Smile and the World Smiles with You: Frown and you'll Trip over your Toepick

There's magic in your smile. It can help you skate better.

Miss Bianca says, "I can tell you hate your right inside mohawks. You frown. From now on I want you to smile when you do them."

So I smile and do a right inside mohawk. It's not a miracle but the turn is more stable and I don't have the choppy foot switch I do when I frown. Instead the foot switch is smooth and the transition to the back edge is easy.

It turns out there's a method in Miss Bianca's madness. instructional technique.

Frowning is Bad for You. But Smiles Are Good For You.

When you frown its an indicator of anxiety. Anxiety tightens the muscles of your jaw, which also tightens the muscles in your anterior neck. When your neck muscles tense it pulls your head forward and you tend to hunch your shoulders.

Frowny Face
(I like the costume and hair)

Guess what happens when you frown. Head and shoulders move forward, pulling you forward on your rocker. That leads to....

(Leg Warmers are coming back!)

So you're now struggling to stay off the forward part of your blade so you lean back, and that can make your skating choppy and reduce glide.

When you Smile, you relax your jaw and your posture (head and shoulders) improves. There's less of a tendency to hunch and tense up. You also tend to keep your head up and that leads to better arm and shoulder position. You're also better positioned over your blade, so you'll skate smoother and won't have to struggle as much to keep your edge.

So there's you're easy peasy skating tip for the day!

If it' works for you: KEEP SMILING!

If it doesn't work for you, send me angry comments!