MITF Workout

This morning's FS session was very quiet, just 2 skaters and 2 coaches. Whee! I got to play my own music! Since Sonya's earlier lesson was canceled she took me a little early.

Today's lesson:

• Edges -- FO and FI edges generally good. I'm getting way too big a lobe on one of them (FO?), and Sonya says I should turn my shoulders in a little more to make the lobe come around a little quicker. Otherwise they are so huge I'm only getting 3 in, not 4-6. Worked extensively on getting a better push on the BI edges -- Sonya wants basically a "crossing-the-T" motion where the soon-to-be-skating foot crosses the other foot at the outset, and a "flick" motion to bring the pushing foot into the skating foot. Beyond that, we worked on getting more tension in the arms on the first part of the lobe (feel like I'm being drawn by the hand). On the BO edges, some of the same principles. I'm still not holding the free foot in front long enough (or, really, hardly at all). Gotta work on that.
  
• FXOs -- We did these in the moves pattern to start with. I'm still tending to chicken out on cross & hold on the CW ones, it's just very scary. We also worked a lot on getting a better first stroke with full extension; I'm tending to shortchange the extension. Sonya wants me to work on just doing the cross and hold, and also just skating on the inside edge with the crossed leg lifted off the ice -- really, I think, if I just do them and hold each position for a bit it will accomplish what we're after. She also told me that to fix my problem in the Move where I have problems getting into position for the 2nd circle after the transition that instead of skating a diagonal between the first and second circle, I should come out of the first one straigher and then make use the first push of the new circle to change direction (basically). It sounds more complicated than it is, but I think it will really help.
  
• BXOs -- These are slowly improving. Sonya had me work on holding the BI edge with the free leg in the crossed position, just to get used to how it feels, then doing the step. I'm feeling relatively upbeat about these.
  
• Waltz jumps -- We had not looked at these in a while. We worked on getting the collect a bit more distinct, with better kneebend and not wide-stepping the step forward so much. We worked on them as a walkthrough for the most part. I can do these really nicely if I just take my time and concentrate. Too often I rush the takeoff prep. I need to hold the LFO edge a little longer too -- again, not rushing.
  

Sonya said that the areas that need the most work now are the 3-turn pattern and the BXOs. That's encouraging. I still have no idea when I'll be able to test; my 3s are still pretty stinky (for Moves) and God only knows when I'll get this darn 1-foot spin (FS). Sheesh.

I have a spreadsheet that I track my time between sharpenings with so I'll have some idea how long it's been and how much wear I've gotten. Sadly, since I got my skates sharpened 8/11 I've only logged 16 hours of skating. I know that I was traveling for 9 days in that time, but I had my skates with me. I'm just not getting enough practice time.