Change Up Your Skating Style - Different Program Openings | Figure Skating

Hey skaters, it's Stace here from Next Edge Tutorials and this lesson today we're going to be looking at three beginnings that you can use for your next program. So we're going to be looking at three different styles as an opening that you might use for your next program or just want to learn in general. Now one of them will be slow, one of them will be a little bit faster, one of them will be a bit more sassier. I also want to talk about things that I like to look out for as a coach that might help you out from a free leg to a hand to a head or a smile. So let's get into it and let's learn these three different styles. So the first beginning that we're going to learn, we're going to be focusing on nice slow movements. So I'm facing the judges. Now I'm going to be down in my right knee and I'm going to stretch my left leg and this is a pointed toe. It might not look like I'm pointing my toe but I am because I have a strong leg all the way down. Now my arms are going to go up to the ceiling holding and this is our beginning start. Then I'm going to drop my arms down and move my head down and draw my foot into my body. Then I'm going to pull those arms around my body and then go back down and hold. Now as you can see that left foot comes up to a toe pick movement there. Then I am ready to move forward and hold. So that's just a simple beginning that you can use just really if you have soft music that you can use the next time you have a program. Let's go over it one more time. So I'm down in my right leg and I'm stretching that left foot out and I'm holding here. Then I press, drop it down, bring the foot in, move my body and arms around and hold. Then I'm going to take like a deep breath here like in and out holding and stretching and out. Now me personally if I have soft music I like to just start with something as simple as the arms starting that movement holding and then going from there. I think that it kind of relaxes me and gets me into the ice a bit more. So let's go a little bit faster with our movement. So down up here and then we're going to go down draw the foot around and hold. Then you can do a stop anything to the next. So that is your first beginning that you can use. So before I show you this next beginning I want you to click on the link below in the description for your free pdf guide on your competition checklist. It's just something you can quickly go over and make sure that you have everything from like hair ties to band-aids to hairspray because I know as a skater and a coach we tend to forget those small little things and that way at your next competition you will be competition ready. Now the next one we're going to learn is a bit more sassy so if you have more sassier music you can definitely use this. So I'm going to start with my left toe picking the ice and my right leg is going to be strong and I am facing the judges at this point here. Left hand on the hip right arm up holding and as you can see I went up and then I dropped my wrist holding. Now I'm going to take that right hand pull it around the head flick and hold. Now I'm gonna draw this by my face and then I'm going to do a pivot around pivot step and pull and then from there you can skate and do an attitude you can just push off and stroke. So let's go over this beginning one more time facing the judges left toe is in the ice left hand on hip right arm up and hold. Now we're going to go like we're brushing our hair around and then we're going to switch and then hand by the face hand on hip hump around and then pull back and hold. Then from there like I said you can go push hold you can do an attitude anything you'd like at that point. Now let's speed it up just a little bit more so we're holding here up around and hand pivot step toe. Now where some mistakes come in that I tend to see other skaters do is they'll drop their foot and they'll hit in this position. It's not bad but watch how effective this foot is that look it looks stronger it looks it's more catching. So when you're when you have a free leg and that toes in the ice just make sure that heels always pressing forward and not pulling back to that pinky toe go up to that big toe and hold. Now our last one is going to be a bit more strong so what we're going to do is we're going to start on a slight diagonal to the judges. Now I'm going to put my right leg in front and then my left leg is going to be in back and I'm starting on the I'm like my big toe here holding arms are going to be by my side and I'm going to be looking down. Then the first movement is going to be this head head pausing there for a split second feeling that powerful beginning pose. Then we're going to lift the back foot off stretch right left stop and lift up. Then from there we're going to pull that right leg in and then do a pivot push and hold push forward. So as you can see it is definitely a bit more power in those movements than the other two that we learned so let's go again. So right leg is in front left toe in the ice making sure we're not rolling back to the pinky toe because look how this changes the look. When I get up to that big toe pushing forth that heel it really makes it strong and elegant. Arms are going to be down head up then we take that left back foot and we're going to stroke onto a stroke right left stop and look back. Then from here we're going to draw the right leg towards the left back pivot then we're going to push forward on a left stroke and hold and then you can do anything you want from there. So those are three different movements sorry beginnings that you can use for your next program or just to practice in general because I feel like the more that you move around the more creative your coach can get with your choreography. So I've given you three beginnings that you can use for your next program or just for practice. Now again you can add stuff you can change it up get creative because this is skating. Skating is getting creative with our body and our movement. Thanks for watching NexEd Tutorials and looking forward to seeing you in our next lesson.