Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-4821842-20141110162131/@comment-24674051-20141113170408

Do we ever see Ingrid use the "Force Choke" in the flashbacks, or is it only present time? I would consider it possible that she mastered the Ice Magic while in seclusion in the Urn, and then worked with someone, most likely Rumple, to hone her skills further and pick up a few extra tricks (like the Force Choke). She did have a few years after her release before the Curse was invoked. That's not to say that what you present is wrong, because we simply don't know. I'm just presenting an alternate viewpoint.

Also, Elsa was NOT in complete isolation. In Frozen, she still spent time with her parents, she was just kept hidden from the rest of the world. Also, she wore the gloves almost all the time, so she never worked on honing her skills, but rather worked on trying to NOT use her skills (and not very well at that.)  When Elsa finally "let it go" in the movie, we see that she is actually quite powerful, and the Ice Magic comes quite naturally. The problem is shutting it down. I think Ingrid probably has the same issues.

Agreed, that Regina is not that strong. Of all the magic users, she seems to be the one that is the LEAST gifted, and has had to work really hard to master her Craft. She does it, and she does it well, but it is not quite as second nature to her as it is to Rumple, Elsa, or Emma.