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INTRODUCTION:POISE
The two basic prerequisites for attaining Perfect
Skating Poise are:
Perfectly Balanced Posture and
Perfectly Coordinated Bio-mechanic Position Sequences
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Contrary to apparent popular belief, skating with a
portruding chest and bottom, with the corresponding arched
lower back, combined with a jutting chin on-high, wearing a
Robbie Williams smirk is DEFINITELY NOT Perfect Skating
Posture!
Perfect Skating Posture is achieved when skating
in balance over the skating foot in an anatomically correct
UPRIGHT POSITION WITH A FLAT BACK.
Lunging forward with a
leading chin way in front of the skating foot is only
applicable for Speed Racing (on horseback, bikes and speed
skates).
Perfectly Coordinated Bio-mechanic Position
Sequences when skating are often based or inspired by
classical ballet positions, port de bras, arabesques and
attitudes.
But not ONLY!
The influence of modern &
jazz ballet, ballroom & folk dancing, have produced
amazing examples of Perfect Poise in a wide variety of skating
styles.
Perfect Poise is in itself not sufficient to
compensate or camouflage bad choreography or an uninspired
skating performance presentation.
Perfect Poise is not
something you add at the later stages of rehearsing a program,
as some sort of veneer to cover up obvious technical
imperfections.
Perfect Poise implies the firm intention of
skating at all times this way, whilst warming up, practicing,
learning, "walking thru" or "marking", rehearsing and
performing. It does not only apply to basic forward and
backward skating but at all moments: step sequences, turns,
jumps, spins, lifts,etc.
Last but not least, in order to
guarantee absolutely breathtaking Perfect Skating Poise: do
just that: BREATHE!
Don't hold your breath hoping for some
miraculous inspiration to take over in order to create skating
magic. The only INSPIRATION you need is the one followed by an
EXPIRATION. Simply breathing out and breathing in to the
rhythm of Life.
Bad breathing habits will not only
counteract Perfect Skating Poise but will diminish the most
basic technical merit and presentation.
To keep it simple
at first I would suggest to breathe in through your nose and
breathe out through your mouth.Gasping for air like a goldfish
blowing bubbles is definitely a NO-NO!
Breathing IN for
spirals, jumps and lifts is obvious to all, I hope.
At the
risk of sounding redundant, I'll say it any way:
The only
way to maintain Perfect Skating Poise is to maintain INNER
MENTAL (Emotional and Spiritual) POISE.
Concentrate on HOW
you are skating in a relaxed and reflective manner.
Strutting your stuff with an arrogant attitude will not do
the trick!
TRUE POISE implies an impeccably elegant
technique and above all a sincere celebration of the JOY OF
SKATING.
a)STEPS &
TURNS
b)JUMPS & SPINS
TECHNICAL FIGURE SKATING:
http://oasis.dit.upm.es/~jantonio/personal/patinaje/
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