Teaching young kids to skate

[habernac]

Originally Posted by alan21

Install fear into the little guy... Chase him with a hockey stick! He's gonna learn really fast.

LOL! Totally off topic, my son was at a birthday party a week or so ago. someone thought it would be a good idea to set the little monsters loose in the basement with an assortment of tiny hockey sticks. Most of the kids came running up the stairs in tears. Mine was laughing. That's my boy!

[missdpuck]

Where's Locke with his two bits? He's an expert with kids.

[Kipper is King]

Originally Posted by missdpuck

Where's Locke with his two bits? He's an expert with kids.

Where's your green text?

[missdpuck]

Originally Posted by Kipper is King

Where's your green text?

Hmmm why do you ask?

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by missdpuck

Hmmm why do you ask?

Because Locke doesn't raise kids, he eats them!

[missdpuck]

Originally Posted by Kipper is King

Where's your green text?

Well okay I put a bag over my head.

[Kipper is King]

Originally Posted by missdpuck

Well okay I put a bag over my head.

I guess that'll do.

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by conroy22

I have coached CanSkate with different Figure Skating Clubs for about 6 years now, with ages ranging from 3-10 ish. I have been helping with Lethbridge's KidSkate this year and I teach 3-5 year olds a few times a week. When kids are that young, its either they get it or they don't. One thing I would recommend is to not use bob skates, and I have never given a kid a chair, because they become dependent on them, and as said before, with bob skates they become so used to having their weight spread out over 2 blades, that you almost have to start all over again when they learn with only 1 blade, but that also depends on the skater. As for trying to teach these kids to stand up and be able to skate on their own does take some time. We are half-way through our season and I still have kids that want to hold my hand, can't stand up no matter how many times we remind and show them how, kids that throw temper tantrums because they don't want to be there, but it all depends on how they adapt to skating, as they all learn at different paces.

Proper skating instructions are always important to enforce because if not they cause really bad habits in the future, but with this age group we focus more on correctly standing up, picking their feet up off the ice and not sliding them, pushing from the sides of their blades and not their toes, keeping their arms and head up, and obviously trying to keep them standing and not falling down. I'm sure you're son will pick it up, it just takes some time. Where/Who are you getting instructions from?

I have to concur with your methods.
When I starting coaching, it was best to let them just do it. Picking themselves up off the ice is a fundamental necessity when learning to skate. let your child progress at their own rate. Some say that 3 is too early while others say whenever they are ready, let them go.
Whatever you do, dont hurry a child up before they are ready.

[Danijam]

If anyone has any more tips on the proper instructions to give kids I would really appreciate it. I took my four and five year olds out today and it was exhausting since they're both very new to skating. They wanted to keep trying in spite of lots and lots of falling, so I'm proud of them both. Unfortunately they do the running on the spot thing then topple over either forward or back... though admittedly it did get better towards the end. We did that for three laps and my back and muscles still ache - and that was WITH those red pushy things. I'd just love to know more about what to tell them that won't mislead them. I'm pretty sure 'stick your butt out and hold that red thing really tight' doesn't qualify as good advice.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Danijam

If anyone has any more tips on the proper instructions to give kids I would really appreciate it. I took my four and five year olds out today and it was exhausting since they're both very new to skating. They wanted to keep trying in spite of lots and lots of falling, so I'm proud of them both. Unfortunately they do the running on the spot thing then topple over either forward or back... though admittedly it did get better towards the end. We did that for three laps and my back and muscles still ache - and that was WITH those red pushy things. I'd just love to know more about what to tell them that won't mislead them. I'm pretty sure 'stick your butt out and hold that red thing really tight' doesn't qualify as good advice.

An intro class would probably do wonders for learning how to get up and balance, etc. We did City of Calgary classes for the first time and was really happy with the instruction and results I saw in my 5 yr olds skating ability.

[Danijam]

Originally Posted by Wormius

An intro class would probably do wonders for learning how to get up and balance, etc. We did City of Calgary classes for the first time and was really happy with the instruction and results I saw in my 5 yr olds skating ability.

Good advice. I signed them up for intro skating at our neighborhood rink and they start in mid-January. Maybe I'll stop trying to reinvent the wheel and wait until they've done a few lessons before we venture out again. Good to hear you were happy with the results. Thanks!

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Danijam

Good advice. I signed them up for intro skating at our neighborhood rink and they start in mid-January. Maybe I'll stop trying to reinvent the wheel and wait until they've done a few lessons before we venture out again. Good to hear you were happy with the results. Thanks!

Yeah, our son hated skating despite all our previous attempts. Being with other kids and having an instructor who seemed to know how to teach the fundamentals did the trick and he was gliding around on the ice without even knowing it.

[Bill Bumface]

Is it bad I'm reading this thread hoping for tips for myself? Those that have seen me on skates understand why....

[HitterD]

Damn you for bumping this thread. For just a minute, I thought Chris Lindberg was back.

[ma-skis.com]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Is it bad I'm reading this thread hoping for tips for myself? Those that have seen me on skates understand why....

I've been on youtube trying to figure out how hockey stop for the last year.

Not sure how people learned how to secretly learn to skate as an adult without youtube.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by ma-skis.com

I've been on youtube trying to figure out how hockey stop for the last year.

Not sure how people learned how to secretly learn to skate as an adult without youtube.

I figured out how to stop pre-youtube as a teenager with a postage stamp of a rink in the backyard for one winter and many bruised tailbones. The internet is way better.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Fotze is procreating!?

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

I figured out how to stop pre-youtube as a teenager with a postage stamp of a rink in the backyard for one winter and many bruised tailbones. The internet is way better.

The tailbone painage is what stops me from being more experimental with trying to improve crossovers and hockey stops. I think as a kid, maybe falling on your butt must hurt a lot less than as an adult.

[burn_baby_burn]

I highly recommend CanSkate. Like others on here, I tried to teach my son to skate when he was two which was basically a waste of time. Not much better at age three. This fall we put him in CanSkate at age four. Picked it up like nothing in the first class and hasn't looked back since.

The CanSkate program is developed and designed around teaching young kids to skate. They know what to concentrate on and how to make it fun for the kids. For instance, in his first class, they had the kids in his group picking up small stuffed animals, skating about 40ft and putting the stuffed animals in the mouth of a large cut out of Cookie Monster.

Some people may hesitate at the $180 price tag. However, I feel it is well worth the money and I have enrolled him again for the winter / spring session.

[Bagor]

Yeah, I'll second Canskate. Great program.

For us the key was teaching them the hands on knee getting up technique.

Kids don't seem to be that bothered about falling, but they sure can get frustrated pretty quick if they can't get back up.