Hi skaters,

I'm a 65yo guy lucky enough to live a three-minute walk to our very fine local rink. My town is nice enough to make it free for seniors, so for a $3 skate rental fee I'm on a beautiful rink with only a handful other adult skaters three mornings a week.

I skated quite a bit as a kid, figure skates mostly, now I use hockey skates. The journey of returning to skating regularly started two years ago, and both seasons served as major motivators to really work on my fitness; now I do a million pushups and calisthenics and some weight work and I"m in the best shape of my life, at age 65. Who woulda thunk? And I owe a lot to sliding around on ice skates.

I took some lessons last year and I very carefully observe other skaters. I have a pretty good fluid stride, have no problem with crossovers and enjoy using my edges to propel myself about and maneuver.

I guess what I come here to discover is any drills, techniques, ideas or suggestions to improve my technique and maneuverability. I can barely skate backwards, for instance, my biggest problem being making that swivel change of direction. Gosh, the hockey players make it look so easy. I'd love to be able to easily swich from Drive to Reverse like that. Also ways to improve balance; I notice especially that my balance is less reliable on my left leg and I'd like to play with that.

Thanks for reading, I look forward to some interesting reading in this group.