Hey everyone, Happy New Year! Today is the first day back to Learn to Skate, and I hope you all are just as excited as I am to get back on the ice and learn new skills.
This week I decided to focus on crossovers, one of the basic yet most important elements of figure skating. I begin every Learn to Skate lesson with forward and backward crossovers, and I often receive complaints from my students. "What is the point of crossovers?" they ask me. I can relate to the annoyance they feel about practicing crossovers every session, as I also despised them when I first started skating. However, it is important to understand that crossovers are a necessity of skating- all skaters including elite athletes and professionals need to know the proper technique of crossovers. Crossovers give you speed, help you transition between elements and are the leading element into every jump and spin. It is so important to properly do crossovers in order to acquire good basic skills and become a strong skater.
Take time this weekend to watch the US National Skating Championships and notice how much every skater uses crossovers throughout their programs.