I really need help with my edges!

[Anita18]

I've had new skates for a while now, but I can't seem to find my balance on them. I'm incapable of holding an edge of any kind on one foot, and I'm really frustrated! >: I mean, I can hold my edges enough to do crossovers, but I can't do them in succession because of my bad balance. Another thing is that I don't go very fast while stroking, and it might be because I can't hold onto the inside edge for a long time either, and I'm deathly afraid of crashing into people (which I just did a couple times yesterday!). Is there anything I can do off-ice to improve my balance? Also, is there any little secret in holding your upper body that helps in doing edges?

Thanks!

[GMAN]

I work on my roller blades and work on edges for my class on Tuesdays and Sundays.My teacher keeps telling me "Keep your body straight!"She says that don`t turn your body and keep it straight.That`s what I always need work on!!But I love doing jumps!!!!!Jumps and spins are my favorite things to do!!But I hope that helps a little!!!!

[Deetlebug]

Anita18 - RUN!! Don't walk - to the proshop with those skates!! Ask whoever is in charge of skate care, ie sharpening, repairs, etc. to look at how your skate blades are mounted. No two people, in fact no two feet, require exactly the same mounting.

When I moved from group lessons to private lessons the first thing my coach noticed was that my blades weren't mounted correctly for my hip and knee alingment. Her husband - who is a former dance World silver medalist and master at taking care of skates (even during his competitive days his competitors would trust him to take care of their skate problems!) - remounted my blades and I have NEVER had an outside edge that has felt as strong or secure since!! Definately get those mounts checked out. It will probably require a few trips and remounts since it is a delicate balance but believe me, until you can stop fighting the direction your blades want to travel, which is what is happening, you aren't going to get a good edge no matter how hard you work at it. And you are potentially setting yourself up for longterm injury as well.

[TheGr8Sk8er]

Definetly, like DeetleBug says, make sure your blades are mounted on stratight! Anyways, when I had prblems with edges, my coach kept telling me to put pressure on my hands-it helped for me!