside edges to inside three-turns and vice versa.

Forwards swizzles to forward slaloms (this can also be done backwards.)

Forwards cross overs to either one slalom push or a swing roll, into opposite direction crossovers to either inside or outside three-turn, then push out.