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Alright so a bit of backstory. I’m 17, and going to college in the fall. I absolutely love figure skating but not that good at it. I really want to get better but just to have fun. I don’t have any interest in competing. I mean if the time comes and multiple people recommend it, then maybe. But for now I just want to learn. My question is should I get a teacher? I’m a very beginner and was just getting comfortable with stopping just before quarantine. I would enroll in a class but I’m almost positive my local rinks aren’t going to offer any classes because of the virus. Is it worth it in relation to the cost of getting a teacher?
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I'd say it really depends on your goals. Just to 'have fun' means different things for different people; for one person it could literally mean they just want to learn how to stop and skate backwards, but for another person maybe they want to learn all the single jumps and to spin well. The first you can probably learn on your own just fine, though your technique might be terrible. The second, you'll definitely want a coach at some point so that you don't hurt yourself.
If group classes aren't going to be available and the cost of private lessons concerns you, see if you can work with a coach every other week, or even once a month. Just having someone to check in with about your progress, set things for you to work on, and be able to tell you what you, specifically, are doing wrong and what you're doing right, will be helpful. Just my opinion; good luck!
Yeah I'm definitely looking for the latter. I really want to try spins and jumps and not looking to get hurt lol! And the every other week/once a month does sound like a good idea. I'll look into that! Thank you.
I'd suggest a slight variation - instead of evenly spacing out all the lessons that you ever plan on taking, I think it is most effective to have the earlier lessons close together, e.g. twice or three times a week (until recovery time or opportunity cost becomes an issue), and then reduce frequency gradually. Periodising lessons, I think, is most effective.
I did both group lessons and private coach. You progress faster with private coach. They go as fast as you can take and they push you to do scary things but it’s good for you.
Friends who only take group lessons are going really slow.
You can try one lesson? My rink you can try one lesson to see if you like the coach/lesson. Then you can decide whether to continue.
I did group adult lessons first and then started getting private lessons, but they were really expensive
Can I ask how much? And for how long were the lessons?
It was almost 9 years ago, but I believe it was $30 for 20 mins. The lessons are usually during public skate so you either get a discount for public skate or for me I had some included in my adult lesson course. I was trying really hard to improve on my crossovers.
I really enjoyed skating but it's just not as flexible as other sports, which is why I admire adult skaters. I think it also depends on your local skating rink, I loved the one I started at in college but I hate the one near my home.