On Friday evening Mo and I went skating at the YMCA – as usual.
A lady there asked me how to go backwards. Well, what could I say?
When people, usually kids, have asked me that in the past I have recounted to them how I learnt. We have laminate floors at home – good for skating. I learnt “backwards” by pushing myself off the kitchen wall. Then I got so I could push myself back using my left leg as support leg and right foot slightly toe-in. Repeated this with the left foot. Then started to wiggle my bum and eventually got it.
But that was then.
Now I’m ICP qualified I could see so many things that needed to be fixed. I advised her that she practice going forwards before she tried to go backwards. (She kept on trying, as her friends could do it, and she managed a little.)
My perceptions have been changed. I found myself correcting my own mistakes and felt frustrated at being confined to travelling one way round in such a small space. I saw children falling, windmilling their arms as they landed with a bump. I wanted to shout “stop” and show everyone stage 1, just so that they could skate without falling.
I need to get outside more and I need to get some teaching done.