July 2023 Practice Schedule
Happy July! Time to soak up some sun and show off those moves!
We are drilling freeleg movements, covering beginner skills as well as more advanced skills, and dancing the night away!
Below I have laid out what I suggest working on throughout the next 4 weeks. Just like choreography, feel free to add or subtract anything you’d like. One of the biggest lessons we can learn is to listen to our bodies. Some days it’s good to push ourselves and other days it’s best to rest. We are all different and all learn differently. If you would like any extra instruction, guidance, or encouragement please let me know. I am here to help!
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Below is my recommended workout and practice schedule for July 2023 and you can find links to each video at the bottom of each section.
Week 1:
DRILLS 8 (hamstring strength)
cross in front
Extra Credit:
Forward Cross Pulls
Back Crosses (aka. Cross In Back/ Cross Behind)
Downtown
Cross Rolls
Drills 8: Our freeleg movement is so important in everything we do on skates. We tend to pay a lot of attention to the fronts of our legs and less to the backs of our legs. Not today!! We're going to put our hamstrings and glutes to use, strengthening that muscle to lift our freeleg and control the movement.
This drills videos consists of two different exercises that involve lifting the freeleg and moving it in a slow, controlled motion. These motions are not only great for developing strength for beautiful freeleg movements, but they’re also a great way to tone that booty!
I encourage you to go through these drills at least two times this week. They can also be done off-skates!!
Cross in Front: Crosses are a very important skill, both in front and in back. A cross in front is often taught as a “beginner skill” and I believe this is because it can really save us in times of need. Leaning a little too far on an outer edge and starting to lose control? Cross one foot over the other and plant your feet side by side. Problem solved. Crisis averted!
They are also great for skating around corners, downtowns, and so many other dance/artistic moves. Please make sure to keep your feet parallel to each other while crossing. We don’t want those toes to run into each other…TRUST ME! 😂
Extra Credit:
Forward Cross Pulls: Want to gain speed while crossing over in front? We can do that! Instead of firmly planting your foot alongside the foot you just crossed, dig your pinky toe wheel into the ground and push! This method of pushing is used in both forward and backward cross pulls. A strong body position helps a lot, so make sure you are really tightening that core and using your arms to help stabilize you no matter how fast or slow you are doing your cross pulls.
Back Crosses: Back Crosses have many names. They are often called a Cross in Back or a Cross Behind. No matter what you want to call them, the act of crossing one foot behind the other is a back cross. When doing a back cross it is important to make sure you keep your hips back and in place. Be careful with shifting your weight too far back and sending your hips forward. Not a fun time! Just like the cross in front, make sure your feet are parallel when practicing this skill.
Downtown: The downtown is on my list of must-know groovy skills! If you can do the downtown, you’re gonna be good to go if you ever want to dance in the middle of the rink, do a choreography job, or join in on those fun group dances at meet-ups. The downtown is pretty simple when you break it down: a cross in front and a cross in back. That’s all it is…with some rhythm, of course! Bounce those knees, keep your chin up, and add your own groove when you’re comfortable with the steps!
Cross Rolls: Oh cross rolls… I love and hate you. A cross roll uses a deepened outer forward edge during the crossing motion to create enough room to plant the crossing foot down onto another outer forward edge going the other way. If you have a solid outer forward edge and a good cross in front, you’re good to go! Remember to use your body to your advantage. Stretch your arms out and rotate your core to help with those edges.
Where to find these videos:
Drills 8 - Drills & Workouts page [Link: Website, YouTube]
Cross In Front - Skills page (forward skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Forward Cross Pulls - Skills page (forward skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Back Crosses - Skills page (forward skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Downtown - Skills page (dance section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Cross Rolls - Skills page (forward skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Week 2:
Beginner/Intermediate Choreography (DANCE THE NIGHT by Dua Lipa)
Extra Credit:
Flow/Connecting Moves
Cross In Front
Strut Walk
Beginner/Intermediate Choreography: Anyone else excited for the Barbie movie?! Growing up in the 90’s with all brothers, my family was sooo excited to have a girl in the family to gift Barbies to. I, however, was not that into it. My brothers were very into tearing them apart when mad at me though! Oh, childhood memories… 🤣 Shoutout to Candy for mentioning this song on Discord!! Such a good idea, thank you!
Our choreography this month is to Dance the Night by Dua Lipa. If you want a glimpse into me choreographing it, click here. It was a sweaty, good time!
The Beginner/Intermediate choreography is quick and fun! Take what you want from my moves and counts and then try to add your own flare to it! Remember not to take yourself too seriously. You can take as many beats as you want and change things as you wish. Please let me know if you have any questions.
This choreography uses a few different skills available in our Skills page/playlist…
Extra Credit:
Flow/Connecting Moves: Want some help finding fluidity in your movement and connecting one skill to the next? You’re in the right place! The flow/connecting moves is one of my favorite skills videos to revisit. Some people find fluidity in their movement naturally and others need some help/guidance. We’re all different and that’s what makes us so amazing. I hope this video helps you develop your own style and rhythm. Feel free to try new things and challenge yourself to string different moves together each time you skate. There are no rules.
Cross in Front: *see above* When using cross in fronts within choreography, add a slight bend/bounce to your movement. Crosses can be done quickly or over a few beats, so play with your timing as well.
Strut Walk: In this choreography we do a shuffle that can really help with stabilizing your strut walk. The Strut Walk (aka. the TikTok Walk), like the Downtown, is another skill on my must-know groovy skills. Want to feel sexy and powerful? Strut it out. Don’t know what to do but don’t want to stand still? Strut it out. This skill can be used in so many different ways and is actually a very helpful skill to learn early on in your skating journey because it focuses on transferring weight. You’ll need to know how to transfer your weight from one foot to the other in just about every skill moving forward. So, why not make it cute?!
Where to find these videos:
Dance The Night (Beginner/Intermediate) - Choreography page [Link: Website, YouTube]
Flow/Connecting Moves - Skills page (dance section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Cross in Front - Skills page (forward skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Strut Walk - Skills page (backward skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Week 3:
DRILLS 6 (Hip Strength)
BracketS (One-Foot Turn)
Extra Credit:
Inner Forward Edges
Held Open 3 Turn
Inner Forward 3 Turn
Inner Back to Forward Bracket
Drills 6: This drills video is one of my favorites and it is super effective! Like most drills, this can be done off skates or on. If you choose to do this on-skates, take a moment to appreciate how heavy that skate is! You are literally lifting a weight. *pats self on back*
We will be lifting our leg to the side, using the muscles around our hip and butt. Try to keep your body lifted up and avoid bending to the side at the waist. This drill will be followed up by a curtsy squat, focusing the majority of our energy into the front leg. Make sure your carriage is nice and that core is tight.
Brackets: A bracket is a one foot turn that switches edge, similar to a 3 turn. You can use a bracket to turn from an outer forward edge to an inner back edge, an inner forward edge to an outer back edge, an outer back edge to an inner forward edge, or an inner back edge to an outer forward edge. A 3-turn can also do all of those things, so how are they different?
The answer is: your cusp.
In other words (that hopefully make more sense)… If you were following a circle and had chalk on the bottom of your skate, a 3-turn would draw a point into the circle when you turn. A bracket, however, draws a point to the outside of the circle. Still confused? Understandable. Check out the video below.
Extra Credit:
Inner Forward Edges: The main bracket that I want you to focus on this month is the Inner Forward to Outer Back Bracket. We spend most of our time on that turn in the bracket video. Establishing your edge when entering a one foot turn is very important and since we enter this turn on an inner forward edge, I would love for you to give that edge some extra focus and practice. No matter how new or experienced we are as skaters, we should always come back to our edges. Please let me know if you want/need any extra advice on making that edge solid and strong!
Held Open 3 Turn: Like I mentioned earlier, the 3 turn is very similar to the bracket. I like to call them cousins. They’re not quite siblings, but pretty close! The held open 3 turn focuses on the turn itself as well as the freeleg before, during, and after the turn. Use your freeleg to help you. When the timing is right, the weight of the skate can really help propel you through your turn.
Inner Forward 3 Turn: The inner forward 3 turn is probably my favorite 3-turn. Well…on the right foot. Not so much on the left foot. One side is usually better than the other for most skills and this turn is no exception for me. Like the held open 3 turn, we use the freeleg to help us through our turn. Make sure you allow that freeleg to drop behind and stretch it out again when the turn has finished. I encourage you to keep your body super still on this turn. Set your arms up facing the inside of your circle and leave them there for the duration of the turn.
Inner Back to Forward Bracket: Our main skill focus this week is the inner forward bracket, so let’s try it backward! The main thing to focus on in the inner back to forward bracket is to keep your hips back in a seated position. This skill can be practiced out of a backward cross pull or from a solid inner back edge. Keep that core tight and bend your knees!
Where to find these videos:
Drills 6 - Drills & Workouts page [Link: Website, YouTube]
Brackets - Skills page (turns section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Inner Forward Edges - Skills page (forward skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Held Open 3 Turn - Skills page (turns section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Inner Forward 3 Turn - Skills page (turns section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Inner Back to Forward Bracket - Skills page (turns section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Week 4:
ADVANCED Choreography (DANCE THE NIGHT by Dua Lipa)
Extra Credit:
Bracket
Toe Pivots
Toe Stop Spin
Marching Turns
Advanced Choreography: After you’ve checked out the Beginner/Intermediate choreography, I highly suggest playing around with the Advanced. You never know what you might be capable of until you try! Like I said before in the Beginner/Intermediate, take as many extra beats are you want/need and feel free to change the steps to suit your current abilities. You can always grow into the choreography.
When I choreograph the Advanced, I always have performance in mind. This is what I would choreograph to perform in a music video or on a professional stage. And it is soooo much fun!!!
Some skills within this Choreography are…
Bracket: *see above* We start the choreography with a modified version of a bracket…or a rocker turn. I do it from a stand still but you could definitely push off and enter it from an inner forward edge!
Toe Pivots: Toe pivots can be done on the toe wheels or on the toe stop, whichever you prefer. I, personally, love pivoting on my toe stop. You can pivot high, mid, or drop it like it’s hot. Every version is fabulous! If you’re up for a challenge, try doing a Back Crossed Pivot (located in the backward skating section) in this choreography instead of a standard pivot. Challenging? Yes. Super fun? Oh yea!
Toe Stop Spin: If you’re comfortable with your toe pivots on your toe stop, try out a Toe Stop Spin! It’s the same general rotation as the pivot with the added balance element of lifting your freeleg. When doing a toe stop spin, remember to bend your knee and balance on the middle/back part of your toe stop. Your weight should not be super far forward.
Marching Turns: We finish up our Advanced Choreography with a set of marching turns. I like to push off and do a left outer forward 3 turn, plant my right skate down, and follow it up with a right outer back 3 turn. Keep your knees bending with the rhythm of your turn and keep your head coming around. When you’re ready, try out the traveling turns skills video. Traveling turns are 2 turns connected without planting the foot down in between. Oh, the possibilities and the fun are endless!!!
Where to find these videos:
Dance The Night (Advanced) - Choreography page [Link: Website, YouTube]
Brackets - Skills page (turns section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Toe Pivots - Skills page (toe stops section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Toe Stop Spin - Skills page (toe stops section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Marching Turns - Skills page (turns section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
At the end of each month, I want you to take a moment to look back and see how far you’ve come. Did you learn something new? Did you progress? Did you surprise yourself? Do you have new goals for next month? Take a moment, breathe, roll your shoulders back, lift your head high, and tell yourself you’re doing a great job. Because you are.
If you would like to submit your progress for our Community Progress Video, submit your vertical video here. Submissions are due on the last day of each month.
Keep in touch about how you’re feeling. Know that I am right here, practicing all of these things alongside you. It doesn’t matter how new or experienced you are in skating, it is very important for all of us to stay consistent with our drills and practice. I am here to help with technique, movement, and most importantly with motivation.
What was your favorite part of this month? What was the hardest for you? What kept you going? Leave a comment! If you are practicing on instagram, please tag me and #quadsociety! I love to see and share your progress! Lastly, don’t forget about the wonderful community on the Discord. Everything is better with friends!
