Skating long program. 4 min.. i need help with stamina.?
Any suggestions on how to get through a long program (4 min). by the way, a 4 min long program is like running a 4 minute mile).....for ice skating. I have good jumps but not very good endurance and stamina so I end up falling on them when I am doing my program. What are good training techniques. I heard jumproping is really good for skaters,is that true?
Answers:
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Stamina is something we all need to work on!These are some of the things I did . . . and it helped me . . . hope can get some ideas from them.
If you can, try to do your program on the ice twice, one right after the other. It's crazy to try to do 8 min but the whole idea is aiming for more than 4 mins so you CAN do 4. If you're not allowed to put on your music twice, then do that 2nd one without the music. Skate over 4 . . . but not to the point where your legs are rubbery and that you can't keep on practicing - you know your limits.
Or the alternative . . . do a lap or 2 of stroking around the rink right after your program. My coach made me do this and many times I could barely do that - ha ha! Huff and puff!
Jump rope IS good. Without any particular technique, just try to jump rope for even a minute - it's tougher than it seems!! Try jumping roping with your program music . . . see if you can last for the entire time . . . if you do it enough times, you'll see where you're pooping out. Make it your goal to last longer each time. And when you can get through the whole music, go another minute . . . same idea as doing your program twice.
The above can also be done with side-to-side steps (kinda like running or jumping side ways both directions) or with any other "exercise" that's similar to skating muscle usage. As long it gets your heart going! I found it particularly useful to do it with my program music . . . I could feel where I pooped out in the music OFF ice "relative" to where I poop out on the ice.
And this has nothing to do with stamina, but more mental reasons . . . put your music on off the ice and go through your program on the floor. Forget stamina here. Do the PERFECT program here. Do the artistry as beautifully as you ever could (you can concentrate on it without worrying about doing all the skating moves right). And walk through your jumps and imagine you doing them perfectly and land them. Remember the feeling of the perfect program and take it to the ice when you practice. I say this because often you know your pooping out limits and you tend to fall on the same moves on the ice because your'e so tired - then you always expect to fall on the same moves. Learn to expect that you CAN do it!!
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It takes time to build stamina.Jump rope is an excellent exercise for skaters as it gives aerobic conditioning, muscular endurance, agility, quickness, timing, and rhythm. However it takes practice and skill to master (do it correctly/efficiently) it.
Cross training is also an effective way to build stamina. Choose activities that complement each other such as weight training and running/cardio, or biking and swimming etc.
I would also recommend you to try aerobics (or ballet/dance).
Choose some of the exercises that you like and do them at least 30 minutes a day (up to 60 minutes).
Don't forget to warm up and cool down (and stretch after the the exercise)
Also remember to eat enough/correctly and have enough rest each day.
About skating the long program. (In addition to doing those exercises to improve your stamina), Try to put your hardest jumps (the ones that are more difficult for you) early in the program (e.g. starting on the 2nd jump). Make sure you land your first jump though (to build confidence and to pump you up). Leave the jump that you are most comfortable (easiest for you or automatic) for the last jump (as you sometime get bonus points for jumps that are done near the end of the program)
Don't over-trained/over-practiced (on or off the ice) within hours (or a day) before your program unless you are sure and comfortable with your stamina.
Hope you'll improve your stamina and have a clean program soon :)
jump rope, hula hoop, swim, dance, run a mile a day. Just keep it consistant and it really helps. Each of these activities increase stamina as well as flexibility. Jump roping is extremly good for skaters, but try doing one or more of the activities above. :) Good luck!
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i have probelms getting through my 2:40 minuite even when i single all my jumps. What helps me is plain old prctice. When i am on the ice, and land a jump i skate very powerfully into another one, and then try to land my hardest jumps when i am tired. Do many run-thorughs, back to back. My coach somtimes makes me do a full-run through, then skate one lap around the rink then land all the jumps in my program back to back. Good luck.What is a good way to book a ski vaction to Chile...who might put together a good package for me?
Double and triple run throughs. Start off doing double run-throughs, and once your double run-through puts you at the same tiredness that you are at now doing the single run-through, bump it up to triples run-throughs.Its sounds deathly, but it works. I was never tired once I got off the ice in a competition. It was like cake-walk compared to a normal training day.
You also need to be doing at least 30mins a day of hard-core off-ice endurance training. Better if its an hour. My fav was getting on this slick board with booties and moving from one end to the other. It mimics stroking, so its probably the closest off ice excercise you can do. I like doing this over the treadmill or jump rope or stairmaster. But those three are also good. You just need to push yourself. My coach always told me if I didn't feel sick, then I didn't work hard enough. (kinda sadistic I know). Jump rope is probably the second best alternative because of all the jumping. But if you are bad at jump rope and you are tripping alot (like me), then you won't get your heart rate up enough to really give you the endurance training you need.
Weight training is also very important. You need to have tons of strength to do everything in ice-skating. Weight training won't help you getting your breathing timing down right, but the strength will make doing things easier for you and will make the program less strenuous.
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