im 13 and im going to be moving up to novice right after regionals this year and l think that l need to be skating more so l dont get last place in all my competetions. right now l skate 5 tiems a week for 2 hours a day how much should l be skating?

that is enough. more time you practice can lead to injury. that is enough. l only skate 3 times a week for 2 hours and that is enough. IF you are not sure ask your coach. good luck

That sounds about right to me. While it is a higher level, u do not want to burn yourself out either. Skating still has to be FUN. Now that you've made it so far, u do not want to over-do it & start dreading skating! l am sure you've heard this before -- it is all about balance. Talk to ur coach & maybe u can come up with a schedule that works for u to accommodate ur skating practice (on & off ice), school & a little bit of a family/personal life. Your coach should be able to tell u if ur practice time is sufficient for ur skating level. Make sure you're using the time u r on the ice wisely & not for too much socializing.as we're all a little guilty of! :) Good luck to you!

Maybe instead of looking it as needing to skate more, u should first reevaluate how u r skating with the amount of time u r currently practicing. Are u getting the most out of ur lessons & practice sessions as it is?

If u r getting last place in competitions, what do u think is the main reason? l know a few skaters who skate many, many hours a day/week . . . u would think they should be totally ready for a competition. The problem is, even with all that skating, they fall apart for the real thing. One poops out because they do not really work on stamina. Another skates, but does not skate ''hard'' in practice. Another just gets too nervous & can not get it together on competition ice (needs more mental focus). Sometimes skaters will ''cram'' in their skating just before competition instead of building up to their peak . . . that can cause poop out for competition too. And then there r some who say they skate all those hours, but for much of it they're goofing off/talking - not ''really'' skating. (Not to say any of that stuff is what you're doing).

It is the quality of ur practice, not necessarily quantity. See if u & ur coach can figure out exactly what u need to focus on in ur practice to make u a better competitor . . . & go from there. If u do find u really need to practice more, build it up slowly - & remember u do need to give ur muscles a break.

Hope that helps!

Every skater varies with how much the skate at each level depending on coach, competitive level, etc. There is no specific level of which u should be skating it is up to you, ur coach, & ur parents. l would suggest bringing this up to ur coach & asking what they think. You usually start out at the ''bottom'' of a level when u first move up & do not do as well in the competitions, but once u get used to them, & r able to ''move up'' in ''rank'' then u r able to do better in the competitions, this is very typical for skaters who have recently moved up a level. Good luck!

well, i'm not exactly sure cuz i'm all the way in alpha private lessons, but l do not compete. but yes, of course l have my own riedell yellow ribbon figure skates!! that l got for my birthday!! but anyways, 5 times a weeks, two hours a day, you know that should be enough!! but if your still not sure, maybe you can ask your coach, they should be able to help you!! good luck!!!!

How much you skate, depends on your devotion, and need for practice. While skating daily would be marvelous, it just does not fit into most of our schedules. Try to skate as often as possible, but do not allow it to comepletely overwhelm you. You can also practice your moves and positions on your kitchen floor, or a hard wood floor.
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Hey!!!
l just got moved up to intermediate freeskate. l will be competing at south atlantic regionals this year, & l ALWAYS get last place. l am a very good skater, its just that some people r better than me! l wouldnt worry about practicing more, but if u REALLY want to get better, than l would try off ice classess 2 or 3 times a week. ( u can try velocity if there is one near you, or most rinks have off ice coaches )

Hope u win regionals!!!!!! ( l will pray 4 u )

~Krissy~