Private Training FAQ's

AT WHAT AGE CAN MY CHILD START TAKING PRIVATE LESSONS?  I have worked with children as young as three years old. The most important factor at this age is to develop a child's confidence on the ice. Until they are ready to skate, you can't force them to do it. The goal is to get the child comfortable on skates, with the environment and to help instill a love for the sport that will last many years.
 
DO YOU WORK WITH ADVANCED PLAYERS ALSO?  The system I have developed works from the true beginner to players as advanced as junior, collegiate and professional levels.
 
WHAT SHOULD MY CHILD WEAR FOR THE LESSON?  For a beginner, I would recommend knee pads, elbow pads and a helmet. I would recommend a hockey helmet over a bicycle helmet. When young children fall, they have a tendency to twist as they are falling, which can result in hitting their face on the ice. A bicycle helmet doesn't give them the coverage on their face like a hockey helmet with a cage on front does. For players, full gear would be optimal if you have the time for them to dress for the lesson. That way they learn the skill with the same feel of the equipment they use in a game. Unfortunately sticks are not allowed on the ice during the public sessions. Minimally, your player should have skates, gloves and helmet.
 
HOW MANY LESSONS DOES MY CHILD NEED TO BE A BETTER SKATER? There are many elements in skating that a player needs to be effective---forward & backward skating, stops, starts, turns, edges, crossovers, lateral movement. Not to mention balance, agility, quickness and speed. If you want to focus on one main skill (say stopping), generally 3 one-half hour lessons will give your child a good idea of how to stop and identify the feel they are trying to duplicate. Since every individual is different, this can vary. Many players work with me on an every other week basis from October through May to learn or refine as many skills as possible through the season, take the summer off from lessons and start back up again in the fall. There is always something new to learn, skills to polish up on and new levels to achieve. Not everyone wants lessons over the entire season--whatever your plans regarding the amount of lessons, I can help your player improve as many skills possible in the designated time frame.
 
IS THERE A MINIMUM NUMBER OF LESSONS I HAVE TO TAKE? You are never restricted by a certain number of lessons, whether you are interested in one, five or an entire season’s worth. Each family’s situation is unique and I will work with your needs to best meet the expectations you have for your child.
 
CAN A SMALL GROUP OF PLAYERS ALL HAVE A LESSON TOGETHER?  I can work with small groups, although three is usually the maximum that I like to take if we are limited to lessons on a public session. I want to make sure that each player having a lesson derives the maximum benefit and having too many players in a potentially crowded environment can mean a loss of focus and not enough repetition for each player to correct the skill.
 
ARE ALL LESSONS DONE FOR A HALF HOUR?  In working with children for many years, I have learned that spending a limited amount of time breaking one skill down into small parts is the best way for them to retain the information. Especially with younger players, during a longer lesson most of them don’t remember at the end of the lesson what we did at the beginning. It is basically information overload. Older players can generally handle longer lesson times. We can discuss what is best for your player before we finalize scheduling.
 
WHY DO YOU TEACH AT SO MANY DIFFERENT RINKS?  Without buying the ice myself, which would make lessons completely unaffordable, public sessions and training sessions are the only options available. In trying to accommodate as many students as possible, I look for the largest block of ice available to teach on. Some rinks have a “staff only” policy, which means that if I am not on the staff at that rink, I cannot bring students to that rink to teach. Also, by varying the locations, I try to make it easier to get to the lessons before or after school. 
 
WHY ARE LESSONS GIVEN BI-WEEKLY?  During the school year the time available to teach is limited and, in trying to accommodate as many players as possible, every other week lessons seemed the best option. After using this schedule for quite a few years, I have found it to work very well as it gives the player practice time in between lessons, it contributes to less “burn out” and parents can generally work it into schedules easier. Weekly lessons are available at non-prime times.
 
ARE LESSONS DONE ON A BI-WEEKLY BASIS IN THE SUMMER ALSO? 
No, during the summer months lessons may be done as often as you would like.
 
HOW DO I PAY FOR THE LESSON?  Payment is required after each lesson (although payment in advance for multiple lessons is possible) and is given directly to me (not to the rink). Please have cash or check made payable to Diana Schaefering.
 
WHY DO I PAY THE RINK TO SKATE FOR A LESSON?  The rink allows me to teach lessons on their sessions as long as I pay a fee to get on the ice. Each student must pay the rink fee also, just as if they were going to skate the session, regardless of having a lesson or not. The rinks need to stay in business and if we did not have these sessions to teach/skate on, we would have to rent ice to have lessons and the cost would be prohibitive.