. . . we all fall down
It was a nice skating session today - Monday seems much better than Friday for skating. The Dancing On Ice people didn't turn up for most of the session either, so the ice wasn't cordoned off till quite late. I was a little disappointed though, as Torvill and Dean were rumoured to be turning up today, but they didn't!
Skated for about two hours today, practicing edges, forward chasses, backward skating, backward one foot glides and lots of forward stroking.
Had a slight accident though - although not quite the "Click of Death" that Mandi commented about on my last post! I had been practicing forward crossovers CCW and they were going well. I was getting my toepicks well out of the way (pigeon toeing my back foot in) and they felt really controlled. I am not so confident going CW, but made myself do it, otherwise they will just lag further and further behind. And they weren't going too badly! Until . . . and I don't know how it happened . . . it could have been the "Click of Death" but events are a bit hazy . . . I was flailing around on the ice and then crashed onto my back, cracking the back of my head on the ice as well. Ouch!
I sat there for a while on the ice to catch my breath and to make sure my head wasn't about to fall off, and then skated slowly to the side and got off the ice. Luckily no nausea, blurred vision or headache, so I don't think I am concussed!
If anything, what this has really highlighted, is that I still need to work on falling. When I do fall (and this was the first time in three months), I still tense everything up and look like a human windmill. I need to learn how to relax more when I fall - but how do you practice something like that?!
I was tempted to stay for the afternoon session as well, but thought it would be better to go home. I particularly wanted to stay when a group of teenagers started asking me for tips on skating - I so wanted to stay and help them to skate! I think that there is an inherent teacher in me somewhere!
So, still feeling a little delicate, but okay considering. My neck is quite achey. This does mean that I am going to spend some time practicing crossover positions off ice though!
12 comments:
Hope you are feeling OK today Amanda - it sounded a really nasty fall. One coach told us to go all floppy when we fall - a bit like one of those toy wooden animals where you push a button at the bottom and the threads come loose and it collapses. I often wonder if you ever have time to actually think about it. Touch wood I've only had one bad fall and like you I was flat on the ice before I knew about it.
CCW forward crossovers are so difficult because your body seems to want to turn in the other direction which seems to put you off balance so easily.
Thanks Jane - I am a bit sore today, with a achey neck and sore spot on the back of my head. Just sitting quietly at my desk waiting for the end of the day!
I know they say about going floppy, but having the theory and doing in practice I have found are very different things as I think we naturally try to fight falling. Never mind - I am sure that you get plenty of opportunities to practice this as you progress up the "Skating Ladder"!
Oof, poor you. Sounds like you gave yourself a minor case of whiplash from your head snapping back and forth. I've done exactly the same, so I recognize the symptoms!
3turn
p.s. - a day or two after it happened, i woke up and literally could not lift my head off the pillow without using my hands to support my head, my neck muscles were so trashed. freaked me out good and proper! just a heads up... heehee... no pun intended.
3turn
I was wondering about the whiplash as my neck was getting more sore by the end of yesterday. Luckily this morning it doesn't seem to bad.
Skating lesson tonight anyway - let's go and beat that fear of repetition!
Amanda! be carefull!
after watching several hundred people skate round every day outside my window I now consider skating to be very dangerous. But strangly amusing when people fall over! [only becasue i remember when that used to be me!]
Jen
p.s Torvill and Dean were at Somerset House on that monday. Trust me, I had my head sticking out the window :-)
Thank you Jen! I am learning that skating is a dangerous sport and I have to resign myself to the fact of injuries.
Much like karate where I have seen my fair share of broken toes / fingers and bloody noses. Not to mention the skin ripped off the bottom of my own soles!
At least I didn't miss T & D at Ally Pally by leaving early in my confuzzled state!
I'm rather surprised you've only fallen once in 3 months. While there's no particular virtue in falling (I don't subscribe to the "if you aren't falling, you aren't trying" theory), I would expect a beginner to fall fairly often, certainly a lot more than that. No wonder you've not had practice!
They always say "fall like a rope, not a board". It does get easier, but the only way I know of to really get better at it is to do it more. There are times when fighting a fall just makes it worse, and really, it's not that bad usually (although hitting your head IS bad).
Good luck and I hope you are better!
Thanks Gordon! I can only attribute not falling to 11 years ballet training - so I am quite "spacially aware", and also to the fact that I did some figure skating when I was about eight. Although I didn't remember techniques per se, I have some muscle memory of straightforward skating. And for that I am truly grateful!
I *am* sorry, Amanda! You will be all right, but it would certainly be wise to see a doctor. I've gotten to know mine fairly well. :-) As adults, we really must take extra measures to protect ourselves. I really am considering the new Ribcap...I'm just waiting for a US supplier.
Thanks Lisa - luckily (sometimes!), I am an osteopath so am pretty good at knowing when I need to see someone.
It was one of those times that I rued not having a boyfriend at present to massage those aching muscles in my shoulders though!
:-)
trust me, even if you did have a boyfriend there is NO guarentee of back rubs.
Trust me. I read the small print on my contract. twice. ;-)
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