CigarScott 132 Report post Posted July 31, 2018 So I'm still learning to skate and am fairly competent going forward and can turn, stop, etc. but am still atrocious going backwards. I can do backwards swizzles but can't generate enough momentum to do two foot strides backwards for any kind of length and I'm still not able to do other types of backwards skating. I'm currently on regular 306mm LS2 runners with the default profile on them. My right foot currently is pronating in my current skates which certainly isn't helping anything and something that one of the instructors noticed on me. I do have True skates on the way with LS Edge holders on them and will be putting 306mm Step Blacksteel in them with no profiling. I'm hoping with the extra stiffness and having boots made for my giant, flat feet that allow my feet to be more comfortable and will help. If they don't, are there any tricks that I can do to the runners to make backwards skating easier? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vet88 674 Report post Posted August 1, 2018 You could try a dual profile, say 10' in the front and 12' in the rear. But at the end of the day the only trick is practice. Backwards C cuts, single C cuts, skating figure 8's on all edges etc etc. This is the only way you will improve. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fat Buzz 70 Report post Posted August 1, 2018 As you said, You’re still learning to skate... continue learning to skate, and put some extra focus on learning backwards techniques. The best backward skaters in history, couldn’t skate backwards in the beginning either. Be patient. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bunnyman666 445 Report post Posted August 1, 2018 A profiling would help you in general, but I don’t think there is one to help with skating backwards specifically. Half, if not more of skating backwards comes from your form and posture. @CigarScott have you considered lessons? Lessons took me from being awkward after a 25 year absence to being pretty confident on skates. My backwards skating was abhorrent when I returned to the ice. A few lessons helped me immensely, and I think lessons would help you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CigarScott 132 Report post Posted August 1, 2018 I'm in lessons, technically adult 2 since we haven't taken formal tests but we've been working on adult 3 material. http://www.usfsa.org/Content/AdultCurriculum.pdf I'm also in hockey learn to play which seems to help more since the skate classes are ran entirely by figure skaters and some hings you have to do differently in hockey skates. Since the hockey instructors obviously know how to skate better in hockey skates than the figure skates then it seems to be more beneficial. I do the adult classes more as a couples activity with my fiance. The D league overlaps on monday nights with the adult classes so after this term, I'm moving over to the D league and continue to do learn to play on Wednesdays. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bunnyman666 445 Report post Posted August 1, 2018 35 minutes ago, CigarScott said: I'm in lessons, technically adult 2 since we haven't taken formal tests but we've been working on adult 3 material. http://www.usfsa.org/Content/AdultCurriculum.pdf I'm also in hockey learn to play which seems to help more since the skate classes are ran entirely by figure skaters and some hings you have to do differently in hockey skates. Since the hockey instructors obviously know how to skate better in hockey skates than the figure skates then it seems to be more beneficial. I do the adult classes more as a couples activity with my fiance. The D league overlaps on monday nights with the adult classes so after this term, I'm moving over to the D league and continue to do learn to play on Wednesdays. Awesome! My other suggestion is to do as many free skates as possible to practise your moves, as well! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CigarScott 132 Report post Posted August 1, 2018 1 minute ago, bunnyman666 said: Awesome! My other suggestion is to do as many free skates as possible to practise your moves, as well! We do as many as possible but they're usually so crowded and with so many first time skaters that it's way too dangerous to practice any backwards stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
puckpilot 312 Report post Posted August 3, 2018 IMHO, you should try to reach a certain level before you start looking towards changing profiles to improve your performance. From your description, I humbly say that I don't think you're there yet. I'd suggest working on the basics and drill them in over and over. One of the keys is balance. If you don't have your weight over the right part of your skate at the right time, you make things infinitely more difficult. If your too far over your toes or too far back, you're constantly fighting not to face-plant or fall on your arse. A starting point is getting comfortable gliding backward on two feet with good knee bend and weight distributed evenly across all the edges. How straight a line you can do this is an indicator of how good your balance is. From here move to a one foot glide, and of course c-cuts. I know simple gliding is elementary and probably very boring to do, but its a foundation from which you build your backwards stride. If your foundation is shaky, so will everything else that you built on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueNux 17 Report post Posted August 3, 2018 Just spend a ton of time on the ice, even at a crowded public skate, and take slow, deliberate backward strides to build good habits. My entire skating was learned back when I didn't know anything about fancy hockey equipment and very low-end Vapors (they were like a 2009 model I think that couldn't even swap out runners lol). Most kids growing up did this and it was never an issue. I still could play hockey fine and learned every backward skating maneuver with those old skates (backward crossovers, backward hockey stops, single leg figure 8s, etc.). Just practice and spend time on the ice. Expensive skates and profiling will fine tune a good skater, but will make negligible difference for someone learning the very basics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chk hrd 164 Report post Posted August 4, 2018 On 8/1/2018 at 7:44 AM, CigarScott said: I'm also in hockey learn to play which seems to help more since the skate classes are ran entirely by figure skaters and some hings you have to do differently in hockey skates. Since the hockey instructors obviously know how to skate better in hockey skates than the figure skates then it seems to be more beneficial. Don't start thinking this way for starters. You will learn great edge control and balance from figure skating instructors. Many high level teams will bring in figure skaters to refine top level skater's technique. They are also good at teaching power skating. Everything a figure skater does is based on balancing and their edges plus they have to learn to generate power in short distances. No offense but there is a big difference between what most people feel is "being competent" and what is really good skating. Learn to skate with good technique first before messing with profiles. Learning to skate takes a lot of practice, repetition and falling. IMHO it's better to start with a stock, neutral profile and learn how to skate correctly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CigarScott 132 Report post Posted September 23, 2018 I have finally started figuring out the mechanics in how to do it. I'm not fast by any means but a hell of a lot better than a few months ago. The learn to skate teachers seemed clueless when trying to teach some things to people not wearing figure skates. I learned more about backwards skating in one learn to play class than four months of learn to skate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vet88 674 Report post Posted September 25, 2018 On 9/24/2018 at 10:52 AM, CigarScott said: I have finally started figuring out the mechanics in how to do it. I'm not fast by any means but a hell of a lot better than a few months ago. The learn to skate teachers seemed clueless when trying to teach some things to people not wearing figure skates. I learned more about backwards skating in one learn to play class than four months of learn to skate. If you haven't seen them already, watch the Itrain hockey vids, https://itrainhockey.com/videos/. Just watching Sean skate will make you get better! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Playmakersedge 58 Report post Posted October 9, 2018 Hi Scott, sounds like you are having progress. My advice is: be strict about skating position,, knees bent and over your toes and your shoulders over your knees , feet shoulder width. I would be happy to spend a weekend working with you one on one for nothing. There's two hours of public skating on Saturday and Sunday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
