This is the fourth in a series of videos of Sheila Thelen teaching a young skater in a private lesson. Sheila’s skater is a 6 year old boy named Milan. Make sure you watch the other videos in this series.
Link to Sheila and Milan, Part 1
Link to Sheila and Milan, Part 2
Link to Sheila and Milan, Part 3
In this video, Sheila is working with Milan on his toe loop. By this point in the lesson, Milan is pretty tired and distracted and when Sheila asks if he can show her a toe loop, he honestly says no. If you’ve been following this series, you know Milan is a hoot. In this video, you can see how a real pro gets a distracted skater back on task! Even Sheila says “Poor Sheila.”
As with the loop jump in the previous video, Sheila is working on this jump with Milan at the wall. She has him do the forward inside 3-turn and then she uses the words “criss cross apple sauce” to help him remember the next critical part of crossing the feet (and avoiding the dreaded toe waltz jump). Sheila essentially makes a game out of the most important part of the jump, which increases the chances that Milan will remember it and apply it.
The main value of this video is the drill. (Do you think Milan is a hugger or is Sheila just huggable?)
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7 responses to “Learn To Ice Skate For Kids: Basic Jumping – Part 4 (Sheila Thelen)”
Thanks Sheila! This was great and lots of fun to watch. I love the criss cross applesauce. Thanks for hanging out with me and Holly at conference. What a blast!! I still think that Milan and Claire would make a cute pair…
I just spent the last few weeks teaching the toe loop to kids in CanSkate aged 5 to 8, to get the criss cross to work I usually ended up on hands and knees moving their feet for them, it worked sometimes. Thanks a lot Sheila I had a giggle when Milan did the toe loop ala forward loop jump, that was cute!
This lesson reminds of students in EVERY Kindergarten classroom that I have taught in!!! How fun…..and it definitely keeps you on your toes. Way to go Shiela in keeping the lesson on track w/out getting frustrated (at least visably). 🙂
Hi Sheila, I will certainly be using “criss cross apple sauce” instead of the word “pivot” in the future……it’s just more fun!
I have been following this series, and have a question for any coaches reading. At what point do you begin introducing things to younger skaters? I have heard every extreme from various coaches, including those who follow the USFS Basic Skills levels so thoroughly that they won’t teach a waltz jump (Basic 8) before a mohawk is mastered (Basic 7.) I find that attitude extreme, and limiting to a skater’s progression as they may have strengths, which can lead them beyond their test level. At the same time, I recognize the importance of having foundational edge strength and the ability to hold an axis as necessary prerequisites for serious jumping. Do you, as coaches, have a rigorous set of prerequisites that you expect from all skaters before you teach certain elements, or do you just introduce them as they seem ready? Would you ever introduce an element that a skater is only questionably ready for if they needed the motivation, or would you expect the skater to focus and rise above potentially being ‘bored’ by not learning a new element they very much want to because you require a certain drill mastered first? Of course, ideally our skaters would use their desire to learn the element and put it toward work on the things we ask them to do first, but many are not so focused or willing to do that.
Trevor! I’m laughing at my OWN lesson!!! Hahahha!!!
This is such a fabulous series Sheila and is grassroots coaching at its best. This is exactly what it’s like coaching my own six-year-old son and in the video you say out loud what I’m usually thinking about the antics of a six-year-old. Little ones are so capable of learning higher level muscle memory building skills as long as they’re taught with creative imagery and positive reinforcement. I really appreciated your comment in a previous video that all children all dyslexic because they do all get their feet mixed up but learn when they realise it feels wrong. I even liked how you made Milan’s mid-lesson non sequitur story a goal for making his jump higher. It’s brilliant for my son (and me!) to see Milan. Well done. Hope to see more of Milan!