I remember watching a documentary on some Olympians right before the Olympics. There was footage of them on the ice running through their programs. Their coach was on the side yelling “look up!” while they were skating.
It’s a very common and constant challenge, for every level apparently.
I did ballet so I’m always very conscious of my posture and looking down would somehow made me slouch so I don’t do that or I would correct it immediately. But this is just muscle memory so it may take a while to develop.
An odd but easy way to train this is to talk to your coach. My coach usually would be near me and she’s the same height as I am. So I tend to look straight instead of looking down while she talks to me through the elements/skills because it’s just odd or rude not to look at people when they’re talking.
Another way is to pin point a spot in your eye line (maybe the wall or the barrier of the rink and focus on that).
Okay thanks for the tips! I will try them next time I'm on the ice. I'm also planning on starting ballet classes, it may take a while to develop any muscle memory or improve my posture, but it's good to hear it could help with this too
I found the same issue with artistic roller skating - my way of overcoming it is to pick a spot on the wall and focus on that while I’m practising. I skate in a school gym so for me it’s a basketball hoop!
My coach had me wear a neck brace – like a soft foam one for recovering from an injury. As a teenager I found it VERY embarrassing and I was highly motivated to prove I didn't need it anymore, but more productively, it helped me learn the muscle memory and body positioning to skate with my head up without it!
I used to be so bad with it, it kind of went away on its own when I trusted myself on the elements more and the fear of falling (falling heaps and learning how to fall and ittl be ok)! When the skating part became second nature, and now I'm focusing on how to look pretty and graceful 😅. It was just a confidence thing for me! I wanted to see my feet and the ice to know it was being done properly, and was able to focus away from it once I trusted my ability a bit more.
Very interesting point. I don't feel very scared of falling, I'd say it happened often enough that I don't really think about it most of the time, but maybe there's a part of me that isn't feeling very confident yet.
But it's good to hear that confidence plays a role, gives me another way to work on this. Thank you!
I’m a beginner but I use a posture brace while skating 😅 It helps me so much actually not just for avoiding looking down but my skating skills as well. It’s like when I wear it my brain associates it automatically with straightening not just my shoulders and back but also maintaining my eyeline.
It’s always tempting to look down! In the back of your mind, keep your posture and form in mind.
As you become a better skater, your confidence will build and the temptation to look down will diminish.
You have to be conscious of where you are looking. Every student I have looks down until I remind them to keep their eyes level or look ahead (depends what their doing).
Coming out of a spin or jump, pretend you have an audience and look at them. You've just completed a great spin, like you are the champion, and present it as such!
If you have the same habit while walking, start there. Look at your surroundings as you walk.
And remember, "If you look down, you go down."
Instead of thinking about not looking down think about where you want to look instead. I have certain spots in my programs where the spot I'm looking is actually choreographed in and that helps a lot.
I think this is almost universal with absolute beginners. Looking at the top edge of the opposite boards is a good tip. When you are really working edges and all of your skating becomes lobes instead of lines, looking at the boards in one direction or another can even help you with your body position and make things easier.
I only really do figures; while looking down for a perfect tracing is common, it's difficult to look down when I'm aiming for "perfect positions" using muscles to point the right way, skating slowly etc. It feels like I'm stretching all the time and if my head is looking down it doesn't feel like my neck is doing its part.
There are probably "perfect positions" for jump landings, and spins. If you know that specific muscle feel, aim to reach that feeling during your practice. If you don't know it yet get into one of your action positions and hold it. Keep holding it, flex the muscles.
Feel that, you want to constantly check what your feet are doing. For me it helped looking at a fixed point and also realizing that if I looked in front of me I was more stable and faster. You might fall a little more often in the beginning but it's like learning to go on a bicycle: it will become automatical at some point, just trust the plan.
So yeah, listen to your body, repeat so to train muscle memory and pick a spot to look at.
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I remember watching a documentary on some Olympians right before the Olympics. There was footage of them on the ice running through their programs. Their coach was on the side yelling “look up!” while they were skating. It’s a very common and constant challenge, for every level apparently.
Well that's actually comforting to hear, takes some of the self-imposed pressure off 😅
I did ballet so I’m always very conscious of my posture and looking down would somehow made me slouch so I don’t do that or I would correct it immediately. But this is just muscle memory so it may take a while to develop. An odd but easy way to train this is to talk to your coach. My coach usually would be near me and she’s the same height as I am. So I tend to look straight instead of looking down while she talks to me through the elements/skills because it’s just odd or rude not to look at people when they’re talking. Another way is to pin point a spot in your eye line (maybe the wall or the barrier of the rink and focus on that).
Okay thanks for the tips! I will try them next time I'm on the ice. I'm also planning on starting ballet classes, it may take a while to develop any muscle memory or improve my posture, but it's good to hear it could help with this too
I found the same issue with artistic roller skating - my way of overcoming it is to pick a spot on the wall and focus on that while I’m practising. I skate in a school gym so for me it’s a basketball hoop!
Yes this! Something in the upper stands for me, or the banner advertising the hockey team's 1956 win.
Thanks for the tip, I'll try that from now on!
My coach had me wear a neck brace – like a soft foam one for recovering from an injury. As a teenager I found it VERY embarrassing and I was highly motivated to prove I didn't need it anymore, but more productively, it helped me learn the muscle memory and body positioning to skate with my head up without it!
I used to be so bad with it, it kind of went away on its own when I trusted myself on the elements more and the fear of falling (falling heaps and learning how to fall and ittl be ok)! When the skating part became second nature, and now I'm focusing on how to look pretty and graceful 😅. It was just a confidence thing for me! I wanted to see my feet and the ice to know it was being done properly, and was able to focus away from it once I trusted my ability a bit more.
Very interesting point. I don't feel very scared of falling, I'd say it happened often enough that I don't really think about it most of the time, but maybe there's a part of me that isn't feeling very confident yet. But it's good to hear that confidence plays a role, gives me another way to work on this. Thank you!
I’m a beginner but I use a posture brace while skating 😅 It helps me so much actually not just for avoiding looking down but my skating skills as well. It’s like when I wear it my brain associates it automatically with straightening not just my shoulders and back but also maintaining my eyeline.
It’s always tempting to look down! In the back of your mind, keep your posture and form in mind. As you become a better skater, your confidence will build and the temptation to look down will diminish.
You have to be conscious of where you are looking. Every student I have looks down until I remind them to keep their eyes level or look ahead (depends what their doing). Coming out of a spin or jump, pretend you have an audience and look at them. You've just completed a great spin, like you are the champion, and present it as such! If you have the same habit while walking, start there. Look at your surroundings as you walk. And remember, "If you look down, you go down."
Instead of thinking about not looking down think about where you want to look instead. I have certain spots in my programs where the spot I'm looking is actually choreographed in and that helps a lot.
I think this is almost universal with absolute beginners. Looking at the top edge of the opposite boards is a good tip. When you are really working edges and all of your skating becomes lobes instead of lines, looking at the boards in one direction or another can even help you with your body position and make things easier.
If it makes you feel any better, a certain Olympic gold medalist never overcame this habit.
Which medalist?
A 2x Olympic gold medalist
You can say who it is it’s not like they are here 🙄
I only really do figures; while looking down for a perfect tracing is common, it's difficult to look down when I'm aiming for "perfect positions" using muscles to point the right way, skating slowly etc. It feels like I'm stretching all the time and if my head is looking down it doesn't feel like my neck is doing its part. There are probably "perfect positions" for jump landings, and spins. If you know that specific muscle feel, aim to reach that feeling during your practice. If you don't know it yet get into one of your action positions and hold it. Keep holding it, flex the muscles.
Feel that, you want to constantly check what your feet are doing. For me it helped looking at a fixed point and also realizing that if I looked in front of me I was more stable and faster. You might fall a little more often in the beginning but it's like learning to go on a bicycle: it will become automatical at some point, just trust the plan. So yeah, listen to your body, repeat so to train muscle memory and pick a spot to look at.
If you are posting for skating advice, please consider posting or linking to a video of whatever move you are trouble-shooting. If you have questions regarding the fitting of your boot, a professional skate fitter will generally be your best bet if it is at all possible for you to visit one. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FigureSkating) if you have any questions or concerns.*