Teaching the wife to skate

[jjtt99 0]

Hi folks.

The wife wants to take another try at ice skating. Unfortunately, the first time she ever went she fell pretty hard and hurt her tailbone (for the record I wasn't there). Now she wants to try again so I want her to be better prepared.

Using some or all of my gear isn't really an option (not to mention she refuses to touch it) so I thought something like this could work.

http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/viewlarge.html?PCODE=CPF10G

This girdle plus a helmet and normal elbow and knee pads could do the trick.

I don't know anything about this girdle so I'm taking a chance but it looks okay. What do you think?

Also, does anyone have any experience on the best way to teach your significant other how to skate?

Cheers,

JJ

Edit: Inserted link to larger product photo.

[Chadd 916]

The best way to teach your spouse to skate is to have them take lessons at the rink. I know from experience.

[hip check 0]

That is akin to teaching her to drive a manual transmission car. Not worth the hassle in my opinion! Will be best for your marriage to let someone else give the instruction... - you - her

[Jason Harris 31]

Based upon teaching my daughters to skate, the girdle looks like a great idea, as well as knee or elbow pads.

I don't think we put our daughters in pads for the first couple of public skates and they just about wanted to quit, since they'd lose they're footing with such force that they'd crash hard on either their fannies or knees. Once we put them in pads, they weren't so scared to try.

The other thing I learned while teaching my wife to skate is don't use figure skates. My wife found hockey skates much easier to learn on.

[ktang 34]

Interesting topic!

From my marriage and what I've seen from others, don't try to teach the spouse how to ski, golf, or skate unless your bond is very strong! Hopefully your teaching style matches her learning style, too.

My wife has a bony tailbone, so she would put extra feminine padding in that area. She also used elbow and knee pads.

So, the way I taught my wife how to skate (over a decade ago!) (d'oh!):

(i) Standing on the rubber mats, shift side-to-side, one skate to the other, skates pointing straight ahead;

(ii) Same as (i), but on the ice, with the arms out but bent for balance;

(iii) Same as (ii), with the skates now in a "V". The new skater should be able to move very slowly forwards now;

(iv) Practice with the "skating scooters" to get a slightly longer stride and to get used to more speed and looking up;

(v) Same as (iii), except now with a little more speed and longer glides along straight lines;

(vi) Same as (v), but turning the head and shoulders to initiate gentle turns;

(vii) Same as (vi), with the "skating scooters" to get used to tighter turns;

(viii) Same as (vi), with more speed and tighter turns;

(ix) Snowplough stops; and

(x) Same as (iii), with the skates in an inverted "V", to move very slowly backwards.

Proper stance, bent knees, tight turns, forward to backwards pivots, c-cuts, crossovers, hockey stops, backward stops, etc. she learned by imitation after that.

[ktang 34]

That is akin to teaching her to drive a manual transmission car. Not worth the hassle in my opinion! Will be best for your marriage to let someone else give the instruction... - you - her

I taught my wife how to drive manual, too, just after we got married. D'oh! Good memories. :D

[Sven 1]

Is it common in the states to drive manual ?

Everytime i went on vacation there i saw automatic cars and just a few, mostly european, with manual transmission.

Here in Europe everyone drives manual, in my opinion its not that boring and a bit more interesting

[ktang 34]

Is it common in the states to drive manual ?

Everytime i went on vacation there i saw automatic cars and just a few, mostly european, with manual transmission.

Here in Europe everyone drives manual, in my opinion its not that boring and a bit more interesting

I'm from Canada, but I work for a US company and we used to do longer-term postings in Europe. We had some Americans who had never driven manual before trying to get automatic rental cars in places like Norway and Germany, but they weren't always available.

I think the majority of cars in the US are automatic.

[jjtt99 0]

Salming brings up a very good point -- figure or hockey skates??

I think figure skates have a longer blade, therefore, less of a rocker so they could be more stable.

On the other hand, the shorter blades of hockey skates make them more manoeuvrable.

Hmmmm.

[ktang 34]

My wife had figure skates, but kept tripping over the picks. So we got some microns when I started teaching her.

[MissConduct 1]

lol you guys are funny :D

good thing I can skate better than my husband

oh wait

he's a goalie :D

[jjtt99 0]

Hey Chicky come back! Did you start in figure skates or go straight to hockey skates?

Have you tried both? If so, what's the differences?

Sorry to stereotype a bit here, but I think the odds are better that women hockey players are more familiar with figure skating then men.

JJ

[MissConduct 1]

Hey Chicky come back! Did you start in figure skates or go straight to hockey skates?

Have you tried both? If so, what's the differences?

Sorry to stereotype a bit here, but I think the odds are better that women hockey players are more familiar with figure skating then men.

JJ

I was straight to boys skates.. I wouldn't skate in anything else.. then again I had 2 brothers :D

[Drewhunz 3]

I think the majority of cars in the US are automatic.

Well, how else are we supposed to eat our lunch, drink a Starbucks, smoke a cigarette, talk on our cell phone, and change the radio station. ;) What, you want us to change our own gears too. Where does it end. Americans as a whole don't appreciate driving as a privilege, instead it is a tool. However, nothing is more satisfying than a perfectly timed double clutch in my dad's '65 Jaguar E-Type Convertible.

[Eazy_b97 1]

Here's the way I'd do it. I've worked with early skaters, but never beginners. First thing, get used to the skates. Whether they are ice or figure. If she wants figure, thats fine, but I'd personally get the sharpener to take care of the toe pick (I doubt she'll be doing triple axels anytime). From there, hold her hands have her more her feet forward and back, feel her edges. Stay with her, help her stay upright, she will lean completely forward. Take your time, theres no hurry. Try and center her weight. Work on here edges, just get her to roll over so she feels them. She'll pretty much figure out how to move around, and from there, just build confidence with her, and such. Give pointers, but be VERY UPBEAT, never say "do this", always, "I can't believe how well you are doing, your better than I was when I started, what really helped me improve was working on (insert tip here)".

Good luck, and if your having trouble, seek professional help.

[Norm 0]

Here's my half cent. I say "half" because I'm not married, never taught someone to skate, and am just starting myself.

Don't teach her yourself. Let an impartial professional do it. Find a place,if possible, that offers lessons for different levels at the same time, then meet up later for public. I got that advice from a column where someone was asking the same question, but about skiing. The idea is that, first, teachers have seen beginners a thousand times over and know how to reach them; what worked for you may not work for your wife, but you only know "your" way. Second, you won't bear the brunt of her failures and there will be many at the beginning; without you there she may be more willing to take risks which is essential whenever you try somethng new. Third, even though you're apart during the learing process, the after class public session gives her a chance to show off what she's learned. That's the most important part in my opinion. Its her little secret until she's ready to say "Check this out" and you're like "Whoa, babe! Sweet!!"

As for padding, I was watching some figure skaters tear the ice to pieces during practice one day and was like "Man they got some BIG butts!" It wasn't until I watched the same poor little girl, trying some jump, fall hard on her BIG butt (and get up) before I realized that she had a special tail bone pad designed just for that occurance. Your wife may not need even the lightest of hockey girdles at this point, especially if it hinders her ability to get the "feel" of skating.

Talk to the figure skating teacher. They really are the pros. There's a reason even 300 pound football players take ballet and it ain't because they look good in tights. :P

Just my .005 of a dollar.