Why Every Figure Skating Practice Should Have a Plan
Have you ever watched a skater step onto the ice, skate a few laps, try a jump, practice a spin, skate around some more, and then suddenly realize that their session is almost over?
They've been skating the entire time.
But did they actually practice?
There's an important difference.
For figure skaters, time on the ice doesn't automatically equal productive training. A skater can spend an hour at the rink and accomplish very little—or spend thirty focused minutes working toward specific goals and make meaningful progress.
That's why every practice should have a plan.
That doesn't mean every session needs to be rigid or complicated. In fact, the plan for a young Basic-level skater may be as simple as practicing stopping, crossovers, and one or two skills from their last lesson.
The point isn't to fill every second.
The point is to know why you're on the ice and what you want to accomplish while you're there.
A Lesson and a Practice Are Not the Same Thing
One of the easiest ways to understand purposeful practice is to think about the difference between a coached lesson and independent training.
During a lesson, your coach is directing the session. They are watching your technique, identifying problems, introducing new skills, and giving you specific corrections.
Practice is where you take those corrections and work on them yourself.
If your coach says, "Keep your skating knee bent through the crossover," and you spend the next three practices thinking about that correction, you're turning a lesson into lasting improvement.
If you simply wait until your next lesson to try the skill again, you're missing a huge part of the learning process.
Your coach cannot do the repetitions for you. If you're wondering what your coach is actually looking for when you practice independently, read our prior post on "What Coaches Really Notice During Practice."
Practice is where the learning becomes automatic.
Start With One or Two Goals
A practice plan doesn't need to contain twenty different objectives.
In fact, too many goals can make a session less effective.
Instead, start by asking:
What is the most important thing I want to improve today?
Maybe your coach recently corrected your jump takeoff.
Maybe your spins are traveling and need more centered repetitions.
Maybe you're preparing for an upcoming competition and need to improve your program stamina.
Maybe you're working on stronger edges and better speed.
Choose one or two priorities and build the session around them.
That doesn't mean you can't work on anything else. It simply gives the practice a purpose.
Don't Spend the Whole Session on Your Favorite Skills
This is one of the easiest traps for skaters.
Everyone has favorite elements.
Maybe you love your spins. Maybe jumps are your favorite. Maybe you could do crossovers for an hour because they feel effortless.
It's natural to spend more time on things that feel good.
But improvement usually happens at the edge of your comfort zone.
If you only practice what you're already good at, you're reinforcing existing skills rather than developing new ones.
A good practice plan should include some things you enjoy and some things that challenge you.
That might mean spending ten minutes on a favorite jump and then intentionally working on the edge or turn that's giving you trouble.
The goal isn't to make practice unpleasant.
It's to make it productive.
Quality Repetitions Matter More Than Endless Repetitions
More isn't always better.
If a skater performs the same jump twenty times with the same technical mistake, they're not necessarily becoming twenty times better.
They may actually be reinforcing the mistake.
That's why purposeful practice involves paying attention to quality.
Try the skill.
Evaluate what happened.
Make an adjustment.
Try again.
Sometimes three thoughtful repetitions are more valuable than twenty automatic ones.
This is also why your coach's corrections matter so much. If your coach has given you a specific focus—such as checking your landing position, improving your takeoff edge, or maintaining better posture—use that correction to evaluate each repetition.
Practice should be active learning, not simply repetition.
Give Every Practice a Beginning, Middle, and End
A simple structure can make a huge difference.
Start: Warm Up and Establish Your Focus
Begin with skating that prepares your body and reminds you of the fundamentals you're working on.
For younger skaters, this might include stroking, edges, turns, stops, or basic skills.
For more advanced skaters, the warm-up may include stroking, edge work, turns, and movement patterns that prepare the body for jumps and spins.
This is also a good time to remind yourself of your practice goal.
Middle: Do the Work
This is where you spend the majority of the session on your priorities.
Work on the elements, skating skills, program sections, or corrections that matter most right now.
Break difficult skills into smaller pieces when necessary.
And remember: if something isn't working, repeating the exact same mistake over and over isn't necessarily practice. Sometimes you need to slow down, simplify the skill, or return to a prerequisite.
End: Put It Together
Finish by applying what you worked on.
That might mean skating your program, doing a few quality repetitions of the skill you were practicing, or reviewing the correction one final time.
For competitive skaters, ending with a program section or run-through can be particularly valuable because it helps connect individual skills to actual performance.
Your Practice Plan Should Change With Your Goals
The best practice plan isn't the same every day.
Training should change depending on what's coming up.
A skater preparing for their first competition may need more program practice and performance repetition.
A skater preparing for a test may need more focused work on the specific skills being evaluated.
A skater who has just completed a competition might shift toward technical development and correcting areas that were exposed under pressure.
And during a period of heavy schoolwork, a skater may need shorter, more focused practices rather than trying to maintain an unrealistic training schedule.
This is where communication with your coach becomes important.
Your coach sees the bigger picture. They know which skills you're developing now, which ones need more repetition, and which goals are coming next.
Your practice plan should support that larger training plan.
Choose Your Practice Plan:
To make this easier for Skate VIDA families, we've created practice-plan templates for different stages of a skater's development. As skaters advance, the goal isn't simply to practice more—it is to learn how to practice more independently and intentionally.
These aren't meant to replace coaching or dictate exactly what every skater should do. Instead, they're starting points that help skaters walk onto the ice with a purpose.
Choose the plan closest to your current level and adapt it based on your coach's recommendations.
Basic Skaters
At the Basic level, practice should focus on building confidence and strong foundational skating skills.
The goal isn't to cram as many skills as possible into one session. It's to make the fundamentals more comfortable and consistent.
[Download the Basic Skater Practice Plan PDF] - A simple, confidence-building template to help beginning skaters focus on foundational skills and develop purposeful practice habits.
Aspire Skaters
Aspire skaters are beginning to connect foundational skating skills with more formal jumps, spins, and program elements.
A practice plan can help make sure they aren't spending the entire session on their favorite element while neglecting the skills that still need development.
[Download the Aspire Skater Practice Plan PDF] - A guided template for skaters beginning to connect foundational skating skills with jumps, spins, and program work while building independence.
Preliminary–Pre-Juvenile
At these levels, practices become increasingly technical and intentional.
Skaters are often working on multiple jumps, spins, skating skills, and programs simultaneously, making it especially important to prioritize rather than simply trying to practice everything every time.
[Download the Preliminary–Pre-Juvenile Practice Plan PDF] - A focused practice template for developing consistent elements, applying coaching corrections, and balancing technical work with program goals.
Juvenile–Intermediate
As training becomes more demanding, skaters need to become increasingly independent in how they use their practice time.
A good plan can help balance technical elements, skating skills, program work, and competition preparation while still leaving room to address the corrections from recent lessons.
[Download the Juvenile–Intermediate Practice Plan PDF] - A more detailed training template designed to help skaters balance technical development, program performance, stamina, and competition preparation.
Novice–Senior
At advanced levels, practice becomes much more than simply repeating elements.
Skaters are managing technical development, program strategy, stamina, competition preparation, recovery, and increasingly sophisticated training goals.
A detailed plan helps make sure every session contributes to the larger training picture.
[Download the Novice–Senior Practice Plan PDF] - An advanced practice-planning template for skaters taking greater ownership of their training, with space for technical development, program work, competition simulation, and recovery.
Your Practice Plan Doesn't Have to Survive Contact With the Ice
Here's an important distinction: a practice plan is a guide, not a contract.
Sometimes you arrive at the rink and immediately realize that something isn't working.
Maybe you're unusually tired.
Maybe your jump feels completely different that day.
Maybe the ice is crowded.
Maybe your coach notices something during your warm-up that needs attention.
A good skater learns to adapt.
If your original plan says "ten Axel attempts" but your coach identifies a problem with the takeoff that needs to be addressed first, the plan should change.
That's not a failed practice.
That's a smart practice.
The goal is intentionality—not rigidity.
Learning to Practice Is Part of Becoming an Athlete
For young skaters, learning how to practice independently is an important developmental milestone.
At first, a coach or parent may need to help create the plan.
Eventually, the skater should begin answering those questions themselves:
What am I working on?
What did my coach correct last time?
What needs the most attention today?
How will I know if I improved?
That independence is one of the things that separates simply participating in a sport from becoming an athlete.
The skater is no longer just waiting for someone to tell them what to do.
They're learning how to take ownership of their own development.
The Goal Isn't to Do More. It's to Make the Work Count.
A productive practice doesn't necessarily leave you exhausted.
It leaves you better.
Maybe your jump became a little more consistent.
Maybe you finally understood the edge your coach has been talking about.
Maybe your program felt more comfortable.
Maybe you learned something about why a skill wasn't working.
Those small improvements accumulate.
Over weeks and months, intentional practices become technical progress. Technical progress becomes confidence. Confidence becomes performance.
And eventually, the skills that once required conscious thought become automatic.
That's the real purpose of practice.
Not simply spending time on the ice.
Using that time well.
Frequently Asked Questions about Practice Plans:
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Start by choosing one or two priorities based on your coach's recent corrections and your current training goals. A good practice plan should include a warm-up, focused skill work, and time to apply what you're practicing through combinations or program work.
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Practice length varies depending on a skater's age, level, goals, and available ice time. A shorter, focused practice can be more productive than a longer session without a clear purpose.
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Yes, when developmentally appropriate. Younger skaters may need a parent or coach to help structure their practice, while older skaters should gradually learn to identify priorities, apply corrections, and take greater ownership of their training.
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No. A practice plan is a guide, not a rigid prescription. Skaters should adjust their plan based on their coach's feedback, how their body feels, the ice conditions, and their current training priorities.