This week I was able to meet with the lovely Sushi who has offered to help me learn the necessary skills I have to have to pass tryouts.
Sushi is the awesomeness!
We met at the rink, and put on our skates. She had me deliberately take a knee, to prove I trusted my gear. This was hard for me. I have been a bit of a chicken since that first fall, since I managed to completely avoid my $200 protective gear and bascially sprain my butt. Eventually, I was able to take a knee on purpose.
We also worked on posture. I have been bending wrong. Gotta strengthen those thighs, beacuse MAN, correct posture is harder than I thought. I did manage to get in a few laps in the correct posture, with a proper stride.
We worked on stops. More specifically, I was informed that I can't just hit things to stop anymore. (I actually knew that, but have been scared to try real stops). I have the general idea on toe stops, and get the theory on T-stops. Plow stops I had already more or less figured out, but just need the strength to actually DO them.
She gave me a few exercises to work on to strengthen my legs and help me get up faster when I DO take a knee, or two, or faceplant. I have been working on some of these and boy are my thighs burning. I didn't realize how lame and weak I had let myself become.
I haven't even put my skates back on this week, due to an insanely busy work week, but I plan to work those stops when next I skate. I also have yet to even contemplate trying a crossover. *shudder* No. I can do it!
Faith and fear. I still trust that I can learn these skills and make the league in October, but I still have that little jerk of a voice trying to tell me I'll never learn it all in time. I just stuff that little bitch back down and skate a little harder.
I can't express how much I appreciate Sushi's help, there is absolutely NO WAY I would be able to teach myself all of this in time. She is an awesome friend and I hope I can live up to her expectations and example.
You said you haven't put your skates back on, but have you been doing the leg exercises?
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for you!!!
Some of them. I haven't done the fall/rise thing with my pads on, but I have been doing serious squats and lunges. I plan to skate sometime this weekend, I just have to make the time.
ReplyDeleteyou're so lucky that you someone to work with you! and you're doing much more than I am as far as off skates training... I very much need to work on that!
ReplyDeletepads are awesome... fall forward, trust your pads.
xx
I heart Sushi. She is awesome. I have a lot to learn. SHe will skate next to me and nip at my heels like a friggin' chihuahua. "Get lower!." "Quit skating with your tits!" " Faster!"
ReplyDeleteWhat are some of the exercises she gave you to strengthen your legs? I actually have a post about that coming up!
ReplyDeleteANd don't be nervous about crossovers... one thing that helped me "learn" was just by _watching_ other people do it. Notice how they move their legs, and where on the track (just before the turn usually) they start their crossovers.
I like your blog! I was in your position exactly one year ago, and our experiences seem familiar.
thanks for the compliment Short! I love yours too! As for leg excercises, she has be working on wall squats, planks, and lunges. I am supposed to be practicing getting up from one-knee falls, and grapevines on skates (to help with the unreasonable fear of crossover). I think my biggest challenge right now is fear and I am working on getting over it. If I can get past that, I could be one hell of a powerful blocker, and imposing too, because I am amazonian in proportion (read: huge)
ReplyDelete