Fixing the De-evolution of Figure Skating - The Value of Education

Fixing the De-evolution of Figure Skating -
The Value of Education

Originally published  September/ October 2015 PS Magazine

“Education is the development of all those capacities in the individual which will enable him to control his environment and fulfil his possibilities.” John Dewey

I wrote in my last editorial, “PSA needs to educate coaches on how to teach those figure skills that we are losing. We need to develop better techniques for the development of our skaters. As a whole PSA needs to get better.”

As we move forward post-Federal Trade Commission, it will be more and more essential for PSA to get better. That goes for our member coaches as well. We need to make ourselves the obvious choice to those who seek the best instruction for their children. The days of being satisfied with what you already know have vanished. You’re in an arena competing for business with 20 other coaches. How do you set yourself apart? The answer is by being better today that you were yesterday. Seeking better ways to teach, coach, motivate, and market yourself. Does it really matter if you are a grassroots or Olympic coach? Does a beginner skater need less consideration and effort than an Olympian? Each individual skater needs the maximum from their coach. 

PSA will continue to work on developing new foundational teaching techniques and more efficient and cost effective ways to disseminate the information. Teenagers teaching learn to skate programs will stay. However, how we train those young coaches must change. The PSA Foundations of Coaching courses have become increasingly popular but we can’t stop there. We need to nurture these young coaches. The PSA apprentice program needs to expand, allowing these young coaches the opportunity to mentor with experienced coaches. Those of us who have the experience should take those young coaches under our wings.

An extremely important objective will be understanding early childhood development, both socially and physically. We must incorporate into our syllabus the theory of progressive education which focuses on learning by doing, problem solving, critical thinking, each individual’s needs, and most importantly by deciding what skills must be developed for future requirements. Both U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills and the ISI weSKATE program were developed with this in mind. However, many young coaches don’t understand the technical requirements of each building skill. Quite simply, a one foot glide done at the passing standard will allow the child to progress to forward edges. Proper forward edges will allow the skater to master three turns and so on. One skill passed before the skater is ready will degrade the following skills to a point where either bad habits develop slowing progression or stopping it all together all together. This should be obvious...  we have all taken on new students with “bad habits”. Every coach has some flaw in their teaching. Understanding and recognizing those deficiencies allows coaches to grow and improve. 

Expand your knowledge by reading. Open your eyes and ears. Share your thoughts and experiences with younger or inexperienced coaches Attend educational events. As a group, we need to put aside differences and help each other and get back on the right track.