Saturday, January 24, 2009

Technique: Who is RIGHT and who is LEFT behind?

Help! During a skate session, I was sitting by a coach who was putting their skates on, and talking about how some other well-regarded coaches are teaching incorrect technique. They complained that one coach has their skaters put their hands down low doing a jump. And another coach has their skaters' put their toe behind and across their front leg going into a jump - but really it should just be directly behind.

I have never skated myself, and I don't know these things. When my skater had to change coaches, the new coach(es) had my skater retreat from doing doubles and re-learn single jumps with a different technique. My skater HAS improved, but the original coach had told me that where my skater is now (more height and strength) would come in time, and with repetition and practice, and maybe it would have. Getting to the same place, just from a different route.

In another skater's situation, when they moved to our club, the new coach also changed a skater's jumps when they took over their training, and had them re-learn just about everything, explaining that what the skater was doing was fine for doubles, but that technique would never hold when the skater started to do triples. That coach has trained many champions, so who is going to argue? The skater started from scratch and spent a year re-learning everything. The skater is now doing great, by the way. But would the skater be doing as great with another coach, with a different method? There are a number of schools of thought...

As a matter of fact, if you want to add a coach to your line up, (maybe a jump coach, or a choreographer, let's say, that you've noticed getting really good results with other skaters,) many times your current coach will discourage those certain other coaches that you think are good, claiming that they teach differently and it would only confuse your skater. So, no, they will tell you -- don't take from that coach -- try this coach -- and they often go on and recommend a coach that falls in with their method. It's "coach etiquette" that you get permission from your primary coach before you do anything with any other coach, including off-ice.

So, which coach(es) is/are "right" and how do you know, especially if you yourself are unschooled in skating? And even if you are knowledgable, every coach has a different opinion. Is there a best approach? Is my skater learning correct technique? Will I be told, if we change coaches at some point, that my skater needs to re-learn everything (again) RIGHT, from foundation up, or my skater will be LEFT behind? It's scary, considering the cost of training and the age of the skater, to think about this. Because even if your coach is getting excellent results NOW, what about the skater's foundation for later work, as I "heard" (granted from another skate mom who has put her already excellent skater with this "championmaker" of skaters) talk about? And remember, I also heard the other excellent coach complain about some very well-regarded coaches' methods, along with a story or two of how one "ruined" more than one skater's perfectly good jumps...

Reputation doesn't always tell all it seems... The very first "tot" coach my skater took lessons from apparently doesn't have a good reputation, and it reflected on my skater's reputation, even now, many years later (Who's your coach?)

So, HELP -- I don't know what to think or which coach is worth the investment of so much time and money. Anybody getting ready to switch coaches? What are YOUR feelings, knowledge or experience? And who do you trust -- how do you decide who to trust your skater's future to?

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