In my last class, my instructor has just started getting me working towards the Toe Loop jump. For that jump, she just wanted me to do the very first part--from a back outside edge (or, just standing; she says standing right now) plant the toe pick of one foot (left since I'm a CCW spinner) behind and "squeeze" the other in and around so that it hooks around the other foot. At speed that imparts the rotation to get fully around when you actually jump. We're not jumping yet, just getting this first part. I've included that now in my regular practices as shown here.

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Picked up our new puppy from the vreeder today. Bernese Mountsin Fog named Heimdal.

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Continuing to work on the edge sequence in my Adult Beginner competition routine. It really is the most difficult part of the routine. It looks so simple, and yet....

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So I was recently diagnosed with "Autism Spectrum Disorder, Level One (what used to be called Asbergers)". This explains some of the difficulties I have been having in the more crowded public sessions on the ice. It also explains my utter obsession with skating (autistic "special interest").

I'm not going to turn this into an autism channel. There are plenty of those. But it's going to come up from time to time since it is a part of me and does affect my skating and my life.

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I've had a competition routine created for me by one of the coaches. Yes, after four years of hard work and dedication I am almost--almost--ready to compete as an "Adult beginner." (Okay, a competition "beginner" is a far cry from a skating beginner.)

One of the reasons I wanted the routine was to start putting various elements together instead of just practicing them in isolation. And, yes, things are a lot more difficult when they're combined. In this video I work on stringing two elements back to back: forward outside edges and forward inside edges. Making a smooth transition from a forward outside edge to a forward inside edge on the same foot is a lot more difficult than it might seem.

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Attempt 2.

Working on spin entries tightening the entry edge. Slowly, very slowly, getting better.

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Working on spin entries tightening the entry edge. Slowly, very slowly, getting better.

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Still working on that upright spin--push off into a forward outside edge and go into the spin. At least part of the problem is that I tend to try to force the spin too early in the edge. Working on that. Then there are the usual balance and stability issues in the spin itself. Still, I'm getting at least one rotation most of the time so, that's progress.

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Yep, spins continue to be my kryptonite. They've now introduced a new mechanic in class and this is from my first practice session after it was introduced. This effort was about typical.

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Just started Waltz Jumps. First practice after a very brief introduction in class. I've got a ways to go yet.
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Unfortunately, the Goth on Ice's daughter has largely taken over his office so he can't do the framing videos he's started doing.

In pre-free-skate there's a technique called "Combo Move." It's done on a circle. Two forward crossovers. Forward inside Mohawk. A "step down" also called a "cross behind". Back crossover. Then back inside Mohawk. And it's done in both directions.

I always had the most trouble with the Forward Inside Mohawk and the "Step down". Those are still the biggest challenges. Being able to do them in isolation is quite different from doing it in combination like this.

Still...it's a shart.

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To support this channel:

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Unfortunately, the Goth on Ice's daughter has largely taken over his office so he can't do the framing videos he's started doing.

The Waltz 8 is an element required for the Pre-Bronze Moves in the Field (soon to be called "Skating Skills") test. I'd learned most of the pieces of it, but as with the Combo Move, putting them together is a challenge. Camera was a little too close so I only got part of the figure 8. Need to set up with a more distant camera in the future, maybe working at the center circle sometime when the rink is less crowded.

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My daughter graduated from high school today. I'm so very proud. I qas going to livestream the ceremony but couldn't figure out how to do that from phone so I just recorded for upload.

I have been struggling with trying to get my Two-foot to one-foot spin, the one element I need to pass Adult 6 and move into the Free Skate program. I recorded my efforts at today's public skate session and...it's been a challenge.

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My old skates were losing their support causing severe ankle pain after relatively short sessions. It was time to get new ones. Unfotunately, new skates take getting used to. Here's my first venture onto the ice with the new skates.

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One of the concerns as we get older is that our bodies don't "bounce" like they did when we were 18. We get hurt more easily, and injuries take longer to heal. Some simple precautions can minimize the time you're off the ice due to injuries.

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Just started working on continuous back outside and back inside edges along a line. Definitely need more work but overall it went surprisingly well.

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In this case "traveling", moving across the ice while spinning, is not a good thing. Oh well. More practice.

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In order to move forward in my skating, that is to move beyond the Adult Basics classes that I'm near completing, I have to learn to be comfortable going backward. So many of the techniques in figure skating start from moving backward on the ice that I have to just get more comfortable skating backward than I have been. And there's no way but practice to get comfortable, which means being willing to be uncomfortable doing it until one is so used to it that it's no longer uncomfortable.

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One of the most common complaints I hear from people, particularly older people, who are interested in skating but afraid of trying is "my ankles are too weak." I've had enough issues with my own ankles, that I fully understand that concern. Here, I show you the means of solving most "my ankles are too weak" problems. So if Ice skating is something you want to try but are afraid because of possible ankle problems, go on and give it a try.

Note, none of this applies if you have injuries or other medical problems that affect your ankle stability. Consult with your doctor before engaging in any strenuous sport such as Ice Skating.

Toe loop tutorial by the incomparable Coach Julia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a3URzAHPGQ

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This is the first time I've tried editing clips together along with commentary using the software I have. I use Bandicam with my webcam and Shotcut as my video editing software.

In any case, this is my progress of two and a half years of figure skating lessons.

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This was I tended as a continuation of my benchmarking before the next round of classes start. However, things didn't go as planned.

Started doing spirals. The idea was to do one leg going across, then the other leg coming back. Then I was going to do lunges, same way, but I didn't get that far.

Coming back on the spiral, just before I reentered the frame, I caught the toe picks of my right skate on the ice. I managed to recover and avoid face-planting, but over corrected and took the fall you see here stressing g my right ankle

I did a slow lap of the ice after picking myself up and the ankle was stable. Nevertheless, I called it a day just to be safe. There'll be other days. Better not to push too hard now and risk a real injury.

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The plan for the day was to take some video of some key techniques that I'm working on for the next round of classes, specifically the things I need to be ready to go into the Free Skate classes.

This set was two-foot to one-foot spins. To be honest, I've done better, but this gives me a baseline to compare progress as I continue to work on it.

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A couple of weeks ago, my instructor introduced us to the first two jumps learned in figure skating--side toe hops (also called side toe taps and thus the title of this video), and bunny hops. she just had us walk through them, not trying to jump yet. I've shown that in previous videos.

Well, today, I felt confident enough to actually try jumping the side toe hops. it wasn't much, and certainly not pretty, but I did get both skates off the ice at the same time. And I landed on my feet and stayed upright.

That makes today my first ever ice skating jumps, what will be the first of many.

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While I've mostly been doing well, this video from a few days ago shows I was just having a bad day with my two-foot spins. This is a technique I've actually passed for level and I'm working on one foot spins. However, this time it just wasn't happening.

Everybody has bad days from time to time. The thing to do is keep plugging, don't let them discourage you, and work through to the better days. If you keep at it eventually your "bad days" will be better than your best days used to be.

In many ways this is a metaphor for life, not that I usually get philosophical here.

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