Ice Skating: Steps to Success

This book is excellent for the beginner! I just recently started skating and take weekly group lessons. This book has helped me greatly by providing specific excercises to put into my practice sessions which in turn have made me feel like I am finally "getting" the whole concept of edges and especially the crossover maneuver. I highly recommend this book for the beginning skater.

Co-authored by a master teacher and her adult student (a med school prof), this first-rate book concentrates on beginning and intermediate skills. Among the things to recommend it are:- Extremely clear writing, including clear and readable explanations of body mechanics- Good organization: a series of lessons, each concluding with a checklist and a troubleshooting table- Good illustrations: line drawings, made from photographs of co-author Kunzle-Watson, that clearly illustrate body and skate position for each skillIn conclusion: highly recommended!

Even though this was published in 1995-I hope they keep this on the printing press hotlist. This book is one of the most worthwhile books of it's genre. It's not just informative,explaining techniques(though it does that,too)It offers a highly structure program that can adjust according to your ability and proficiancy.It focus's on the basics that many skaters sorely need but lack nowdays. Amust have!

Whether you're a beginner or intermediate skater, Karin Künzle Watson helps make the most of your time on the ice. Nine-time Swiss National Champion Karin Künzle Watson pairs up with adult skater Dr. Stephen J. DeArmond to give basic skaters a foundation from which to build. Watson, who began skating at age six, went on to become a world professional champion skater and now coaches skaters from around the world. She is one of the few individuals worldwide to have passed Gold-level tests in all disciplines of figure skating: singles, pairs, dance and Published by Human Kinetics as a part of their Steps to Success sports series, the book offers 50 training exercises and over 300 technical illustrations and renderings of some of the best places to skate in the country. Each skating drill includes key points to remember when you're on the ice. Künzle teaches a series of skating principles to control your posture, balance, degree of lean and rotation. These aren't just book techniques, but are the same principles she teaches her skaters. What's more, they work! The authors have even included hints on how to increase the difficulty or make the exercises a little less challenging for less "practiced" skaters. The book celebrates the history of skating, plus offers useful information on sating posture, balance, correct push and glide techniques, forward stops, forward and backward skating, crossovers, two foot turns, mohawks, three turns, swingrolls and even more advanced edge moves. If you're looking to jump and spin, this book is and isn't for you. It doesn't contain specifics on jumps and spins, but face it, if you're three turn or mohawk isn't perfect going into a jump, then you need this book to examine the reasons. Consider likewise, the myriad of young skaters who can do double jumps, but hardly a clean crossover and you'll see why this is a "must have". Tommy Mullins, Publisher SK8USA Webzine

This book doesn't spend much time in my bookshelf! When I considered learning to skate, I wanted to find a book that focused on the real basics of figure skating. This book is by far the best I have seen of that genre and I refer to it after nearly every lesson or practice. The authors stick to beginner moves and techniques only. You won't find any spins or jumps here! After a brief discussion of the history of ice skating and a good discussion of how to buy and fit boots and blades, each principle and move is introduced both in text and with sketches. The sketches, presumably of the author, include itemized steps to performing the move and lines and arrows to show the foot and body movement. The writing is generally clear and detailed enough so that with the corresponding diagram, a reader would know just what to do. Of course, actually *doing* something like a three turn won't always come right away! Certain fundamentals, like balance, are referred to throughout the book to reinforce their importance. Some good concepts are used, like the "body box" for explaining balance. Each chapter ends with a table of common problems and how to correct each one. The descriptions and diagrams are not perfect, though. I still can't quite see the different between crossovers and advanced crossovers despite reading and re-reading those sections. I'm sure an explanation and demonstration by my instructor will clear it up. As an adult skater, I'm anxious to develop skills quickly. This book describes nearly every item on the ISI Alpha through Delta lists. I'm convinced that this book, together with lessons, will have me working on Freestyle I before long!