The other day, I was using my aerobic step to practice my jumps on the living room floor. It's not terribly challenging because we only have one set of risers.
After a few minutes, I noticed that Prospero, our greyhound, was lying down near the kitchen, waiting not-so-patiently for any scraps that might come his way.
I looked at him, then I looked at the step. I looked again to double check. Even lying down, Prospero was taller than the step.
"Prospero, stay." Then I very tentatively waltz-jumped over him and cleared him easily. If he noticed that he had become a training aid, he didn't show it. He never took his eyes off the kitchen. So, I did about 5 more jumps over him.
Yesterday, at my practice, I imagined him lying on the ice and worked hard to make sure I didn't hurt the imaginary dog. I'm pretty sure that improved the height on my jumps.
So, what do you do to practice at home? Do you practice spins in your socks on the kitchen floor? Have you found a way to practice Salchow's without twisting your ankle? Let's hear what you do.
Ooh, I do practice spins in my socks! But they are never as good as the ones on the ice because I sort of have to lift my heel to spin on the ball of my foot and it's rather awkward. Not to mention that some run-ins with the kitchen table have quelled my sock-spinning adventures a bit.
ReplyDeleteI do practice my jumps sometimes off the ice and the edge jumps can be tricky on the ankles and knees. Doing them in socks can help because you can pre-rotate a bit that way like you do on the ice. Also I have tried them off-ice without the rotation, just jump straight up and down. Another tip is to hop the landing rather than trying to stick it or you are likely to twist something eventually. The other day I hurt me knee a bit on the takeoff of a floor Salchow, so try to do a good warmup (I hadn't).
Stretching, leg pulls, arabesques and spirals are great to practice at home too. Great for building confidence when nobody else can see you!
Hmm, I should think of some other off-ice activities and post them.