Elon Jessup
Why is it that one person becomes expert in certain sport while another who
tries just as hard for greatness always remains in the "beginner"
stage? You will find this true of almost any sport: golf, tennis, swimming.
And it is especially true of skating. The rank and file of us, of course,
are beginners and there is no disgrace attached to the fact. But merely
through the simple process of adding a little more head work to our footwork
efforts, it is safe to say that there would be many more experts among us.
The main difference between the expert and the beginner is evident in the
fact that the expert never attempts fancy tricks until he has thoroughly
mastered the simple fundamentals of his game. He knows that a building
cannot be erected without a foundation. And during every movement while practicing
the fundamentals and later while making fancy figures, he knows every moment
exactly what he is trying to do. The beginner, on the other hand,
approaches his problems with somewhat muddled ideas as to what he is trying to
get at. He becomes panicky and substitutes much aimless physical exertion
for headwork.
Then comes a certain amount of confidence and the far advanced fancy tricks
appeal to his imagination, so he takes a whirl at these instead of devoting
conscientious practice to the fundamentals upon which the advanced work is
built. Just as the golfing beginner who attempts the spectacular
full swing before mastering the minor shots which lead up to this will never
become an expert golfer, so the skater who spends much time trying to master
fancy figure "eights" without having had the necessary preliminary
practice in the fundamentals upon which these are built will never become a
skater of fancy figures. Neither one knows what he is trying to get at.
The fundamentals of all the three hundred odd movements in the art of skating
are as follows: straight ahead skating, straight backward skating, turns to
right and left, skating on the outside edge forward, skating on the inside edge
forward, on the outside edge backward and on the inside edge backward. I
will explain the meaning of "edge" skating shortly.
After you have mastered these few movements you are entitled to call yourself
an expert at skating. Each of the many dozens of fancy figures that
comprise the knack of figure skating are direct applications of one or more of
these movements.
The first three of these movements I will only mention briefly. As
regards these, very likely you can handle yourself creditably already. In
which case, you know that the secret of skating is balance. This applies
with equal force to plain, straight ahead skating and the most intricate fancy
figure. So it is wise to develop a fine sense of balance early in the
game. Note how easily a wrong movement may completely cripple and destroy
balance, watch expert skaters and see what an important role the movement of the
shoulders plays in skating, how a bent skating leg gives easy spring to the
body.
It might also be worth while to make a mental note of the difference between
walking and skating. While walking, you progress by means of the foot upon
the ground, but in skating all impetus comes from the foot which has just left
the ground. In walking, the ball of the foot does the steering and the
body follows, but in skating when you wish to turn to the right or left, the
shoulders and hips do the steering and the foot follows suit. It is
because of lack of knowledge of this difference that many skaters have
difficulty in making turns. And one can never be a figure skater without
first being expert at turning.
The knack of the plain forward and backward strokes and the turns are readily
acquired by the average skating beginner in a few days or weeks. There are
those who through this accomplishment consider that they have reached the summit
of the art of skating and make no attempt at further advancement. Perhaps
a few stray attempts are made into the realm of figure skating but these prove
so unsuccessful that no further efforts are made to master it. Figure
skating is by no means easy. It requires long and painstaking
practice. But first of all it requires a knowledge of what one is getting
at and the manner of going about it. Or, in other words, the ability to
grasp new principles and combine these with the fundamentals which have been
learned in plain skating.
Let us take up these new principles. In ordinary forward or
backward skating the position of the skate during the greater part of the time
is vertical. That is, the width of the blade is resting flat upon the
ice. But if you will observe closely the movements of an expert
figure skater as he swoops gracefully around in a circle you will note that his
body is tilted and also the skate underfoot is tilted so that it runs on edge
instead of being flat. Only by tilting the skate in this way is it
possible for him to describe the circle.
The type of skates which this expert wears is another important element. Only
with skates of the rocker or figure skating model is it possible to make
progress in the art of figure skating. Although the hockey skate has come
into quite general use for ordinary skating and serves very well in this
respect, it is wholly unsuitable for figure skating. The blade is too
flat. It is impossible to make satisfactory curves with a flat bladed
skate. Hockey skates are all right at any time for plain forward and
backward skating, but when one ventures upon the "edges" so necessary
to figure work, the model should be changed.
In your ordinary straight ahead skating, it is quite likely that you have
been unaware of the presence of edges on your steel blades. If so, the
importance of these is the first thing to be learned when you begin to think
about figure skating. On each skate there are two edges, the inside edge
and the outside edge. The inside edge is the one on the inner side of the
foot while the outside edge is that on the outer side of the foot. When a
skater is progressing on the right foot in a curved direction to the right he is
on the outside edge. When he is gliding on the right foot in a curved
direction to the left he is on the inside edge.
We now come to the remaining four fundamental movements which are the basis
of all figure skating. As previously mentioned, these are, skating on the
outside edge forward, skating on the inside edge forward, on the outside edge
backward and on the inside edge backward. Indeed, while performing any of
these movements you can with perfect truth call yourself a figure skater, for
any one of these might be classified as a figure.
The most logical step by way of introduction to this edge skating is a
movement known as the "outside edge roll forward." This is
similar to ordinary skating in that one proceeds forward across the ice, but
differs from it in that every stroke is made upon the outer edge of the skate
and the marking left upon the ice is quite different. In ordinary straight
ahead skating the mark left after a stroke is the arc of a small segment of a
very large imaginary circle. With the "outside edge roll"
movement, the marking left is a full half circle of smaller diameter.
We will suppose that it is the left skate which gives the "kick
off" for the necessary impetus which starts this movement (the kick off
should always be made with the edge of the blade instead of the point.)
The right skate tilted on its outer edge has started to describe a half circle
to the right from this impetus. The weight of the body is thrown forward
on the right leg and this leg is bent at the knee. At the same time, the
body is tilted toward the inside of the half circle which is being
described. And of great importance, the left shoulder should be pressed
well back. The left foot is carried behind, raised about a foot above the
ice.
While this half circle is being described on the right foot, the left foot is
gradually swung forward, but not past the right until the time comes to bring
this left into action. Then, as the end of the half circle is reached, the
weight of the body is shifted to the left foot, the left skate goes on its outer
edge and describes another half circle off to the left. During this second
stroke, of course, the position of the body and shoulders is reversed. The
left side of the body leans toward the inside of the circle, the fight shoulder
is pressed back and it is the right foot which is carried behind.
As the end of this second half circle is reached, the right foot with its
respective direction and positions again takes to the ice. And so on one
alternates from right outside edge to left outside edge as long as he
pleases. The figure of a skater swooping across a stretch of ice in
this manner is an extremely graceful sight.
The next logical step in the education of the fancy skater is the
"inside edge roll forward." As in the movement just described,
one proceeds forward across the ice, but in some respects its execution is quite
the opposite. Obviously, in this case the skating is confined to the
inside edges of the respective skates.
As in the former movement we will suppose that it is the left skate which
gives the kick off. Similarly again, the right skate is about to
describe a half circle. But at this point there enter important
differences. The curve is described on the inside edge of the skate and
inward I toward the left instead of outward toward the right. Note also
the different position of the shoulders. In this case it is the right
shoulder which is pressed backward. The body leans toward the inside of
the circle and the left foot is carried behind.
The left foot is gradually brought forward and as the end of the curve is
reached it takes to the ice and assumes the weight of the body. Another
half circle is now skated, this time on the inner edge of the left blade.
The position of the shoulders, of course, is reversed. It is now the left
shoulder which is pressed backward. This inside edge movement, like the
former outside edge movement, can be continued across the ice for as long a time
or distance as it suits one's fancy.
The next two steps in skating are the "outside edge roll backward"
and the "inside edge roll backward." It is hardly necessary to
enter into a description of these, for they are in all essentials a duplication
of the two forward edge movements except that they are skated backward.
With the foundation acquired through learning the plain backward stroke of
ordinary skating and the two forward edge strokes, the backward edge strokes
follow fairly easily.
In the above mentioned four "roll" movements, the marking left on
the ice after each stroke is that of a half circle. But the figure skater
must be able readily to describe a full circle. Indeed, he must be able to
make a complete circle in four different ways: that is, on the outside edge
forward, inside edge forward, outside edge backward and inside edge backward
(these, of course, are performed as separate units and not in conjunction with
the roll movements).
The practice which the skater receives in his four "roll" movements
familiarizes him with the manner of handling the edges of his skates, and as a
full circle is but a continuation of a half circle with a little more original
impetus it is not a very difficult matter for him to acquire the knack.
Plenty of practice in describing large circles both forward and backward, on
outside and inside edges, is necessary before one is in a position to tackle
some of the more intricate figures of fancy skating. Either a half circle
or full circle is a fundamental element of every fancy figure skated.
At about this stage of the game, one can launch forth upon the figure
"eight" with some manner of success. An "eight"
consists merely of two attached circles performed on the same edge of the skate,
but with a change of feet. In fact, it would be quite similar to two
consecutive strokes of the "outside edge roll forward" movement except
for the fact that it consists of two full circles instead of half circles.
The figure "eight" can be skated in four different ways: that is,
on either of the two edges forward or either of the two edges backward.
Let us suppose that you wish to use the inside edge forward method.
Describe a complete circle on the inside edge of the right skate, carrying the
left foot behind free of the ice. When about two-thirds through, bring the
left foot slowly forward and at the end of the circle the inside edge of the
left skate takes to the ice and makes a duplicate circle, which completes the
"eight". The balance of the body is shifted, the edge of the
skate turned and the remainder of the stroke is completed on the inner edge
skating backward.
Another figure which is skated throughout on one is the
"rocker." This is something like a three, with one of its half
circles turned toward the wrong way. The first half of the
"rocker" is skated forward and the last half backward, but in both
cases on the same edge. If you start this figure on the right outside edge
forward you skate the last half on the right outside edge backward.
The "change of edge" is a figure well worth learning. This
consists of three circles in a row: an "eight" with another circle
added to it. The method of skating this is as follows: First describe a
half circle on the right outside edge forward and then prolong this into a
complete circle on the inner edge of the same skate. At the end of this
circle change to the left foot and skate for a half circle on the inner edge of
this. Then prolong this stroke into a complete circle on the outer edge of
the same skate. This brings you back to the starting point after having
completed three circles.
A more simple figure to execute is the "anvil." This is
skated throughout on the outer edge of the skate. First make a half circle
forward, then a straight line backward and follow this up by making another half
circle forward in such a way that the two arcs intersect. Four of these
"anvils" skated from a common center leave on the ice the markings of
a very fancy figure known as the Maltese Cross.
These few figures which I have described are especially popular among
followers of figure skating. These are probably warranted to keep any ambitious
fancy skater reasonably busy for some time to come. But after he has
mastered these he need not complain that there are no new worlds to conquer for
there are scores of other figures awaiting the signal from his steel
blades. And let him always bear in mind that each one of these numerous
figures is but an application of the few fundamental movements mentioned earlier
in this article. The obvious moral is that it is wise to learn thoroughly
the fundamentals.
