Hey coaches!

I just recently became a figure skating coach and I have one student who constantly tells me that she "can't." I was wondering...what do all of you do when you have students who believe they can't do something?

I just want to be sure that all of my students enjoy the sport and that they all try everything!

Thanks in advance!

I always give the positive spin to it. I know you can at least try it. It is OK that it might not be perfect the first time that is why you are here learning and taking lessons! Or you can try the line - if you say I can't it is just because you are not trying hard enough. At times I have resorted to the change jar method. Every time someone says I can't whatever change you designate (nickles, dimes quarters) goes into a bank that you carry. This works well especially in group lessons when those words seem to spread like wild fires. At the end of the year you simply use the money for awards for anyone who never paid into the jar. So not only are they not eligible for an award they are paying for the person who tries the hardest. We also use the jar for any other "problems" we have in the class. Just make sure you make an announcement to the parents that you are starting the program so that they aren't questioning why the child is telling them they owe you money. I try to encourage the parents to make the kids earn the money and not just give it to them everytime they say those words. After all it is just change. Maybe a quarter to run an errand for their parents whatever. Not only are we teaching the kids we are telling the parents that it is not OK with us that their child doesn't try new things. After all that is what they are paying us for isn't it? I have had parents take this home and say it works there too. It makes the kids more confident and better overall people I think!

when they say they can't to the point where it becomes annoying to me i schedule more practices for them. i tell them well then your coming in on saturday morning (if they were supposed to have it off) to work on it since you can't seem to do it. this will definately stop the words "i can't" from their mouths

I know it seems harsh but i use push ups, i hear i can't and they get allocated push ups to complete at the end of training. My older girls get 20 and younger kids 5-10 depending on ability. You may find this is hard to to on the ice, but once they're off make them do it. This method has totally stopped my "i can'ts"

Good luck.

aussiecheer is a genius....i was in jrotc for 3 years, and though to someone who isnt accustomed to seeing it pushups may seem harsh, they are actually very eefective and arent abusive in any way, especially if they are done off the ice. i dont know much about ice skating, but jrotc definitely teaches alot about motivation. if you're still having trouble, see if you can get in contact with a jrotc teacher at a local high school- the teachers there are usually retired from the military and have been through a lot of hard times, so they know about the neccessity of motivation......good luck!:)
-Me

Wow you guys have all given me sooo much advice...I'm definitely going to put some of it to use when the rink opens up again...I just can't stand listening to kids saying they can't do something before they try :-\

Anyway, Thanks again...you are wonderfullll!

lol, glad to help. People always think my methods are harsh, but the thing is they get results. As a kid i don't ever think i said i can't purely because of discipline. Kids today don't have a lot of discipline so they don't try things.

Of course you do get the odd kid who doesn't take you seriously when you give them push ups, its still "i can't" or i "won't". At that point i add them up, sometimes they'll end up with 50 push ups before they stop. It really makes them think come end of training when everyone else has gone home.

Let us know how you go. If the method works for you. Good luck!

D

From a dance and acro teacher....I also use push ups...5 the first offense, 10 the 2nd, 20 the third, then 40 but no one has ever gotten that far....this if for my 12+ years and advanced 9 year olds.

For our younger dancers we painted on the floor a big fat foot. Beside it we wrote "I can't". Every time they said "I Can't" they would have to go to the spot and stomp their foot there. We found that over a very short period of time, the students would rather try the new technique than go to the "I can't" spot on the floor.

For some of our older girls we've worked with, it's been the fear factor after a fall has occured or a bad mark on a score sheet is received. To over come those it's a little trickier. For a lot of the dancers it's been resolved by making sure they knew another step, trick, turn (etc) right after the one they were having difficulty with.

If the dancer(s) refuse to try, I agree with the poster above, you must have discipline lined out, and follow it. If not, pretty soon your team will be telling you what to do. I'm all for a clean routine, but If you don't at least try - there's the door. Sometimes having that student or students work with another teacher can help too. As long as the teacher isn't trying to upset your authority. Pick a baseline. Move from that baseline...It will click for you. You have to be patient.

Good Luck...

I really like the "I can't foot" That is such a great idea!

"You've got to believe it if you want to achieve it."