I've not skated in like a week.

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Well, it's Christmas time and most kids are out of school, so the rink goes from about a dozen people or less (some days it's like 3 people or even zero) during public session to about 50-100. So it makes actual practice hard, and I don't have money for freestyle sessions (publics at my rink are basically free) which are like $10-15 a pop.

Last year, at this time, I'd have gone anyway despite the huge amounts of people. Hey, it'd still be fun, right? Yeah, you know, it would be. It's still skating, I still enjoy it even if I can't "practice." But at the same time, with all the people, it's hard, as it makes me ponder my existence really. You see everyone else. Everyone goes and does it not because they have some weird Aspergers obsession with getting random bodily motions perfect and being "better," but because it'd be a fun thing to do with their friends. Nobody goes skating alone. Except me. Everyone does it with their girlfriends or boyfriends, or they have a large group of friends they bring skating just because it's a fun activity for a large group of friends to do. I have a few friends, that I've bought skating maybe 1-3 times, who didn't really like it. I have a few acquaintances, all older than me (like in their 30s at least) at my rink that I have small talk kinda things with at the rink.

So the hardest part going this time of the year isn't quite that the ice feels like skating on gravel because of all the people, or the people in general being a nuisance, but it reminds me how I'm different than others, and it makes me feel bad. As I said in another Haven post, one time I was skating, and besides one couple, everyone else at the rink besides me was all apart of their own group. People take giant group pictures of eachother, and seem to be having such a ball, and then I'm...alone.

But skating is so fun that it's bester to do it alone and work on your moves than to skate with others as a social thing.

What are you working on in skating? Do you do any jumps or spins?

I haven't skated in a long time. I love it verry merry berry much.

Just edging currently. 3 turns mostly. I can do not so great waltz jumps, too. No spins. No real coach either, due to no money.

Skating is a rich man's sport. For perspective, USFSA for their coaching scholarship, the criteria is you have to be under 18 and have a household income of less than $200,000 per year.

I learned skating on my own too. Last times I skated, I was working on 3 turns and not so great waltz jump too. I also tried toe loop and salchow, but they were really not good. I didn't work on spinning yet. I am conflicted about which direction to spin and confused about how to use the edge while spinning. These are things that I'd need a coach for, probably. But definitely too $$$$$$$. But it is fun just to skate freely around the ice without lots of people around. I used to go to my school rink at 7 am, when there were only me and a couple of other nutjobs there.

Cheer up knives; I'm here to argue with you.

I don't think this is exactly correct. Everyone who's attained any grace on ice has spent plenty of time skating alone. As a child I skated with friends. But I took figure skating as a PE credit in college and loved it. So in order to actually master some of the stuff I was introduced to in the class, I practiced at the rink alone (alone as in, I went to the rink on my own) just as you do.

But, yeah, I know what you're saying. Hey, Knives, Christ is born!

Well, I'm taking an unorthodox approach and using lots of strength training to help my skating. It's very weird, because I can forward stroke on the level of people who are basically professionals due to that. It's the typical male mentality of "GRR ADD MORE POWER" I guess. Where the mentality comes from is actually Bruce Lee talking about martial arts, his critique was that traditional martial arts schools would concentrate very much on technique, but not the body. I see the same sort of mentality in skating.

As far as I understand for spins, from what I've been told, spinning you're not supposed to actually think about edging. More just keeping things near the toe. Also one thing I think I'm doing when I attempt spins/jumps is I'm rotating wrong. Like I'm supposed to be rotating clockwise?

Basically my strategy is get good edging, and do lots of strength training. Then when I go for the jumps, I'll have power for them, as the jumps mainly come down to power. One thing I was neglecting was sufficient upper body training, though. I squatted and deadlifted to make my legs and back stronger, as that was most noticeable on the ice, but it's the upper body that helps the rotations. According to Charles Poliquin, he's known figure skaters that could do triple axels that only had 18 inch vertical jumps, it seems to be a lot about getting sufficient power horizontally, not vertically. Supposedly most triple and quad jumps are actually lower in height than a single or double jump, but longer. My "coach" (random old dude who I bother asking questions) said the weightlifting would be good for skating. He also said of people who don't learn their edges "They're setting themselves up on the fast track for mediocrity." So my goal for now is just good edgework, then when I get a coach I can concentrate on the jumps and spins. Edging seems to be the foundation, and without it built up sufficiently, you cannot build anything.

Me personally, I'm looking to pass Adult Pre-Bronze MITF test. Currently what really needs to be worked on is back inside edges.

Lastly, one strategy that really helped me that everyone gives me s**t for and says I'm crazy for is the way I sharpen my blades. I'm a 190 or so pound male. I get anywhere from 13/16" to 15/16" hollow on my skates. I tried some speed skates once, they're completely flat ground, and I really liked the feel of them. Also, back in the days of compulsory figures, people would go from an inch to two or three inch radiuses on their blades. The shallower the edge, the more glide you get, and to a point it's easier to control what the edge is doing on the ice. When I was on vacation I talked to another male adult skater who told me he used 7/8, noticed he was like the same size as me, and also on vacation a sharpener told me he'd recommend like 3/4 for me. But I started with 1/2, and gradually ramped up to 15/16 on my old skates. On my new skates (Edea Concertos with MK Professionals, yay!) I decided to try 13/16 as it'd be winter and the ice would be harder. But I had a couple days back on a "traditional" 1/2 or whatever grind when I first got the blades (got them used) and it was torturous. Basically, I believe most people could benefit from a shallower hollow unless they're really seriously jumping and having the blades come out from under them on jump landings. Also, 1/2 might be good for a 100lb girl, but why should a 190lb man have the same hollow as a 100lb girl?

Oh well, I could ramble on forever about this. Oops.

I've tried skating before. It was not pretty. Know that one kid that everybody else points and laughs at at the roller rink? He skates better than I did. I don't know why, but for some reason I'm terrified once wheels are on my feet (or ice blades). It's almost like a lack of control feeling, although I know that skaters have control, it doesn't feel like it when I tried it. I tried skateboarding before too and just can't do it.

If you have something you like to do that you're good at, keep at it.

I love to skate, and I've ice-skated alone (I have no compunction about going anywhere alone, really).

Last month I hit my head while skating, though, and got a concussion. That's put me off it for a while.

I hope you get back to it!

Yay, skated today. Back to normal levels of a dozen or so people.