Saturday Zoo

I went to the public session today, and it was even more zoo-like than usual... very crowded, and by 2 or so the ice was really bad, even in the center of the rink where it usually doesn't get as bad.

I worked on my homework from yesterday, although I didn't do a lot of backward skating since it was so crowded. I did a lot of work on my hockey stop, and while I wouldn't say that I'm stopping from great speed yet, I have definitely improved it. The key is to get down in the knees more (amazing how listening to your coach can be helpful :-)). Bending the knees as you skid you both feel more stable (lowering your center of gravity) and you can push into the ice to get a faster stop. Progress!

I worked on my FO3s. My RFO3 has deserted me again; I think it's just a matter of not getting full rotation and failing to commit to the turn. The session was kind of distracting so I didn't worry about it too much for today, but I'll try to go on Wednesday night and work on it more.

I also spent some time working on my RFI Mohawk, and it is improved. The key to this is that I remembered Anna saying I needed to have a better entry edge. Previously when I'd done it, it was a fairly shallow edge and I had a lot of trouble. Sure enough, once I tried it on a deeper edge I got much better results. I tried some LFIs too but they aren't coming yet.

I'm finding that my Saturday sessions are not the most productive. They are very crowded and it's hard to get good work in. Still, I will probably continue them since I have the time for them (usually) and it's better than only skating twice a week, at least somewhat.