June 2023 Practice Schedule
It’s officially my favorite time of year!! Yes yes, I know you may be thinking…Nicole, you lose your sh!t over pumpkin spice season! And yes, you are correct. However, Summer is approaching, my birthday is coming up, baseball season is in full swing, it’s more socially acceptable to be in short shorts and roller skates at all times, and pumpkin spice season is that much closer! All is well.
As we head into summer, I want to make sure we are all ready for any situation we may face on skates. For our main skill focuses this month I went with very big and beautiful movements: the spiral and the arrow spiral. These are for those stunning sunset photos I know we all dream of as we’re bundled up and skating in our homes all winter. The time is now. We got this!
I’ve included videos to review for all skill levels. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know if you would like further guidance. You can book private lessons right here! Members, make sure to sign in for discounted pricing!
Below is my recommended workout and practice schedule for June 2023 and you can find links to each video at the bottom of each section.
To gain access to all of these videos and so much more, check out my Memberships here or on YouTube!
Week 1:
DRILLS 13 (one foot balance — off-skates)
spiral (aka. arabesque)
Extra Credit:
sidewalk skating
boardwalk skating
Drills 13: We are starting off skates this month because I want to prove to you that some of the best work can be done without lacing up. Only have a few minutes? No problem. This video can be done in less than 15 minutes with zero equipment. These drills include squats, jump squats, and a toe touch balance exercise to get us ready for balancing on one foot. Try to go through this video at least 2 times this week. I recommend going through it before you dive into the spiral and again before you tackle the arrow spiral.
Spiral:A spiral (or arabesque) can be done slowly or with speed and can really push your flexibility to the next level. There’s something about the weight of a roller skate to help us achieve things we didn’t know were possible. Like the splits for example! I can’t quite do a complete split off skates. On skates… no problem!! A spiral is one of the most beautiful, artistic moves in skating (roller and ice). The spiral sequences at the Olympics are some of my favorite moments. Stunning!
We need a very strong, stable base to achieve this skill, so we will be spending a lot of time on that. Speaking of…take your time on anything involving one foot balance. Remember that you now have a weight on the end of your foot. When learning and pushing yourself to progress at this skill, please make sure to stretch. Continue to work on Drills 13 off skates, practice your spiral, and make time to stretch afterward. Our bodies will thank us in the long-run!
Outdoor Skating: Like I said at the beginning, I want us all to be prepared for anything we may encounter on skates. I have a section of my skills page devoted to outdoor skating with 2 very important videos: Sidewalk Skating & Boardwalk Skating. One of the first places people want to go when they get skates is the beach! Well…the boardwalk can be a scary place. I want you to be prepared. The cracks and debris are no joke. But with a little bit of practice and determination, we can make your beach skating dreams come true. Check out both of these videos in the Outdoor Skating section of the skills page and build that confidence!
Where to find these videos:
Drills 13 - Drills & Workouts page [Link: Website, YouTube]
Spiral - Skills page (artistic section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Sidewalk Skating - Skills page (outdoor skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Boardwalk Skating - Skills page (outdoor skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Week 2:
Beginner/Intermediate Choreography (What’s Love got to do with it)
Extra Credit:
Toe stop strut
Toe stop spin
Advanced choreography
Beginner/Intermediate Choreography: This month we’re doing a tribute to Tina Turner! …which was totally unplanned. I created choreography to ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’ back in 2020 and I wanted to bring it back for the summer. If you don’t know much about Tina Turner, her story is pretty incredible. After coming back as a solo artist at 44 years old, she was the oldest female solo artist to top the Hot 100. So, if you ever think you’re too old or it’s too late…you’re wrong. It’s never too late! You can do this choreography to the original song or to the song by Kygo & Tina Turner, which is the version my video is made to. If you choose to do the choreography to the original song, it will be a little bit slower. The Kygo version is a bit more poppy and upbeat. As always, you don’t need much space to learn choreography and you can always do it off-skates. So, next time you’re on a dance floor and the dj plays this song (which will probably happen a lot over the next few months), you’ll be ready with a full piece of choreography!
This choreography starts with one-foot balance. Of course, you can leave both feet on the ground if you wish and focus on the body! But if you do balance on one foot, remember to keep a soft bend in that base leg (just like the spiral) and engage your core. Use your hips on this one. It’s what Tina would want!
Toe Stop Strut: Now let’s take a moment to appreciate our toe stops and all they can do for us. They keep us safe by allowing us to stop and regain balance and almost more importantly, they allow us to strut like we are 6 feet tall and on a runway. It’s no secret that I love using my toe stops when dancing. They hold my weight in one place to anchor me to the ground. This allows my body to be able to move freely without the worry of my wheels rolling out from under me. We use our toe stops a bit in our Beginner/Intermediate choreography and a lot in our Advanced, so I want you to get a little more comfortable on those toes this month. A good place to start is the Toe Stop Strut. It is one of the most empowering moves you can do on or off skates, especially if you’re only about 5 feet tall like myself.
Toe Stop Spin: While we’re at it, let’s try to spin on that toe stop! When doing a one-foot toe stop spin, treat it like an inner back upright. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain. When spinning on a toe stop, a lot of people thing you need to be perfectly in the center of that toe stop to rotate. It’s not true. You don’t want to feel like you are on top of it. A lot of toe stops are rounded and if you’re right in the center, you may feel like you’re on the top of a cliff and could fall off in any direction with any loss of balance. Not ideal. So, imagine your toe stop having edges. Check out the video! It will all make sense!
Advanced Choreography: If you’re up for a challenge, get started on the Advanced early so that you have time to practice it. It’s a fun one, but it is quite challenging…exactly how I like it 😏
Where to find these videos:
What’s Love Got to Do with It (Beginner/Intermediate) - Choreography page [Link: Website, YouTube]
Toe Stop Strut - Skills page (toe stops section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Toe Stop Spin - Skills page (toe stops section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
What’s Love Got to Do with It (Advanced) - Choreography page [Link: Website, YouTube]
Week 3:
DRILLS 4 (TOE STOP BALANCE)
ARROW SPIRAL (aka. SPIRAL WHILE HOLDING YOUR FOOT)
Extra Credit:
PUSH & STRETCH
STRONG OUTER FORWARD EDGES
BACKWARD SKATING
BACKWARD scissors
BACKWARD pushes
Drills 4: Oh, yes, it’s time to use those toe stops! My favorite! We all know I love my toe stops and prefer to skate with them at all times. This is not the case for a lot of skaters, and that’s totally okay! I really really dislike when skaters shame other skaters for wearing toe stops. If anyone ever does that to you, send them my way. I gotchu!!! Toe stops are a tool and can be used to help us. It’s important to learn how to control them and use them to your advantage.
We will be going through 3 different drills in this 17 minute video. The first two drills work on planting the toe stop and using that leg as our base. We will do inner edges with the other foot in one drill and lift it up to balance on just one leg in the other. Then we will move onto one of my favorites…lunges, using our toe stop to anchor us and hold us still. Even though we are mainly concentrating on our legs for these drills, it’s a full body workout to keep everything in place. Try to do this at least 2 times this week. It will help with so many other skills and especially with this month’s choreography!
Arrow Spiral: Another spiral because why not spice it up a bit by grabbing your foot?! Everything that you learn from the standard spiral applies to the arrow spiral as well. This position is used a lot in competitive skating…spins, body movements in footwork, spiral sequences, lifts. Some skaters even find it easier than the standard spiral! When you’re doing anything on one foot, especially when holding your other foot in your hand, make sure your surface is as clear and free of debris as possible. If you’re practicing this on a court or a small area outside, I highly recommend getting a broom and sweeping your area before you practice. It takes just a few minutes and can save you from a whole lot of pain.
Push & Stretch / Strong Outer Forward Edges: If you think about it, the spiral is simply a big/long version of a stretch. If you want some work on pushing (always a good idea), check out the Push & Stretch video in the forward skating section of the skills page and the Strong Outer Forward Edges video in the edges section. I have gotten a lot of messages and emails from members recently (which makes me so happy) asking which videos to work on for their skill level. The answer is almost always EDGES. Everything comes back to our edges. You’ll never go wrong focusing on your edge quality and stamina.
Backward Skating / Scissors / Pushes: Spirals can also be done while skating backward! To be honest, I think I prefer doing spirals while rolling backward. I feel protected if I were to fall forward with my toe stop there to catch me a bit. If I’m going to fall, I can slow myself down with that toe stop. But let’s try not to think about falling lol. If you’re new to backward skating or lacking confidence in your backward skating, I recommend checking out a few videos within the backward skating section of the skills page: Backward Skating, Backward Scissors, and Backward Pushes. For those of you who are a bit more advanced with your backward skating, practice your swings both forward and backward and really start to extend that free leg while rolling backward! As always, remember to keep your knees bent and try to keep your eyes level. Do briefly look behind you to make sure there’s nothing in your way, but quickly turn around and keep that chin up.
Where to find these videos:
Drills 4 - Drills & Workouts page [Link: Website, YouTube]
Arrow Spiral - Skills page (artistic skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Push & Stretch - Skills page (forward skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Strong Outer Forward Edges - Skills page (edges section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Backward Skating - Skills page (backward skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Backward Scissors - Skills page (backward skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Backward Pushes - Skills page (backward skating section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
Week 4:
ADVANCED Choreography (What’s Love got to do with it)
Extra Credit:
OUTER BACK TOE STOP SPIN
HIGH KICK
Advanced Choreography: Now onto our advanced choreography! This one is a bit challenging…in all the best ways. It’s very jazzy and artistic with big long lines and sharp poses. I use my toe stops a lot in this one, but you don’t need to if you prefer to skate without toe stops. This advanced choreography includes hops backward on the toe stops, a big kick, an outer back toe stop spin, etc. My advanced choreography is always made with the thought that we could easily perform it on-stage. And when I say “on-stage”, I mean on a big stage…think Grammy’s. So, if you ever get frustrated with the Advanced Choreography, please try to be patient with yourself. But hey, if you ever get called to skate at the Grammy’s, you have a lot of choreography to choose from! As always with choreography, don’t be afraid to make it your own. Have fun with it! That’s what it’s all about!
Outer Back Toe Stop Spin: When rotating or spinning, we need to use a lot of core muscle. We tend to focus a lot on our legs and while that is great when first learning anything on skates, we have to eventually turn our attention to our core. One of the most beautiful ways to spin on a toe stop (in my opinion) is this outer back toe stop spin. I like to start my momentum with weight in both feet, lift my left skate off the ground, and wrap it around in back. The weight of the skate helps the spin rotate and the lines are stunning on camera. In order to successfully lift and bring that freeleg around, we have to keep our core tight to stabilize us and keep our chin up. If we let our body fall, we can quickly lose balance and the spin gets a little droopy. Ha! I like that word to describe it! Try not to try too hard on this spin. Take is slow and easy.
High Kick: The sometimes beloved and often hated high kick. Let me remind us, our skates are extremely heavy. This can be a great thing and a terrible thing all at the same time. The weight of our skate will help us get our leg in place, but gravity can quickly bring it down. So, we have to be ready. Just like the spiral at the beginning of the month, we need our base leg to be nice and sturdy. If you ever feel uneasy or unstable, don’t kick your leg. Keep that core tight and kind of crunch forward to maintain your center. Also, this is not a flexibility competition. Take it low and slow. A kick can be beautiful at any height, just make sure to point your toes…please! 😉
Where to find these videos:
What’s Love Got to Do with It (Advanced) - Choreography page [Link: Website, YouTube]
Outer Back Toe Stop Spin - Skills page (toe stops section) [Link: Website, YouTube]
High Kick - Skills page (flexibility 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!
