Ah Ha Moments

When I was very new in learning how to skate I had an instructor make the observation that skating skills are really just a series of "Ah ha moments."  Of course, this is true when you're learning almost anything, but I love the physicality of that moment on wheels, so I thought I'd share a couple of my own.
"If you go in a small circle, so be it."
This was for transitions/turn around toe stops.  The road to transitioning well was very long for me, and continues to be a struggle on the weak side.  When accomplished skaters demonstrate them slowly, they always have a moment where both skates are on the ground with heels together in a Mohawk before turning around fully.  For some reason I harbored a tremendous amount of fear surrounding that moment, so rather than set both feet on the ground, I did a little hop.  It totally works and I fully intended to use this method to my dying day.
So you can imagine my thoughts and feelings they day I had a guest coach say we were going to work on that moment of the transition.  I was ready to mentally check out, do his thing poorly and continue doing it the way I knew I could.  I had a way that worked and I didn't really like the guy anyway.  Still, as I was looking around I could see other people sort of getting it, and it weakened my resolve to refuse to learn.
Me:  "Hey, look I can't do this."
Him:  "Try it on the other side."
Me:  "It will be worse" <demonstration>
Him:  "Yeah, that is worse.  OK, come over here."
He took me off the track and had me show him my technique.  I expressed my fear that should I put both feet down at once with my heels together I would catch an edge, wrench my knee and die of embarrassment.  He then said these magic words:  "Just put both feet down.  If you go around in a small circle, so be it."  I then put both feet down and went around in a small circle.
OH MY GOD I'M GOING AROUND IN A SMALL CIRCLE!!!  THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER!!!!  LOOK AT THE WAY MY BUTT GOES OUT!!!
I know.  Most people figured out how to do that about the fifth time they got on roller skates but I'm kind of clumsy and more than a little stubborn so it took quite a bit longer.  What I really learned from this experience was that in that moment of the transition your feet don't actually have to be in a perfect 180 degree line in order for you to continue rolling.  I'm not sure if this is an essential element to transitioning well but I know I feel much more comfortable now than I did before.
"Sink your chest into your thigh"
I was having trouble sliding out on the corners while speed skating.  Sure, I could have gone out and purchased stickier wheels but I really liked the wheels I had for plow stops and agility in general.  I was told that the real solution for my problem was to 'get lower.'  It seems like 'get lower' is the all purpose flour of roller derby, in much the same way that 'use more air' is the solution for almost everything on the French horn.  I almost hate to hear it because it's used so often that I think it loses some meaning. 
For me, the phrase that did it was "sink your chest into your thigh and step onto a bent leg."  Does that mean the same thing?  You bet, but for whatever reason it felt different.  My instructor made the point that you're weight should always be directly over the leg that's actually pushing you at that moment.  In other words, always to the inside directly above your thigh.  I haven't slid out since.
<originally posted 1.9.12>