Training To Do It Wrong

Today I went in to practice and realized that I've got something wrong with my CCW back crossovers. I can't get the legs to scissor properly. The outside leg just doesn't want to cross in front of the inside leg. CW works fine. No problemo.

I gave it a few tries. Sat deeper on the edge. Worked my upper body position. Tried it on a circle. Tried it alternating with CW back cross. No go.

So I stopped practicing them.

I know. I know. There's this mantra of "practice till you get it right." But what if you don't get it right? What good does practice do?

If you fail over and over again, the same way, at the same task, you run the risk of training yourself to do it wrong. Practice is supposed to wire your brain to do a skill, so you can do it fluidly and naturally without thinking about it. Practicing a skill wrong, programs your brain to do it wrong.

Fortunately, I have a lesson tomorrow with Madam Mim. We'll work through it and she'll tell me how to fix it.

This is why we have coaches. Sometimes, we have non obvious reasons why we're failing a skill.  My coach has to look at what I'm doing wrong, and work with me to correct whatever position, edge, or other error I've worked into habit. Then fix it.

And hope I remember it....When I practice.

Chatty Cathy

As a child I craved a Chatty Cathy doll. If you haven't heard of one of these, they were early talking dolls. Pull a ring on her back and it would repeat one of 11 recorded phrases.

Unfortunately, some of the adults who talk to me at the rink are just like her--but they won't shut up.

I'm there to practice, and I'm willing to stroke around a couple of times to catch up, but last week a woman I barely know verbally clung to me for a quarter of an hour talking about her party plans. I actually had to leave the ice and go home to get rid of her

Yes, please tell me more about the cake for a party I'm not invited to

I even had an 8 year old stalker once. She trailed me around the rink for a half hour saying, "See my spin!", "See my spiral!"  "See my other spin! Is that a back spin?"

See my yawn.

Kids are easy to get rid of. Keep moving and don't make eye contact, or say "Your mom is here for you."

Adults are a little trickier. I usually use, "Well, I won't keep you from practice." and skate away.

But there's a lesson here. I never talk to a person more than two trips around the rink, then I use my 'I'll let you practice' line.

Some people are there to socialize, some to skate. Make sure you know which one you're talking too.

Adult Practice Ice--

So, for the first time, I stayed after my group lesson and went on adult practice ice. This is really an adult public, but it's only an hour so everyone on it is in the adult group classes beforehand.

When I skated at Hockeytown Rink, there was practice ice before the group lessons and it was populated by little kids and adult skaters. I've mentioned before that practice ice with little kids is particularly scary, They're all speed and no control.  You may remember the path of a typical little kid on practice ice:

Now, here is the path of the typical adult on practice ice:

  

You'd think it would be a pleasant evening of deliberate practice with like minded adults on a well groomed piece of ice.

No. Sorry. It's worse than little kids.

A. Everyone is taller than I am

B. Even the beginner skaters are faster than I am

C. The adults are so big I can't squeeze between them like I can the kids.

D. If one falls on me---well it's not good for me

E. All the men in hockey skates are going backwards and not looking where they're going.

F. None of them know any ice etiquette. They just claim the space they're flying into and don't look.

I can't believe I'm getting nostalgic for little kid practice ice. At least there I could see over the kid's heads, and I was faster than some. 

The one amusing thing that I saw on ice was a tough looking guy with tattoos, wearing a hockey shirt with the name of the local Hockey Hero on it. Then I look down to his feet, and he's in figure skates. Whoever you are, you go guy!